Coccidia/pinworms concern

Hi everyone,

My 6 month old male bearded dragon was diagnosed with coccidia and pinworms today, after a fecal sample was taken and tested. The vet thinks that it may be due to relocation stress which has weakened his immune system and allowed for these parasites to take over the natural gut flora (I moved house last week). She also said he was a bit on the underweight side, even though I feed him every day twice a day with crickets, as much as he will eat, and veg. She said that the coccidia could be hindering weight gain. I have been given 10% Panacur for the worms, which was given to him today and another shot to be given in 2 weeks time. I have also been given 2.5% Baycox for the coccidia, which I am to start within the next 5 or 6 days. She said if he doesn't start to improve within the next couple of weeks that they will test for cryptosporidiosis and adenovirus, which I'm praying he doesn't have

However, I am really worried about him as he is just sitting with his eyes closed a lot, hiding under anything he can or just staring into space, I tried him with crickets tonight but he wouldn't eat any of them. I've never seen him this inactive.

Is it normal for pinworms/coccidia to make them this ill? Or could it be because of the Panacur he was given today? I'm so concerned, I just want him to feel better

Also is there any way that I can disinfect his viv decor, e.g. plants, wood, rocks, of these parasites or do I have to chuck them? I plan on disinfecting his viv every day with a disinfectant that I bought from the reptile section.

Here are some photos of him. He looks so so unwell

He doesn't look like a happy camper but his beard is still nice and white which is a good sign. Panacur is relatively mild so it probably won't cause him much issue but his stomach may be pretty upset by the parasites. Try to keep him hydrated and offer drops of water on his nose if he isn't eating much. Hopefully the meds will help soon.

I would take the plants out of the tank and keep everything to pretty minimal decor for now until treatment is complete. For coccidia I would use a steam cleaner to disinfect everything. You can rinse the wood and bake it in the oven on low for about an hour which will kill everything. If you're using tile substrate that can be baked too. Everything else I'd hit with a good blast of steam. I have a tea kettle sized 1000w steam cleaner that works well for that. If you can get some vetericyn to spray on his bottom after he poops that may help prevent reinfection too.

Thank you so much for the advice! I have just ordered a steam cleaner, hopefully it will be good and do the job! Would it be a good idea to keep him on newspaper or paper towels while he is on medication? Tomorrow I am planning on scrubbing and disinfecting absolutely everything to minimise the chances of reinfection or things getting worse! I hope he starts feeling better soon!

Yeah newspaper or another easily disposable substrate is a good idea for a while. Ammonia/water solution may also help with coccidia if you're scrubbing things down but I don't like the idea of leaving a chemical residue so I stick with steam which should work at least as well and will only leave water behind.

Thank you so much!

Also, would giving him a probiotic help? If so, do you have any recommendations?

Maybe. The Panacur shouldn't cause an issue but the Baycox might be a little rough. Either way a probiotic can't hurt. I'd go with the Reptophilus from Tracie's site http://www.bug-de-lite.com/store/

Hello,

How long has it been since he was put into a new enclosure? They do take time to adjust to new surroundings. I agree that they can be stressed which can leave opportunistic parasites to take hold.
He definitely is not impressed right now, but since his beard isn't black he must not feel terrible.
The Baycox is not nearly as harsh on the system as straight Albon. Be sure to include some good probiotics such as non dairy soy yogurt (flavored or non flavored), or non dairy acidophiliz either one.
That can help to settle his tummy.
Try to keep him a little warmer overnight, around 80, to help boost his immune system.
The steamer should help a lot & will kill everything in there. Keeping things clean will help cut down on the chances of reinfection.
Yes, you can use paper towels, or even newspaper right now, while he is on medication for easy clean up.
It sounds like you are doing everything correct! I hope he starts feeling better soon.
Let us know how he is doing

Tracie

Hi Tracie, thank you for replying!
It has been 2 weeks today. I fed him today and he ate a lot, looked a bit better this morning but still sitting with his eyes closed sometimes. Today I bought plain soya yoghurt, so I will give him this once I am home. I also bought newspaper to keep him on.
Thank you for your advice, I will let you know how he gets on!

Hello,

That is great he seems to be feeling better. Maybe the soy yogurt will help him out.
He may be a little tired just from the meds perhaps.
The newspaper is perfect, it will be easy to clean. Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Hello! So he's doing a lot better today. I gave him some veg and soya yoghurt this morning which he happily ate, along with crickets this afternoon! Bright eyed again! Do you think this means that the first round of Panacur could have got rid of the pinworms? I know that it doesn't kill the eggs but hopefully the next lot will do the job!

Hello,

Great to hear he is looking & feeling better today! The first dose will kill the eggs but that is why you have several doses, to catch the next hatching. He will be fine, it should get rid of it all.
At least he had some soy yogurt & crickets today, that is progress.
Let us know how he is coming along.

Tracie

Hello, I have a question. He has been sitting with his eyes closed for quite a lot of the day. He either sits staring at nothing, it looks like he is in a trance and slowly closes his eyes then opens them again a few seconds later. His eyes are alert when I take him out, etc. Do you have any idea what could be causing this? Could it be the UVB bulbs?