My poor Spartacus has pinworms & coccidia

Status
Not open for further replies.

EclpsPrinc

Juvie Member
I noticed last week he had suspicious little red specks in his urates. I didn't notice any more until yesterday but there was a lot more noticeable blood. His stools have also been forming a mucousy encasing.

So I gathered fecal samples from all three of my beardies and took them down to the vet's office. Maximus & Livia were clear of parasites. Spartacus, on the other hand, has some issues.

The vet has prescribed Panacur for his pinworms. He takes his dosage once a week for three weeks. For the coccidia, he prescribed Ponazuril @ one drop daily for 4 weeks. I was expecting Albon but the vet stated he and other vets he's conversed with have had great success with the Ponazuril. He also stated that it doesn't have quite such a bad effect on beardies as the Albon does. There sure isn't a whole of information on the internet about using Ponazuril for medicating beardies. I asked about the coccidia count and he stated that he did a float so a count was not performed but due his bloody/mucousy stools, it warrants medication. I need to take in another fecal sample one week after his 2nd dosage of Panacur.

I've ordered some Acidophiliz+ so hopefully it will come soon. I've also removed all of his cage furniture/plants with exception of his basking rock. He'll miss his log but there are too many crevices and it would be difficult to keep sanitary. I cleaned his viv with bleach and rinsed real well (I don't have a steam cleaner). He's always had paper towels as subtrate since I've had him (sand prior to that) so no change there.

Other than the bad looking stools, he eating pretty good, has steady weight gain and very active when he is brought out to play.

This is the first time for me in dealing with parasites. Any tips/suggestions are very welcome. :)
 

luvthydragon

Juvie Member
Hi there -

Sorry to hear the news. I say this with real empathy because i just got done with a 2 month long battle with coccidia. Original fecal was a "high" count and he had oinworms too. The pinworms were gone with the first deworming but the coccidia was persistant. I usesd Albon for 6 weeks and the two fecals after that still came back high. Finally the vet used the Ponazuril and came back clear blob5: :blob8: :blob5: :blob8: :blob5: :blob8:

Yes keeping the tank as clean as possible is the link to breaking the life cycle of these nasty varments! Clean, clean, clean and then clean some more!

Sounds like you are on the right track......

I gotta get to work but feel free to PM me if you need to. I only get to the internet though once a day or every other so I may not get right back to you.

I had a really long hard road with the coccidia and I'd be happy to help anyone I can with that frustrating ordeal......

Take care and good luck - best wishes to you and your dragons :D
 

EclpsPrinc

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Thank you so much!

The meds don't seem to be bothering him any. He takes them like a real champ too! My sweet boy :D What dosage did your vet prescribe for the Ponazuril? From what I've read, larger 1-2 doses have a coccidiocidal effect (killing the coccidia at all stages) and dosing over a period of time has a coccidostatic effect (like Albon, simply impedes them). My vet is dosing over 4 weeks (1 drop/day) but my mind tends to think this could increase the chance for reinfestation. I would almost rather dose larger and kill the nasties right off the bat.

His cage is pretty empty but he doesn't seem to mind it a bit and I've been very adamant that he poops in water rather than his viv so I think that will help a lot.
 

luvthydragon

Juvie Member
EclpsPrinc":351cd said:
Thank you so much!

The meds don't seem to be bothering him any. He takes them like a real champ too! My sweet boy :D What dosage did your vet prescribe for the Ponazuril? From what I've read, larger 1-2 doses have a coccidiocidal effect (killing the coccidia at all stages) and dosing over a period of time has a coccidostatic effect (like Albon, simply impedes them). My vet is dosing over 4 weeks (1 drop/day) but my mind tends to think this could increase the chance for reinfestation. I would almost rather dose larger and kill the nasties right off the bat.

His cage is pretty empty but he doesn't seem to mind it a bit and I've been very adamant that he poops in water rather than his viv so I think that will help a lot.

Hey there.....

The meds go by weight I'm sure so the dosage may be different for yours....mine was 0.13 ML (=1.3MG) orally every 48 hours for 3 doses. He was somewhere between 69-90 grams at that time.

My dragon ate ok through the Albon but started to eat less and less as time went by....I didn't see a big difference in his eating when he was on the Ponazuril. I did give him acidopholiz about three weeks into it becasue his appetite started to decline. It did not seem to make a difference for us but I've heard others swear by it??? I did give him baby food to keep him hydrated because he refuses to drink water and hates his baths. Actually his eating still isn't all that great and its been a few weeks since he's been off the meds.

As for the cleaning.....you must be doing something right or I suspect your other dragons would have caught the coccidia by now ????

Hope this helps....Again.....If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. :D

Good luck and best wishes to you and your dragons :D
 

EclpsPrinc

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Yay! Spartacus' follow up fecal exam showed he is now absolutely clear of all parasites. What a relief! :blob5:
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is awesome! The Ponazuril has really been proving quite effective & you can get by using less of it than with the Albon. I am happy that Spartacus is doing much better now. :blob5:

Tracie
 

EclpsPrinc

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Thanks Tracie! He didn't seem to have any bad side effects with the meds. I did have him on Acidophiliz though. I'm sure that helped. He continued to have steady weight gain too. I was adamant about 'no pooping in the cage'. Sometimes, he would have 45 min baths in the morning :p
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is great he did so well. The Acidophiliz really does help. Did he get just one initial dose of the Ponazuril?
Plus he has gained weight too, that is awesome.

Tracie
 

EclpsPrinc

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Actually, he was dosed at a 'drop' a day for 4 weeks. I was a bit skeptical on this dosage because I thought the chances of reinfestation were greater due to the simple impedement of the coccidia. I've read the larger doses will actually kill the coccidia, rather than impede them. But, it seemed to work out. The vet may have issued that dosage because I told him I absolutely did not want Spartacus to go off of food and cause problems later on down the road (fatty liver). He had decent growth considering his meds and probably not feeling too hot.

At the time of his positive fecal:
10/30/08 - 5 months old
245 grams
16.5 inches

After his clear fecal:
11/21/08
310 grams
17.25 inches
Fecal Exam - All Clear
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Well, actually according to most vets that use it, they are supposed to only get 1, initial dose of 20mg/kg. I am surprised he medicated him that much because the drug is a coccidiocidal drug which means yes it kills it.
I am glad he did not get overdosed on it though. Great he did so well.
He really gained weight, too.

Tracie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,897
Messages
1,255,662
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom