Coccida treatment?

[annieoakley123]

Over a week ago my baby was diagnosed with coccida and pin worms, they did not tell me the count. I took him in because he was going to bed early (but i had in on 14 hr cycles, now he is on 12) and acting a little sluggish at times, his poop was never bad looking. I was told to put him on panacure and albon for 7 days, and continue the albon for an additional 21 days every other day. My panacure treatment is done and i just started the additional 21 days on albon. My question is - is this too long for treatment? He is only around 8 inches long and 3.5 months old.
his poos have gotten extremely watery and looks like nothing is being digested. i been syringe feeding him reptiaid with his regular calcium+vitamins and soy yogurt.
let me know what u think

 

[ChamNW]

I would say that 28 days of Albon is very very hard on a young dragon. You are going to find that his appetite will be greatly diminished if not altogther gone. And the 7 days of Panacur will not necessarily take care of the pinworms . But as an alternative to the standard vet prescribed drugs, you might look into Reptaid. ( Very different from Repti-aid) It is an herbal alternative to the standard drugs and you can read all about it on the thread in the "Forsale" section of this forum. Reptaid is very gentle on the reptile's system, boosts the immune system and works to eliminate the parasites and infections.

 

[annieoakley123]

I hve just recently read about reptaid. Im wishing i had that instead of these meds. His appetite only allows syringe feeding, but i noticed even that is going out the window. You would think meds would make them feel better, not worse. Im very worried about him, he threw up right after i posted this topic. I was so upset when i saw that. Im pulling him off the meds and seeing if something else will work. He looks so skinny. The other day he actually looked good with a full belly, now it just looks terrible. the change was instant. Im going to be honest, im not going to take him to the vet again. He is so small and whatever they will do will only stress him even more. what i care about is him being comfortable at this point. I bought him from a pet store that i thought was a good one. After i joined this website i learned so much and now i know buying from there was a bad idea.
I have been dedicated to this little guy. Everything i have is perfect for him and his environment. Im going to try other things, but Im worried that he is too far gone. Yesterday he just seemed to be going downhill fast.

 

[ChamNW]

I can really feel your concern for this little one.
I would think the your best chance of saving his life will be Reptaid. I am trying hard to get a retailer in your area to stock it on their shelf so you can just go down and pick it up. If I were you I would order it from the website and pay for express mail. It would still be a lot less money than going to the vet and buying their drugs. You would get it in one day and be able to treat him right away.

 

[annieoakley123]

I will try and order that today. its too bad pet stores never have what really matters!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I would also get some soy yogurt or other probiotic which will help restore his gut flora as well. The Albon which is sulfa based is very hard on his system & normally destroys the natural gut flora in his Gi tract.
Are you keeping him hydrated as well? Try getting him 2-4ml's of oral fluids daily to help him out.
Also, I do feel that is too long of a treatment. How long has he been on the Albon for? The initial 7 days, correct? Could you tell me what his dosage was & how much does he weigh?
Do you know what his counts were of the coccidia?

Tracie

 

[annieoakley123]

thanks for the reply. I did get him soy yogurt to get the bacteria up. I treated him 7 days continually and once 48 hours after that 7th day. they dose was .02 cc and he weighed around 32 grams. He has lost weight since then. The vet did not tell me the count but said he was "loaded with parasites". He has been well hydrated, baths every other day (also few everyday since he was shedding) and the syringe feeding with reptiaid and water.
Today he had a much better looking poo, and maybe actually touched his salad. I just have been offering salad and bearded dragon bites to him. that way i know if he has eaten and so that the crickets wont bother him. Im kind of reluctant to feed what crickets i have because i been storing them for a week now, and i dont know if they have parasites or not. Ive offered snuggles wax worms but he doesnt care for them that much yet.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry he is not eating real well for you. You could try to supplement his eating regime with babyfood a little bit, that could give him more strength right now. Great you were using the soy yogurt already.
A few waxies wont hurt him, they would give him a little fat. You could also try some phoenix worms or butterworms. The crickets should be ok, but if he is not interested in them, there isn't much you can do. You could try to handfeed them to him or make a bug slurry if you have a strong stomach. That is why we suggest babyfood chicken or turkey instead.
Is he basking & active? How much weight has he lost so far?
The meds really wreak a lot of havoc on their system & sometimes it takes them several weeks to get back to normal.

Tracie

 

[annieoakley123]

He is fairly acvtive and basks while propping himself up with his front legs. He runs on and off his log here and there. I will try and get him some baby food and see if it helps any. my sclae only does ounces and when he was good he was almost 9 now he is back down to seven. He looks like a snake with legs. But his activity is pretty good considering.
Here is a picture of him taken today after i mixed up some reptiaid for him. He went crazy for it.

 

[annieoakley123]

well...he threw up again. this time after he was shaking. oh boy.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

OH NO, he threw up? You are definitely going to have to get more oral fluids into him so he doesn't get dehydrated from throwing up.
Something must not have sat very well in his tummy. Just keep trying & hopefully his food will stay down so he doesn't lose anymore weight.
I hope he gets to feeling better soon.

Tracie

 

[annieoakley123]

I called the vet. Sadly, im going out of town and be back on sunday. My mom has been checking on him for me so she will take care of him. Today i couldnt tell cause it was sitting in the light, but his poop looked like it may have had blood in it. Thats what made me call the vet. i did some research and it could be liver or kidney failure or an infection. So depending on when i come back and how he looks ill have to resort to taking him to the vet again, get a fecal done, and blood work. Im just worried if he is too far gone anyway and that in the end there is nothing to do after all that testing and anquish. I did feed him again, this time with some homemade pea soup added in with the reptiaid and some calcium powder. I only gave him half a cc and he kept it down. I also gave him a bath and he drank a bit from that.
I just hope the vet will not ask for him to go through surgery. Its sad but i havent even got the chance to get attached to him. Its really frustrating and painful for both me and him having to go through this, but in the same time we never got to truly enjoy each other. I have always been doing the best for him and even though I have no reason to feel guilty, but I do anyway. I know that there is a good chance that no one else would have taken care of him as well as i am, and it makes me wonder how his siblings are doing....cause he cant be the only one.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Hm, well, blood in the stool can indicate parasites or hookworms more than likely.
I would definitely get a blood test to see what could be going on & another fecal. Poor guy, I am sorry. I hope that he feels better soon.
So your mom is looking over him right now? That is nice of her to help out.
I am sorry you haven't gotten a chance to bond with him, maybe you will still be able to soon.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[annieoakley123]

Well i got back last night and Snuggles looks the same, better than looking worse. He shed a whole bunch while i was gone. He had no more blood in his stools but he hasnt been eating much so he only pooped once while i was gone. He is still hanging in there so he is a pretty strong soul. I hope he can pull through whatever this is.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, I wish that he was a little better than that. Is he eating now? You will need to assist feed him if he is not eating much if anything on his own. That will help him out to get more food into him.
At least there is no more blood in his stools though, that is a huge imrovement for him.
How long has it been since he has been off of his meds?

Tracie