Entamoeba

[ethanmelch]

Hi, The bearded dragon i rescued a month and something ago is getting treated for an entamoeba. Hes on 0.25ML of Metronidazole and weighted at 244grams with his first dose but he has grown since then in width and length. We just sent in his poop in today for another test since hes done his six week treatment. Hes been very deathly dark for the past two days where his beard is jet black, his belly stress marks are the darkest ive seen. Although, A couple days ago he had an incident with my ceiling fan. I had it running when he was exploring my room and he totally freaked out. Maybe hes still traumatized by the fan? Hes been looking up at my ceiling like crazy since it happened. So, i dont know if hes like this because his dose wasnt strong enough that whole time he was getting treatment because how big hes gotten since the first dose or if its my fan creeping him out. I take him out and he gets bright for a little bit then gets super dark again so idk. Just looking for advice.

I tried to weigh him on a scale that i have and it says he weighed 330-342 grams but idk if it's accurate.
He has a vet appointment on this Tuesday on the 13th

Im sorry if this is all over the place, anything helps. Thanks

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, The bearded dragon i rescued a month and something ago is getting treated for an entamoeba. Hes on 0.25ML of Metronidazole and weighted at 244grams with his first dose but he has grown since then in width and length. We just sent in his poop in today for another test since hes done his six week treatment. Hes been very deathly dark for the past two days where his beard is jet black, his belly stress marks are the darkest ive seen. Although, A couple days ago he had an incident with my ceiling fan. I had it running when he was exploring my room and he totally freaked out. Maybe hes still traumatized by the fan? Hes been looking up at my ceiling like crazy since it happened. So, i dont know if hes like this because his dose wasnt strong enough that whole time he was getting treatment because how big hes gotten since the first dose or if its my fan creeping him out. I take him out and he gets bright for a little bit then gets super dark again so idk. Just looking for advice.

I tried to weigh him on a scale that i have and it says he weighed 330-342 grams but idk if it's accurate.
He has a vet appointment on this Tuesday on the 13th

Im sorry if this is all over the place, anything helps. Thanks

@Drache613

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How long has he been on the Metronidazole for now?
Does he have an appetite at all?
It is possible that the medication is too hard on him, it is a pretty strong medication. Do you use a probiotic for him while he is on the medication?

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

How long has he been on the Metronidazole for now?
Does he have an appetite at all?
It is possible that the medication is too hard on him, it is a pretty strong medication. Do you use a probiotic for him while he is on the medication?

Tracie

Hi, Hes been on it for little over two weeks i think. We had an appointment today and the doctor lowered his dose to 0.2ML and wants him to take it everyday for ten days instead of every other day like before. Shes hoping that will flush the last bit of parasites out.

His appetite is good with bugs but not with the greens. I have to kinda force feed the greens by gently sliding it into his lip. Hes been on Bene Bac Gel everyday

Also, We went to a different vet for another opinion on Aug 13th and learned the coughing motion he was doing was because he has an enlarged heart. The vet thinks that could be causing him to do that or maybe the way im feeding his greens (His lungs are clear and look great). Were waiting for an estimate from the doctor then we'll schedule an ultrasound for measurements.

Thank you for responding

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh that is unfortunate news, an enlarged heart? How did they come to that conclusion? Did they already do an ultrasound which revealed the enlarged heart?
I'm glad that they reduced the dose of his medication. I think it was a bit too high because the Metronidazole is somewhat harsh on the system.
It can be challenging to get them to eat their greens because a lot do tend to prefer their bugs!
He looks very good there, so I hope he is feeling better.
Be sure to keep him warm overnight, to help boost his system right now.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hi, We got XRays done because we thought he had an RI from the coughing motion he was doing, but found out he has an enlarged heart instead. The vet doesn't know why he has an enlarged heart, She said it could possibly be from the way the previous people housed him. The Ultrasound for his heart is Sept 11th where they will do measurements. He is looking better but coughs here and there. Were hoping to get him onto some heart meds if he needs them.

He is a picky eater though, he absolutely hates greens

Pic of him this morning

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He looks very happy there!
I hope he starts eating more greens. You can try putting some diced bell pepper or squash in with it to
see if that might entice him to eating them more.
The enlarged heart is probably genetic issues, but there have been dragons here on the forum who have
had heart problems & it was managed. I hope he improves for you, & stabilizes.

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

He looks very happy there!
I hope he starts eating more greens. You can try putting some diced bell pepper or squash in with it to
see if that might entice him to eating them more.
The enlarged heart is probably genetic issues, but there have been dragons here on the forum who have
had heart problems & it was managed. I hope he improves for you, & stabilizes.

Tracie

Hi, Update on Buddy, We got his echo for his heart done on the 11th and they said his heart was in good measuring and looked healthy. We found out what type of entamoeba he has as well, Its called Polecki Entamoeba. Well, He has been battling this Entamoeba for a month now and was doing good on a 100MG mixture of Metronidazole (Dose was 0.2ML Every 24hrs) with another vet but that vet doesn't wanna treat him anymore so we got sent to another exotic vet that we usually go to anyway and they said that mixture and dose was dangerously high for him, so they lowered him to a 50MG mixture of the metronidazole with dose being 0.28ML Every 24hrs instead. While he was off the 100MG mixture, he took a big turn within just three days being off the high dose. His poop smells bad again, his all around behavior is mellow and he lost 20 grams. Hes not himself anymore and we feel the 50MG mixture and dose isn't working because we see no improvement like we did when he was on the stronger dose. Hes been on the lower mixture and dose for almost two weeks now with no improvement.
I just wanted to get an opinion on his dosing.
Doctor thinks hes a year old which makes sense because he expelled a sperm plug a couple days ago.

He weighs 0.74 pounds (335 Grams), Current med dose: Metronidazole 50MG Mixture, Dose: 0.28ML Daily Every 24Hrs

Edit: Hes been on Bene Bac gel: Pea sized amount every 24hrs since hes had this entamoeba.

Thank you, anything helps

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry that Buddy is having some trouble still. I am happy to hear that his heart echocardiogram looks
good so he doesn't have any issues going on.
How long was he on the higher dose? It can be hard on their system to be on too high of a dose for
too long, so I do agree that it might have been too high of a dose. It can cause renal issues at too high
of doses.
Was he acting ill like this before he initially started the Metronidazole?
It is a possibility that his system may be responding to the meds to a point, perhaps they were too hard
on him. I am just wondering how high the levels were for him to have been put on that high of dose in
the first place. Give it a little more time, to see if his system will normalize from the higher doses.
I would continue the benebac gel daily. Is he eating anything at all?
He looks a bit down there, has he had a black beard at all?

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

Sorry that Buddy is having some trouble still. I am happy to hear that his heart echocardiogram looks
good so he doesn't have any issues going on.
How long was he on the higher dose? It can be hard on their system to be on too high of a dose for
too long, so I do agree that it might have been too high of a dose. It can cause renal issues at too high
of doses.
Was he acting ill like this before he initially started the Metronidazole?
It is a possibility that his system may be responding to the meds to a point, perhaps they were too hard
on him. I am just wondering how high the levels were for him to have been put on that high of dose in
the first place. Give it a little more time, to see if his system will normalize from the higher doses.
I would continue the benebac gel daily. Is he eating anything at all?
He looks a bit down there, has he had a black beard at all?

Tracie

Hi, Thank you for responding, He was on the higher dose for two weeks, i dont know how high his parasite levels were at the time. We recently got his stool checked again almost two weeks ago and they said he had a "rare" amount. He began the lethargic symptoms after being off the high dose for three days and hasn't improved while being on this lower dose. He used to be very active/playful and his poop was looking more solid while being on the high dose but now being off of it hes lethargic/lazy and his poop is loose and smells again. Hes also been staying on the "cooler" side too and been hiding more often, vet said he could be trying to brumate but his poop is still loose and smelly so i dont know. He is trying to shed alot of his body right now so maybe that has some part in causing his stress/lethargic behavior too? We do have a blood test pending at the moment.

He doesn't eat his greens by himself, i have to kind of nudge them beside his mouth to get him to eat them. He eats his bugs by himself just fine though, i think hes just a pick eater in that regard.

On a good note, He is still a little active when exploring outside of his enclosure and he gets a super bright beard and under belly when out as well.

This is him right now, i have to force him to bask or else he'll stay cold. We clean his cage with Vet Rescue cleaner everytime he poops and we change his cardboard boxes too.