First Fecal Test *on Ponazuril*

[Evergreen]

Felix is 6 months old already so I'm ready to get his first fecal test done. I have not contacted out local veterinary clinic yet to set up an "appointment" because I wanted to ask if anyone could clear a couple things up for me.

1) Is there anything I should ask for specifically?

2) Most dragons have at least a small amount of parasites (correct?). I don't want to medicate him just because I can, if the parasites truly are out of hand then I wont hesitate to treat. So if the vet were to suggest treatment is there someone here that could second that if I were to post the results of the test? We have amazing vets when it comes to cats/dogs but I just don't know how experienced they are with reptiles.

3) What exactly will they be looking for? coccidia, pin-worm and Aspergillus seem to be the three most popular words when I search for fecal test results but are some parasites worse then others or is it all relative to how many he has?

Thanks and since pictures make every thread better here's Felix after he fell asleep early last night.

He is in a shoebox in case anyone was wondering. I hold him at night so when he falls asleep I just tuck him into the box until I get around to putting him back in his tank. It's just an easy safe way to make sure he isn't accidentally squished or bothered.

 

[Mavrick813]

He's stunning, My Toothless has traces of a lot of his color. I can only hope that as Toothless gets healthier he will take on more and more of this guys looks.

Mike

 

[AtlasStrike]

Most dragons have low levels of coccidia, and treating it is unnecessary because the treatments are very harsh and beardie immune systems usually have no problem keeping it in check if there are no other intestinal parasites. I think generally round worms, hook worms and coccidia are the most common findings, and if he is otherwise healthy a normal float with show if he has any of the aforementioned hitchhikers. You definitely do want to treat any kind of worm if he has them, since they are just gross and the medication (panacur) is super mild and has very few side effects.

Felix is gorgeous and looks very healthy. I am sure he will be totally fine.

 

[Chirple]

My first concern would be finding a good vet that you can trust - someone you won't have to second-guess or worry about lack of experience. Do you have any experienced reptile / exotic vets in your area ? I know it can be hard to find in some locations, so I understand if the only possibility is going to someone with less experience.

Talk to the vet before, ask questions.

If possible, find someone who will be able to tell you if the coccidia is relatively normal or if it's out of hand. I've heard that once you treat the worms (if there are any), their immune systems will be better able to get the coccidia down on their own - but I do not have experience with this. I've read that in some reptiles coccidia is a big deal and can easily be fatal, whereas it's not as much an issue for beardies - another reason I'd want to make sure your vet isn't just making it up as they go along.

 

[Evergreen]

Mavrick813- Thank you I seen a couple pictures of Toothless and I'm glad he's getting better. It seems like their color has a lot to do with health and environment so I would defiantly think he'll start getting his bright colors back as he get healthier.

AtlasStrike- Thanks, he did has very runny poop this morning but its his first since he was shedding his back and tail and I had given him multiple long baths so I'm sure it was just from extra fluids. I'll jot that down about the worms so I don't forget. I knew there is someone around the fourms that helps people with medication/dosing so I'll defiantly come back if he does end up needing treatment for anything.

Chirple- I found a few exotic vets online but they're 4+ hours away. If he ever had a serious problem I would take him there in a heartbeat but I'll check our local clinics to see which ones have had experience with reptiles. His breeder (Rio R.) did say that she'd do a fecal if I sent her a sample so that's also an option at this point. She's not a professional but could still recognize the most common buggers.

If she thought he was healthy and it didn't cost very much I could always just get a second sample done at the vet, then I'd know how reliable/knowledgeable they are about what is normal for him.

 

[Evergreen]

Grr. I've typed this reply three times now and the internet explored ust keeps shutting down when I hit submit! But here's the quick overview until I get to a better computer...

I contacted the veterinary clinic and I'm bringing in a sample tomorrow for them. it'll be $26 for a float and another type of test by a name I didn't recognise (possibly started with the prefix Endo-?), maybe testing for Endoparasites? Is this about the price you pay at your local clinic?

I'll get more information on their experience tomorrow when I talk to them directly. They have 5 DMVs and 6 vet techs although in their bios all it says is that they specialize in things for cats and dogs so I'll have to ask if they'd be able to help me in case of a reptile emegency.

 

[AtlasStrike]

$26 is exactly what I pay for a fecal with my vet.

 

[Evergreen]

Felix did great! I brought him along to get him weighed when I dropped off the sample and he weighs .26 pounds (118g). They were very excited to see a healthy dragon for once, they seemed fairly knowledgeable and told me they do have several species of turtles/reptiles that they care for so I do feel confident that they'd be able to help him for basic care/procedures.

RESULTS: The clinic called me about 15 minutes ago and said they found high levels of coccidia eggs so they would like to put him on Albon (sp?). I didn't get a number for what "high" was and I also wasn't told that there were any other types of parasites (forgot to ask on the phone) so I'm not sure if I should treat him or possibly get a second opinion. I feel like they do know what they're talking about but I also only want to treat if necessary. I think the dosage they prescribed was 1 syringe every day or every other days until it's empty? They are closed now so I couldn't pick it up until Monday so I can't give you the specifics.

His feces does smell very bad but other wise he has a good appetite for his greens and live food. I'll look around but does anyone know approximately how much Albon usually costs? If no one has any other suggestions I'll go ahead and treat according to what they recommended.

 

[Evergreen]

Anyone have any input on what I should do? The vet recommends Albon and they have it ready for me to pick it up. I don't know if they found anything other then the "high" number of coccidia eggs. Felix has normal well formed stool (although my vote is for very stinky, but I have no baseline to say if it's abnormal). He hasn't eaten much since Friday but he could just be stressed out because of his trip to the vet and me disinfecting his tank.

(Felix and Buck a couple weeks ago. Felix is incredibly wary of the cat but is very curious when it comes to Buck, he apparently doesn't have the predator/prey concept down!)

 

[AtlasStrike]

I would ask the vet what "high counts" constitute and also if they found any other parasites. If they found any worms, I would treat him with panacur first and then do another fecal to see how his coccidia counts come out. If he was negative for other parasites, but still had high levels of coccidia...I am really not sure. You could PM Drache613, Tracie is very knowledgeable and can help you work out the best course of action.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks, I'll contact the vet tomorrow to get specifics and let you know what they say

 

[Evergreen]

Called the vet again and they said they did not see any other parasites besides the Coccidia. I hate to bug Tracie since she's helps so many people out but if I can't find any treatment recommendations in any other threads then I'll give her a holler.

 

[Kalyn876]

I believe ponazuril is a much better med for coccidia. It was initially used in horses, but now is being compounded for reptile use by some pharmacies. I did a search a while ago and found loads of info pertaining to ponazuril and reptiles. It is much much easier on their system and I believe it is only two doses. I will conatct a member on the board that has more experience with it.

 

[lauraj1055]

Hi there! I was referred here as I have had very good results with Ponazuril. It is given in 2 doses and is very mild on their system compared to Albon. You DO NOT want to use Albon. It's a nightmare. My Butters was just diagnosed with high levels of Coccida. I deal with Cheryl at Rio Reptiles for everything as she is an EXPERT in the bearded dragon field. She is the owner of www.beardeddragons.co She just got in a new item that works exactly like Ponazuril, and half the cost. I have some being shipped to me as we speak. It is known to KILL coccidia in just 2 doses, where Albon will just get rid of some of it. Here is the link to what you want.

http://www.beardeddragons.co/beardeddragon/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=217

Read the information about it which is below. I wouldn't trust anything else.

Also, make sure you clean the viv really good. Use Amonia or a steam cleaner. I actually just purchased a steam cleaner online for only $40.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

 

[lauraj1055]

Oh.. and just to show you what an OVERLOAD of Coccidia looks like on a slide:

Butters:

And this is Ember, who still has high counts, but nothing like Butters: