Hi guys,
My poor beardie isn't eating and looks pretty bad. I have syringe fed him this am, and I'm really hoping he does a poop in the next half hour so we can take that to the vet.
What's the best way to take my beardie in the car?
In a little sack, and held inside my daughter's jacket
or
In a little plastic container with a heated wheat bag underneath?
If you could let me know ASAP that would be great!
Never mind, I ended up putting him in a cricket container, with a heated wheat bag under it. When we were leaving the vet, I got them to put the wheat bag in their microwave for a little while, and it kept him nice and warm on the way home.
Gilbert was kind enough to do a poo when the vet and I were talking. It had thousands of pin worms in it, and some other parasite. He has some medicine, so hopefully he'll be feeling a lot better in no time.
They tend to be OK in cars at regular temps but it's good to give them a cozy spot to retreat to. I've used large shoeboxes with a towel at the bottom before and it's worked well. I now use a carrier that straps around a seatbelt which I like a lot. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EW2WKZU/
I'm glad he was able to provide a fresh sample for the vet. That's always best but difficult to arrange =). The pinworms shouldn't be a big problem. Panacur should take care of those. Do you remember which other parasite was found? Hopefully the meds take care of it quickly and he feels better.
CooperDragon, thanks for the tips re. beardie travel to the vet. That carrier looks luxurious.
My beardie is on Panacur, and Bactrim. Sorry I didn't catch the name of the bug he has besides pinworms. The Vet had a strong accent, and I couldn't catch the name of the parasite he was saying. Going by what you said, the Panacur must be for the pinworms, and the Bactrim must be for the other. He said in small amounts, either bug is almost considered normal, but he had thousands of pinworms on the microscope slide, and I guess too many of the other as well. He said if the medicine doesn't get rid of them altogether, it should get them down to a manageable level. Hopefully my beardie will have his appetite back tomorrow (day 4 of treatment). I am very keen to get him back to the live crickets and veg (rather than cricket veg puree).
I'm not familiar with Bactrim. Panacur tends to be quite effective against pinworms though and is relatively mild. The vet is correct that low levels of pinworms tend to be pretty normal and can be managed by the dragon's immune system without issue. Low levels are generally not treated but high levels can be treated with Panacur. Hopefully the meds work quickly and he feels better soon.