Parasite Meds

[Orangutans]

Recently I've taken my beardie to the vet for the suspicion of her having parasites. Turns out she has "Oxyurid pinworms" and "coccidia". I'm wondering what medicines may be used, I've done research and saw that Albon is frequently used for parasites, but will a veterinarian often administer more than one medication? If so what are the common ones, and on average how much do these medications cost? It's not that I can't afford vet visits and such, but I do still have a tight financial situation. I'm calling the vet office tomorrow to get the price, but I'd like to here what others have done. I plan on completely cleaning her tank, keeping her warm and hydrated, as I've read to do. Also the vet is a certified reptile vet. What else do you guys recommend to do? Sorry for all of the questions, this is my first beardie and first major issue I've had with her.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, how old + what size is your beardie and how long have you had her ? Many times if the parasite levels are low they really don't need treatment.

Panacur is a commonly used for pinworms and although Albon has been the most commonly used for coccidia it is harsh and it's much better to use Baycox [ toltrazuril ]. Whereas Albon is usually given for 1-2 weeks , toltrazuril usually works in only 2-3 doses. You can actually get it here, complete with dosing instructions :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwikqtjKlqDYAhVC2SYKHaYxBjgQFggvMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.beardeddragon.co%2Findex.php%3Froute%3Dproduct%2Fproduct%26product_id%3D478&usg=AOvVaw2H9jfRtGJq0AWUcHXrpA9c

Can you post pics of your beardie + her set up ? Here's how :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

 

[EllenD]

I'll reiterate what AHBD has already said, as this can get you into dangerous territory that will make your dragon much worse-off than he is now if you give him the wrong medications or the wrong dosages, which are determined by his weight...

Did your CRV actually run fecal testing on a sample you supplied him, and that's how you discovered he tested positive for Coccidia and Pinworms? If so (I hope so), you need to find out what the Counts/Loads were for both the Coccidia and the Pinworms, as well as whether or not they saw Pinworms or just Pinworm eggs, as this will also determine what medication you'll need and how much...

If your vet is truly a Board Certified Reptile Vet (they are few and far between unfortunately), then he should definitely know that YOU DO NOT NEED TO TREAT LOW COUNTS OF COCCIDIA OR PINWORMS AT ALL....This is extremely important, as most all Bearded Dragons will have a low Load/Count of both Coccidia and/or Pinworms at any given time throughout their lives if you test them, and these low Counts/Loads will not cause any issues at all, such as a lack of appetite or lethargy. Especially the Coccidia, it's a Protozoan infection that is almost always found in low counts from any bearded dragon, and if your dragon's fecal test showed only a low Coccidia count then he does not need to be treated for the Coccidia at all, as the Antiprotozoan medication that he should be given for it (Toltrazuril) will make him much more ill and lose his appetite than the low Coccidia count is...If his Coccidia count was found to be moderate to high or "too numerous to count", then he should be given the proper dosage of Toltrazuril to treat the high Coccidia count...DO NOT ALLOW THE VET TO GIVE YOUR DRAGON ANY TYPE OF SULFA DRUG TO TREAT THE COCCIDIA, IT CAN AND DOES KILL THEM...

As far as the Pinworms/Pinworm eggs go, same thing, do not medicate your dragon if their count/load is found to be "low", only if it's moderate to high or higher, or if your dragon has stopped eating, is lethargic, or is displaying any other signs/symptoms of the Pinworms effecting him. Panacur is the medication that should be given for Pinworms, it's not a harsh drug at all and usually works when given for 3 days in a row, then a follow-up dose is given again in 2 weeks to flush out any remaining eggs. Albon should not be given, it's very harsh and can cause your dragon to become much worse than he was to being with.

Again, we need more information to advise you properly, like how much your dragon weighs and what the counts of each parasite were found to be, and what fecal tests were fun to determine these counts. Please do not just go out and buy dangerous medications and give them to your dragon without knowing exactly what needs to be done.

 

[Orangutans]

That's her current treatment set up I have atm. She has a 10.0 uvb and a basking spot that reaches 100 degrees. Its a 40 gal, and prior to cleaning everything out she had rabbit pellets (which after the treatment set up is done with I'll be switching out for tiles). Shes 17 inches, 374 grams, and we estimate shes 8-12 months, the place I got her from didn't tell me her actual age. The vet did do a fecal test.

I assume that's enough for him to give medications, and the medications he did give are "Panacur Suspension" and "Ponazuril". Quoting the paper I was given it says, "Give 0.38 cc orally now, repeat in 10-14 days. Recheck fecal in 3-4 weeks." under the Panacur Suspension. "Give 0.38 cc orally once every 48 hours for three treatments" under the Ponazuril. Hope this all helps.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Those are relatively high counts so treatment on this occasion is ok. The doses look
conservative also. Do you know what the strength of each medication is? The doses
appear to be good, based on her weight since they are both smaller amounts. As long
as they were dosed according to her weight then they will be fine.
The lighting looks good. I would recommend though, since you have a T8, to see if you
can mount it underneath of the screen for a stronger UVB exposure. She would do much
better with a stronger frequency hitting her without it having to go through the screen.
How is she doing today?

Tracie

 

[Orangutans]

I don't know the strength of the Panacur, but the Ponazuril is 30 mg/ml. How would you recommend mounting the uvb under the screen? Would I use a stronger string and just tie it directly to the screen? Also today, being her first day under the meds, she was pretty normal. Asides from being a little freaked out that her enclosure is different, she still ate and basked.Though she doesn't seem to like the green bowl cause shes flipped it over 6 times since I put it in. I may get an actual hide and basking spot that can be cleaned with bleach/water that way I'm not using a pasta strainer and salad bowl :lol: