Delivered stool samples yesterday. Got a call today saying that my guy had pinworms and coccidia. I was told that i would be given an oral medication for the coccidia, however the pinworms were to be left alone bc it’s healthy to have some level of parasite... I was told to keep his tank super super clean instead... what? I’m a new beardie owner and this was after his first checkup. Is this ok? Should i look into treatment methods myself? I’d feel pretty uncomfortable treating him behind the vets back but it just seems weird to me that they should be left alone.
Low levels of parasites aren’t always treated, medication can cause more issues than benifit if the body already has things under control. A healthy immune system will keep the pinworms in check. Keep an eye for symptoms and discuss with your vet if you start to see issues.
Uh that's a new one to me. My vet is the best and she always treats pinworms when she finds them. Pinworms can become dangerous if your beardie gets sick, which is why to just clear them out whenever they're detected. While it's good to keep the enclosure clean, you should probably get a second opinion.
No, low to moderate levels of either Coccidia or Pinworms should not be treated at all, as #1) Most all bearded dragons live with low levels of both in their GI tracts throughout their entire lives with no issues at all, and #2) The medications to treat both of these causes far more issues than the low to moderate levels of either Coccidia or Pinworms do.
I've had the same Certified Reptile Vet for almost 15 years and he only ever treats either Coccidia or Pinworms if they are found to be in either "High" or "Too numerous to count" loads/counts, or if the dragon is exhibiting signs that the Coccidia or Pinworms are causing them grief, mainly lowering their appetites or causing great lethargy. Otherwise you should NEVER treat low to moderate levels of Coccidia or Pinworms, it causes more harm than good. In fact, if you were to do a fecal test (either a gram stain or just a fecal float) on any number of randomly chosen, healthy, active bearded dragons, most if not all of them would test positive for low to moderate levels of Coccidia or Pinworms. This also goes for most species of reptiles and amphibians. Now if there are different types of parasites detected in even low counts, like other types of worms, protozoa, bacteria, etc. that are not normally found in the GI tracts of reptiles, then they may need to be treated immediately because they are not supposed to be there and any amount of them may cause illness. But as far as Coccidia and Pinworms go, they should never be treated if they are found in low to moderate counts or unless they are causing severe appetite loss or lethargy.
No, low to moderate levels of either Coccidia or Pinworms should not be treated at all, as #1) Most all bearded dragons live with low levels of both in their GI tracts throughout their entire lives with no issues at all, and #2) The medications to treat both of these causes far more issues than the low to moderate levels of either Coccidia or Pinworms do.
I've had the same Certified Reptile Vet for almost 15 years and he only ever treats either Coccidia or Pinworms if they are found to be in either "High" or "Too numerous to count" loads/counts, or if the dragon is exhibiting signs that the Coccidia or Pinworms are causing them grief, mainly lowering their appetites or causing great lethargy. Otherwise you should NEVER treat low to moderate levels of Coccidia or Pinworms, it causes more harm than good. In fact, if you were to do a fecal test (either a gram stain or just a fecal float) on any number of randomly chosen, healthy, active bearded dragons, most if not all of them would test positive for low to moderate levels of Coccidia or Pinworms. This also goes for most species of reptiles and amphibians. Now if there are different types of parasites detected in even low counts, like other types of worms, protozoa, bacteria, etc. that are not normally found in the GI tracts of reptiles, then they may need to be treated immediately because they are not supposed to be there and any amount of them may cause illness. But as far as Coccidia and Pinworms go, they should never be treated if they are found in low to moderate counts or unless they are causing severe appetite loss or lethargy.
I'm happy to write this as many times as I need to, because it seems recently every vet in the world sees a low count of Coccidia or Pinworms and puts the dragon on at least 1 if not 2 harsh, prescription meds, even when the dragon is well and not showing any signs of illness. Half the time (or more) the vets aren't even running a fecal test at all, they put them on Panacur, Albon, and others on a "just in case" basis, and this often times is what kills the dragons. It's getting out of hand lately.
What no way, that’s ridiculous! How awful... I feel so much more trusting of my vet knowing she will handle this properly. Again thank you for the info, as a new beardie owner it can definitely be scary sometimes when you’re unsure of things, so I’m glad there are knowledgeable people out there to help!