When to worm/do a general health checkup?

[picklet]

About a month ago, Ferdinand abruptly stopped eating for 3 days and seemed noticeably lethargic/wilted. We eventually concluded it was a combination of being in the middle of a shed, a cold snap that caused the temp to go down to 65f at night instead of the usual 69, and switching from pinhead crickets to crickets that were smaller than the space between his eyes, but still much larger than he was used to. We added a second heater to the room, switched back to smaller crickets for awhile, and ever since then, he's been eating and growing like a champ. During that period, I called the reptile vet to ask if I should bring him in, and after running through his symptoms, she concluded that there was probably nothing medically wrong with him and that bringing him in would do more damage than good. She said something about potentially doing a fecal test and worming him, but that she was worried that it would be too hard on him.

So, he's all better now and he's doubled his weight since I called them, but now I am uncertain when/if I should do a fecal test. I've heard that the worm medications can be kinda hard on them, and I don't want to stress him out for no reason... but nor do I want to wait until there's a huge problem. This is also complicated by the fact that reptiles have only recently become legal, so there is one reptile vet in my province, and no possibility of getting a second opinion in person.

For reference: he's 5 months old, 65 grams, eating and pooping like a champ, seems to be nice and active. Should I have a fecal done and medicate if worms are found, or should I wait until he's a little bigger?

Also, they offer a combo fecal/general health check which requires that I take him there (45 minutes away)... would that even be worth it? I am pretty sure getting stuffed into a box and dragged to the vet is not his idea of a good time, but...

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

If he's active, eating good, basking, growing well and everything then your fine and you dont need to really. I mean its always good to do a fecal test and see if he has a high or moderate count of anything. I believe if its just the regular parasites then high or moderate should only be treated with low being normal for pinworms and I believe coccidia.

And always make sure to double check anything they try to give him just in case, some things are harder than others on their system and there are easier less painful meds for parasites to give.

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

I’m a big believer in the yearly check up/fecal exam. I have several beardies and although I’ve rarely had a health issue arise, there was one instance where a newly acquired beardie tested positive for coccidia and pinworms (and although it’s considered normal/unworrisome for a beardie to have a certain level of pinworms, etc. this lizard’s levels were off the charts). My reptile vet was a former vet for the herp department of a well known zoo, and he believes in a “less is more/let’s not medicate unless absolutely necessary” approach to beardies. But in this case Ponazuril needed to be administered, and shortly after that the beardie was energetic and in the clear. While I’d only had her a week prior to the checkup and she’d exhibited no outward signs of ill health, it was amazing how much she perked up and blossomed after the treatment. She has had several annual checkups since then and has had no issues since. Another reason I advocate annual checkups is because vets can spot certain issues in the early stages (when many are still treatable). They can monitor the beardie’s weight, look for early signs of gout or tail rot, and review your husbandry with you. So every year I don’t mind being the weird girl in the waiting room with her beardies in cat carriers as girls with purse dogs retreat to the opposite side of the room and ask me questions like, “Are they poisonous?” and “Is that a salamander?” That said, here’s the caveat: I would never take my beardies to a vet that doesn’t have extensive experience/specialize in reptiles. An exotics vet may sound like a good match for a beardie, but exotic is a vague and broad term, and although they may have treated parrots, hamsters, and ferrets, for all you know yours could be the first bearded dragon they’ve ever seen. “Will treat reptiles” and “reptile vet” are two entirely different concepts, so it’s crucial to make sure that if you do book an appointment with a vet, this person has a background in reptiles. Here’s a great resource to find a qualified herp vet in your area: http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html
Even if you don’t decide a vet appointment is warranted at this time, it’s still a good idea to have a name and number at the ready in case you do ever have an urgent issue. Your beardie currently sounds like he’s doing well after the adjustments that were made, and the fact that the reptile vet you contacted sounds like she’s in no rush to throw medications at animals just for the sake of “covering all our bases” is a great sign, so if she’s an actual herp vet you should bookmark her. If you do take your beardie to a vet (whether now or in the future) and medication is advised, it never hurts to 1. Ask if the medication is absolutely necessary 2. Research the medication before administering it to the beardie. Recently on this forum there was a heartbreaking thread from someone who took their beardie to a vet and was prescribed Ivermectin—a medication that has never been recommended for use in reptiles. The Ivermectin ultimately killed the beardie, all because some shady vet that had no business treating reptiles abused a loving pet owner’s trust and administered a medication that educated reptile vets won’t even carry. So doing research on both your vet and anything a vet prescribes is extremely important. While your beardie doesn’t sound like she’s still dealing with a health issue that requires a vet’s intervention, if you do take her to a vet (either for a general checkup/fecal or in the future for an urgent issue that arises), if a medication is prescribed you can always consult these forums, as there are extremely knowledgeable members with a background in treating and dealing with beardie health issues. They can sound warning bells if a vet ever attempts to prescribe a medication like Ivermectin, or give the thumbs up to your vet’s treatment plan if it’s standard procedure. But right now it sounds like your beardie is doing well so good job with the fine tuning that got him back on track.