Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A few days ago i took my beardie to the vet because she was having some runny smelly poop. The vet i called and spoke to said that he "did see exotics and was very good with reptiles" so i took her to him and he diagnosed her with crypto and gave me a medicine called sulfa trim. Well i never gave her the sulfa trim cause i did my own research and read that it was an outdated and questionable treatment. So i started looking around for a certified reptile vet to get a second opinion. I found Dr. Alvin Atlas in birmingham, al. He is one of about 5 certified reptile vets in alabama and the only one that is a member of the ARAV. He said that more than likely is was not cryto because it is very hard to diagnose. So i took my girl and some of her poo to him yesterday and sure enough he said it was coccidia, he let me see the slide under microscope and a picture of coccidia and it definitely looked the same to me. Anyways he said she was full of coccidia and other modal (spelling?) organisms and prescribed some Albon and Metha-something or another. But anyways i was wondering, she is 9 months old, 15.5", and 190g and is being kept on sand. Do i need to remove the sand? I've read that the coccidia can live in the sand and such. Anyways sorry for the book i just wrote im just frustrated cause i had to pay for 2 vet visits (by the way the other vet wont give me any money back cause he says that he diagnosed her right)

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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

I know nothing about what you posted but I wanted to say you have a very nice looking beardie

thanks
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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

Sand should be completely replaced every 4 months or so. Soil should be removed daily. Otherwise, I think you'll be OK without changing the sand. Be sure you use a probiotic after completing the treatment. This is important regardless of what your vet says.

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=227

Yea i just added the sand last week so it should be ok. And i asked the vet about the probiotic and he said it would be fine without it but anything i didnt have to fight her to get in her mouth he said was ok. I had planned on using it anyways. Although her treatment wont be over for 3 weeks. I have to give her one of them every day for 7 days and the other for 5, then stop for 10, and start again for 5. So should i wait until its completely done before i give her the probiotic?
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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

Yes, wait till you are done and then give her the probiotic. Research is becoming stronger that yellow fungus disease, lack of appetite and other ailments are caused or aided by antibiotics like Albon killing the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria in a reptiles digestive system. The probiotics return the good bacteria to their system for normal digestion. It'll take a while for vets to become well informed. One of my vets was resistant till I got her to use it on a shared rescue. The animal started eating within a few days.

Yea thats what my vet said he just said it was pretty much up to me which from my earlier post when i still thought it was crypto and you responded i had already ordered the probiotic. So far her appetite hasnt slowed at all, but then again she's only had 2 doses of each medicine.
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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

I recommend removing the sand completely and use nothing but paper towels (changed after every time your dragon poops) till you are finished treating your dragon with coccidia. It is too easy for your dragon to reinfect themselves with it if they happen to lick soiled areas. Even scooping up soiled areas still allow some granules to fall back into the cage and these can be then ingested by your dragon.

Thus, a simple and easy to clean cage will better prevent re-contamination. Once treatment is done and your dragon fecal shows negative or just has the coccidia back to normal levels (dragons almost always have some amount of coccidia in their digestive tract but its controlled naturally by internal gutt flora..hence another reason to use a probiotic after treatment).

Once he has a clean bill of health, you can go back to using sand.
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PHLdyPayne

You must be very relieved, coccidia is a far more treatable situation then cryptosporidia. I was somewhat suspicious of that first diagnosis as well. Your second vet is correct, crypto is not as easily diagnosed and often requires specialized staining procedures to find it and confirm it. I would also concur that you should remove the sand. Coccidia sporulates in the environment and it is the sporulated oocysts that are infective. You need to break that chain of re-infection with frequent and thorough cleaning, especially droppings.

Just as an aside if you don't mind, I'm a bit curious about which source you found that was referring to those 5 vets as "certified" in reptiles? Certification is issued by the American Board of Vet Practitioners, the term "certified" is very specific and reserved for use by the ABVP. There is currently no certification process for reptiles although one has been proposed and a petition is before the ABVP to include reptiles as a board certification subject. The best reptile vets in the country are not "certified in reptiles" simply because the category does not yet exist.

I just got Dr. Atlas's name off of the website www.herpvetconnection.com.
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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

>>I just got Dr. Atlas's name off of the website www.herpvetconnection.com.

I checked their site, I was just wondering whether they were mis-using the certification term but they were not. It would be highly unprofessional and subject to disipline if a vet described themselves as "certified" in reptiles. The examination process to become board certified in a specialty is demanding and reflects a proven degree of knowledge and expertise. Membership in the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Vets reflects only that you have paid dues to the organization.
If and when the certification process is in place for reptiles. owners will be able to choose a reptile vet with more confidence.