Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I took him to the vet yesterday. I've only had him since last Sunday, and he's already gained weight since then, so I think he'll make a full recovery. Right now he's on pyrantel pamoate and I think another medicine that was blended into it for the coccidia. Amoll-something or other. I can't read what she wrote on the label.

I was just wondering if any of you have had experience with either of these parasites. Do you have any tips to offer?

He poops on the humid hide, so I clean it off everyday. Should I follow what the Leopard Gecko manual says and remove all the hides and whatnot? He spends most of his time in them.
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chickabowwow

You should be using Panacur to combat the hookworms and Albon for the coccidia.

You are going to have to observe extremely strict quarantine and hygeine regiments if you hope to rid yourself of these parasites.

Lets start first with the lesser of the two evils... the hookworms.

Hookworms have a direct life cycle, and not only can they reinfect your gecko by consuming food and water that has been contaminated with feces... but the larve can also burrow back into your gecko through the skin. The larve and eggs are both passed in feces. You should be treating with panacur once a week at 25-50mg/kg.

As for the coccidia... this is going to be a nasty bugger to beat.

You should be treating with Albon at 50mg/kg daily for the first 3-5 days, then once every 48 hours until the coccidia is gone. This stuff can spread like wildfire in a collection, and is fairly difficult to get rid of.

You are going to have to bleach your geckos enclosure every single time they deficate. If I were you I would buy a couple/few rubbermaid shoeboxes. The only thing you want in that box is your gecko and paper towel substrate. Keep a clean box handy at all times. When your gecko deficates move it into the clean box, and bleach the dirty one. This cycle will need to continue until your problems are gone. Hookworms are not going to be very hard to get rid of, but you are going to need to stay on top of your game with the coccidia.

If you have any other geckos that are not sick you need to practice extreme quarantine measures, coccidia spreads super easily... I would buy a box of latex gloves, as washing your hands may/will not remove 100% of the coccidian oocysts.

I wish you the best of luck.

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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

A new set-up shouldn't be a problem, since I was already making preparations for hatchlings (which are still way off in the future).

I'm a little weary of administering the medicine though. Should I try consulting another vet or just drop the current meds he's on and start him on the other ones you suggested? Are you sure that's the right dosage? He's only 16 grams.

I just found a bloody stool. This is the first time I've ever seen his poop like this, but this is also his first full stool since the trip to the vet. They did an enema on him to draw a stool sample, so would that be causing the blood, or are the parasites really getting that bad?
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chickabowwow

I'm would definitely call your vet and see what she has to say when you bring up the treatment I discussed in my last post. It sounds like she may have perscribed you Albon (the one you couldn't read). For the hookworms there is nothing else better than panacur. It's super safe and effective.

Is she a qualified reptile vet? I'm in no way bad mouthing vets, but many of them that are treating reptiles really shouldn't be and simply come up with their diagnosis and treatments by referring to some old outdated book. I'm fortunate enough to have a great reptile vet, but I have run into many along the years that had no clue what they were talking about when it comes to reptiles.

16 grams is a pretty small animal to be treating with Albon... Panacur is so safe you really can't overdose the gecko, but the Albon can have some side effects and needs to be dosed very carefully. Keep your gecko very well hydrated while it's on Albon.

Also, just so you know... Panacur is also referred to as Fenbendazole and Albon is referred to as Sulfadimethoxine. Your vet may use those terms interchangeably.

About the bloody stools... a common symptom of hookworms. Hookworms can do a lot of damage to the intestine walls.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

I just checked, and he is on Albon. I'm giving him .1cc a day for three days, and then I'm supposed to repeat the dosage for three days after two weeks.

I didn't realize that the vet I was looking for no longer worked at that hospital, so I ended up with a lady who seemed like she had experience with reptiles, just not leopard geckos. Then she suggested that I get one of those sticky tape thermometers. I had to divert my eyes when she said that.

It's ridiculous. I shouldn't be having this much trouble finding a reptile vet, especially because I'm only 45 minutes from KU, which is supposed to be a "premiere herp institution" according to what I hear. Luckily, there's a reptile show tomorrow. I'll ask around to see who some of the local vets are.

Again, thank you so much for your help!
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chickabowwow

Look under Members, for your state

www.arav.org
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

np
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chickabowwow

The dosing regiment for the Albon is way off... maybe that is how you treat coccidia in birds?

Also, I would call her and check to see if she perscribed the proper strengths. You should be dosing them at 50mg/kg.

I would definitely get a second opinion and a new vet.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

He hasn't been interested in eating for two days now, and I've heard that could be a side effect of Albon. I'm concerned about that, because he was pretty skinny to begin with. I only had 5 days to fatten him up before he started the medication.

On a lighter note, he seems to be much more alert. There was also a reptile show today, so I managed to get the name of a good local vet.
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chickabowwow

n/p
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chickabowwow

Did your Leos show any obvious signs of hookworms or coccidia? I am trying to diagnos my leos and I have the same problem of no knowledgable vet in the area. Did they have an appetite? Were they active?

Thanks

He was active, but not as alert as a truly healthy leo would've been. He would lay his head down a lot, even when he was being jostled around in the car ride. Once he got accustomed to his tank, he started spending a lot of his time sleeping, even at night.

He was the skinniest leo that the breeder had on his table, but when I brought him home, he had a voracious appetite, eating on average 10 mealies a day. So I wanted to find out why he was skinny in the first place. I didn't think the breeder would've singled him out for neglect. It would've made sense that parasites were robbing him of his food intake.

Even if you can't find a reptile vet, you can still take fecal samples to small animal hospitals. There's no need to set up an appointment, it only takes a few minutes, and you don't have to pay the cost of a visit. The fecals are still expensive. Mine were $14 for the smear plus $14 for the float. But I know I won't be able to relax until I get fecals done for all of my leos.
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chickabowwow

Thanks for the information! I agree with you on the fecal exam. My Leo has completely stopped eating and there is no stool to take. The only vet willing to extract a sample tells me that it is unlikely to be worthwhile unless she is eating. My Leo has not lost any weight, still has a fat tail and a round belly on her. She seems active, even more active than before she stopped eating. Her color looks poor and no appetite for 10 days now. After studying how a reptile will brumate, I have another theory. I bought her 4 weeks ago from a local pet store. She did not have any heat source in her cage. She was healthy, alert, and eating well. I took her to her new home which was set up properly...with heat. She had a great appetite and went through a smooth shedding. Everything was great until last week when she stopped eating. Maybe the big change in her environment (75-78 with no gradient to 85-88 with gradient) has confused her eating/breeding instincts..???
Once again, thanks for you help.

Maybe, but it's not just the temperature change. Longer nights and shorter days alert animals that the season is changing.

Does it look like she's losing any weight?
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chickabowwow

She has lost a slight amount of weight, but not much. The most alarming change is in her color. She has the grayish skin color they have before shedding. I took both of my leos (#2 leo doing well) to a vet yesterday. What a joke!! I was told that mealworms and crickets are the worst foods for leos. I was also told to place my cage in direct sunlight! I placed an EMPTY cage in direct sunlight and checked the surface temp inside.....143 degrees...I don't think that would be healthy for a leo! This vet had several other 'great' ideas. I drove an hour and half to reach this vet. I found this clinic on the AARV web site. I have no idea how they would be considered an amphibian & reptile specialist! I did suggest that they should be administered Panacur. Maybe this will do some good.
Thanks