Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, we had some bad news. Two of our collareds died after they decided to stop eating. I even started force feeding them baby food to try and get them to snap out of it, but that did not work.
I had the vet come out and look at the other one that was in the same habitat, and the other 4 that we have.
He found parasites in the first one and did not test any of the others. He figured if one had them, they all had them.

So ---

From there he gave each one of them 1 drop of Ivomec. Ivomec is a de-wormer for larger animals (cattle, pigs).

Since then the collareds have been almost in a coma. The first day they could barely move and fell asleep where they lay instead of going back to their sleeping spot for the night. The next day they didn't move at all. I called the vet and he said reactions like this may happen and that there have been no studies on collareds and Ivomec. He said Ivomec will kill tortoises and collie dogs, but didn't really know what it would do to collared (now he tells me this )
Today they are still not moving and if they were not stiff when I pick them up I would think they are dead.
The vet said that by Friday or Saturday they may come around. He suggested that I try to feed them activated charcoal to try and absorb some of the medicine, and I have also been giving them water via a syringe to keep them hydrated.

Anyone else have to deal with Ivomec?

Let this be a warning to you if your vet brings up Ivomec. One drop was the smallest dosage he could give, but I think now he should have cut it down with a 3/1 water or maybe more to thin it out a bit more.

about the rest of them. I would continue to pump water into them as you say your are doing !

*** They dehydrate FAST on medicines !

Plus they may expell the worm meds faster! NEVER used it, but have conversed with many who have (with bearded dragons and othe reptiles

IT KICKS THEIR BUTTS ! Someone else on this foum had just treated their wc with worm med, think it may have been a post by user, named Dazz. His guy also was very lethargic!
But did MAKE IT !

I am a big user of Parazap ! Whenever I bring in a new wc lizard.

It is not harmful, you can dust their bugs or put it into water, like a tea. Everyday for a week.

They REMAIN FINE !

I do this every few months now for PREVENATIVE Care , with all my lizards!

So far so good !

I sure hope your guys snap out of their medicine FUNK ! Let us know how they do, please ! Hang in there !

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Eve

Ugh. Paralysis and blindness are side effects of a toxic overdose.
When using this product on 130 lb. dogs, we would reduce it 1:10 with propylene glygol to aid in despensing an accurate dosage by cc's/100lbs weight. It is particularly dangerous to use on a reptile in a run-down condition. I have no idea how to reverse its effects, but will see if there is a procedure indicated for use in lizards. That bit of arcana may take a while to discover, and I have to leave for work. Meanwhile, keep asking around.

DC

Disclaimer: I am NOT a vet, although most of my family works at a large, nine doctor vet clinic.

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I've got the blues...LOL...them screamin' yellow-head blues...

oh, i don't have any advice, i was just writing to sympathize. i lost my first lizard to protozoans in his digestive track. i had never seen a full grown collared so i did not know that they were not normally skinny. he starved to death, although he ate everyday. now i am the most paranoid collared mama on the planet. i hope your other babies make it and thanks for sharing your experience so other lizards won't have to go through the same thing. i will be thinking of your lizards and please let us know what happens.
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

Well, now one of my collareds is dead. "Skinny" my favorite and oldest collared has passed on as a direct result of this Ivomec. She had been un-responsive the last day and would not move on her own ever since Monday.

Am I wrong in thinking that the Ivomec should have never been given? I know that they had parasites, but damn, at least they were alive and moving fine before the vet showed up. It just pisses me off that AFTER he give the dosage, and after these poor lizards were catatonic that he tells me there has been no research done on Ivomec and collareds. AFTER he knocks them out completely he tells me that he gave the smallest dosage (well, he could have mixed it with water and cut it way down). To me it seems like he didn't know what would happen.

Now I have one more dead lizard. Only one of the 4 is even half way responsive and the remaining 3 are just laying there doing nothing.

If more of them die, should I go back to the vet and ask for some type of restitution? These lizards are not cheap, and even harder yet to come by.

What should I do?

Well, now one of my collareds is dead. "Skinny" my favorite and oldest collared has passed on as a direct result of this Ivomec. She had been un-responsive the last day and would not move on her own ever since Monday.

Am I wrong in thinking that the Ivomec should have never been given? I know that they had parasites, but damn, at least they were alive and moving fine before the vet showed up. It just pisses me off that AFTER he give the dosage, and after these poor lizards were catatonic that he tells me there has been no research done on Ivomec and collareds. AFTER he knocks them out completely he tells me that he gave the smallest dosage (well, he could have mixed it with water and cut it way down). To me it seems like he didn't know what would happen.

Now I have one more dead lizard. Only one of the 4 is even half way responsive and the remaining 3 are just laying there doing nothing.

If more of them die, should I go back to the vet and ask for some type of restitution? These lizards are not cheap, and even harder yet to come by.

What should I do?

What a sad situation. I dont know what to say to you to make ya feel any better at this point.

Its a shame but there are some Vets who just are not overly experienced with lizards. I believe some just experiment with doses of medicines, because they honestly are NOT sure!

I personally from hearing about this particualr drug do NOT like it for use on lizards. It is used for large farm animals!!!

I would certainly CALL that Vet and tell him whats happening, I have never heard of one compensating for lose.

But you have paid him, he should be trying his DANG best to pull them out of this!!!

Just my opinion ! I sure hope the rest make it. Gosh I can understand how this must be Bumming you out.

But hang in there, and ask around if this can be expelled, or reversed somehow!

Wish I had a great answer and cure !

Eve

oh, i am so sorry about your lizards. i would definitely let this guy know what he has done to them so that he never gives it to a lizard again. i think on the main page of kingsnake forums there is a forum about medical stuff, maybe if you post in there, there will be someone who knows more about this stuff and can help save the lizards that you have, since your vet just seems to be guessing. also i would tell your vet to fix this, make him contact other vets or other resources that he has access to, to inform him and you of a possible. i don't know where you live, but if he is the only vet, maybe you could look up reptile vets in your state on the internet. i know on melissa kaplan's webpage there is a link to reptile vets throughout the US. that is how i found my good vet here in san diego. even if you cannot take your lizards to this vet, maybe he can give you better advice than this current vet. don't give up hope. just use every resource available to you and if those run out, keep finding more. good luck
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

Yep, the vet that gave the Ivomec to my lizards is by far the most referred for exotics and reptiles in this area.
He says there is no antidote to the Ivomec, once it's in there, it's in there.
He had me give them some activate charcoal to try and absorb what was in their system, and I have been giving them water via a 1CC syringe about twice a day.

I have one out of the 4 left that is more responsive, but she never seemed to go totally comatose with this Ivomec. Yeah, it slowed her way down, and she hasn't eaten since Monday, but she's moving at least.

Monday I hope to have better news.