Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone here ever used Panacure in deworming w.c. chameleons
if so what dosage to weight ratio? and how many treatments did it take?
also were there any side effects?

Fenbendazole (brand name Panacur) alone is not enough to erradicate all of the possible parasites a WC cham can and usually possesses. A blood & fecal analyses and a thorough physical exam by a knowledgeable vet are necessary to fully inspect the insides and outsides of any cham in determining what worms it may have. Personally, at the advice of my vet (who specializes in exotics, herps in particular) I use a combination of fenbendazole (aka Panacur), metronidazole (Flagyl), and oral ivermectin for all of my WCs. Some people have good luck with the product Parazap; personally I've never used it, choosing to stick to traditional medicine, but I have heard good things anecdotally about it. If your question is in reference to the sick Ambilobe from a recent previous post, Panacur will not be enough to deworm your chameleon, especially since the subcutaneous filaria are plainly obvious in your posted pic. You really need to find a good vet to work with you to treat the Ambilobe; this filaria is not a parasite to be taken lightly, ie, every minute it is not treated is another minute closer to sure death for the unlucky cham you adopted and agreed to treat. If you need help locating a good vet, email me offlist and perhaps I can assist you further: TwinOats@hotmail.com. If you are merely asking a general question about the product Panacur, then disregard the last half of this post.

~Kerry

First let me say thank you for answering the post,
I already took it to the vet (herp specialist), but she wants me to fatten him a up a little while waiting for the fecal
she seems worried that if she gives him a dose of "panacure"
it may lead to all the dead worms compacting/impacting and killing the cham which is possible if it has a great infestation
im not sure if i should wait, in thinking that it may give the worms more time to spread? on the other hand he is a little under weight seems like he was dehydrated a little also possibly from the trip? so maybe he will get stronger and be able to withstand the build up of dead worms in his system after the dose of "panacure"
i was also wondering how many treatments it took because i'm thinking if it takes more than 1 dose maybe i could spread them out giving the chameleon time to recouperate and expel the dead worms? not sure about any of this? any ideas?
im just doing my research on this panacure medicine knowing its made for horses kinda freaks me out! to bad they dont make chameleon specific medicines huh
ive heard bad things about ivermectin in a few books
p.s. he is eating on his own and i give him plenty of sunshine and water is and will be ever present!
p.s.s. i have been all over the web and read about 6 books on panthers and i got "understanding reptile parisites" on order
just tryin' to get all the info on these damn worms...lol

Thank you for being helpful,
Sincerely, Dennis

Im not sure what that vet is telling you. But the worm's that your chameleon has; have to be taken out from the out side. they are under the skin; They can get on the in side if not treated but it looks to me like they are still out side. She is going to half to pell the skin back and take out the worm's. As for the worm's on the in side she might be right about that part. Im trying to find where I read about the worms on the out side so I can tell you. If I find it I will get back with you. Good luck......Scott.......

Hi Scott,
From what i understand the parisitic worm starts it cycle in an insect that the chameleon preys on, The cham digests it/them and they grow inside the chameleon after that im not sure if some or all travel to the skin,After that i think it ends up in some kinda bird or snake, So in order to deworm or cure the chameleon of parisites a drug must me used which is where they use "panacure" which is just a brand name for a drug i cant recall right now...lol
you are definitly correct!
the worms that manifest in the skin are to be removed by making an incision in the skin and pulled out with tweezers, i dont think they even use any form of anesthesia which seems kinda cruel?
THIS IS ONLY WHAT I HAVE READ AND HEARD FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES
AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED FACT ANY INFORMATION ANYBODY MIGHT ADD WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
Thank You, Dennis

At least if you start with the med's on the in side you should be able to save him. Then you can work on the out side. Not to worry I think you will be ok on this one. It might take a few doses of meds but i think the vet will save it in the end. The ones on the outside did not look too bad .I think he was right when he said its going to take more than one kind of meds to stop those worms.I always read this site so I can learn what someone else has done.I always learn something new. Im still looking for where I saw the thing about those worms so I can tell you. ....Scott.........

Yeah i agree totally
i try to learn as much as i can here i think personal experiences are very informative!with a good book on the side...lol
maybe you saw the article in the lil' white book "True Chameleons Part II notes on popular species diseases and disorders" amazing that a little tiny book that costs a buck or two has more info on that subject than most that cost fifty...lol
Thanks For all your friendly advice

Sincerely, Dennis