Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alrighty. My vet doesn't really deal with lizards, although he has like 10 years of experiance with them. So I took in a stool sample, and he found something called "coccidia" which can cause intestinal bleeding. I was like, WHAT?! He prescribed a medication, Albon. 4 drops, once a day, for five days. He wants to see a stool sample in one week.

Can anyone tell me some more about this "coccidia" thing? What about the medicine, will it work? I'm going to go do some research but I really want to hear from you guys.

Thanks.
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Amanda
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I work with a vet and coccidia is pretty common. It is an intestinal parasite and can cause some problems. We treat cats and dogs with it with Albon so it sounds like he is doing everything right to me.

Does it affect their weight? I'm reading a lot about watery poo but not much about weight... That's my main concern, they're WAY too skinny.
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Amanda
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Side Effects / Visible Symptoms
A severe infestation can cause .... displacement of food (the parasites utilize most or all of the hosts food , resulting in malnutrition) - the most commons visible signs being weakness, lethargy or dramatic weight loss. Another common visible syptom is very loose and VERY smelly stools

That's Tobias and Novia alright!

Treatment
The most commonly used drug to treat high levels of coccidia is a sulfa-type antibiotic sulfadimethoxine, commonly known as Albon.

Yay, they're gonna get better!!
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Amanda
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i hope that medicine does the trick for them. just remember to offer them water as medicines can be dehydrating. i am sure their appetites will start to spruce back up and they will be little fatties in no time
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I have a "bubble bowl"... it has an air stone and it blows bubbles for them to see... I added some stress ease to the water in hopes of them drinking, but I never know if they are or not. How can I tell? =/
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Amanda
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hmm, well if you do not see them drinking out of the actual bowl, then i have no idea how to tell.
you can try one of two things that have worked for me. i will use a needless syringe and offer them water by putting a drop on their nose and alot of times they will open up and drink from the syringe as i push on it. also i try to make them a microclimate. my babies sleep under a cave rock, on one side of the cave i will dampen the sand and on the other i leave it dry. from there they have a choice to be moist or be dry and they usually will pick the moist side and dig down into it. hope that helps some.
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Thanks, Vonnie. I have a needleless syringe as well, maybe I will do that. First I need to tame them down a bit again, though.
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Amanda
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I am so glad you were able to get a vet involved. Your babes will be all better soon!
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA