Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i posted on here a couple of days ago about my caiman who has a blood parasite. i checked with my vet and he said it was an intercellular blood parasite which was causing anemia. also that his packed cell count was low at 24. i am not a vet so this does not make a whole lot of sense to me, so i am hoping that some of u here can help me out a little bit. he also gave me pills called chloroquin for treatment but he does not have anymore and can't it either. if anyone has any ideas or advice it would be greatly appreciated.
thanks, mike

Mike,

My mom is a vet parasitologist with over 35 years in the field and i discussed this with her yesterday. She said there are two types of blood parasites present in crocodilians and that both are common in the wild poplulation. She wasn't aware of any standard treatment for either of them or of any lasting problems that they caused. I'll call her again today and see what she thinks about the anemia and let you know. If anyone else knows different than this, we'd be interested in knowing.
e

e,
my email address is mike_b35@hotmail.com
please let me know what u find out and if there is any treatment that i can try for the parasite.
thanks,
mike

Chlorquin is most likely the appropriate treatment for your caiman but obtaining it is difficult. Try searching on the internet for "Chlorquin" or "Clorpromazine" and see what you get. Because it is a drug that was used in the treatment of malaria in humans but is not widely used anymore, it is hard to come by. If you are in the US you may even have to have it imported from overseas.

good luck,
e