Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I took a fecal to my vet yesterday, and the tech thought she found some giardia in the direct fecal sample. She wasn't sure if reptiles got giardia though... it was her first gecko fecal.

I was just curious, since most of the Uros are imports, if anyone else has had anything unusual show up in a fecal.

its not unlikely. I would get another sample and have another one run by a different vet and see what they turn up. What area of the country are you in? Maybe some one on here knows of a goo vet in your area that has more experience with reptiles.

jason

I'm in Iowa. I already have to drive 30 minutes to find a vet who'll at least make the effort to look up what she needs to know. I know there's a good snake vet about 2 hours from here, but I'm not sure the drive is really worth it. Won't the fenbendazole pretty much take care of anything nasty anyway??

To be honest, don't start with that... won't this take care of it attitude. Thats a common problem among reptile people. IF you seriously are not sure what they are seeing in the fecal sample, don't treat for it. I've had a number of reptiles die from misdiagnoses by two vets. I hardly ever medicate my animals if I can avoid because there is the mentality among several vets... " I'll just treat it for everything..." but because most vets don't really know what they are doing when it comes to reptiles, its worth a two hour drive. Seriously. consider your outcomes. I'm not a saint when it comes to my reptiles, I have my fair share of deaths but when its come down to actually medicating them, I hardly ever consider a vet that isn't quite sure about what they are researching. Don't get me wrong, everyone has to learn sometimes (in respect to vets working on reptiles) I just don't want them learning on mine.

If you can find an avian veterinarian, you are also going in a great direction. For some reason I've never been let down by any avian vet.

Jason

There may be someone nearby with more experience nearby, but I only got the fecal for my own knowledge, not because the animal was ill in any way. I can get experience of my own, set up the fecal myself, and have a tech with 30 years experience and a good vet whos willing to help me get the experience I need since there is literally NONE to be had at the veterinary school.

As a vet student, I know that its not possible for veterinarians to know everything about every single species out there. If you're lucky, you can focus on small animals and know enough to treat the ailments of a dozen species. Most people, however, stick to just 2-3 because the more you expand, the more likely you are to come across something you've never seen and make mistakes. I know there are dozens of veterinarians in the area that refuse to see any sort of exotic animal because they're more likely to make a mistake and kill the animal than to cure it.

Therefore, its important to find a vet who has the knowledge and resources available to find the information needed when its not at hand. As a vet student, I've spent a lot of time shadowing this vet and her staff, and I have a lot of respect for her. She has experience with reptiles, and a good library from which to gather information when presented with a problem. She also has good contacts, so if she gets in over her head, she has someone with more experience in an individual species to get advice from.

Since no parasite eggs showed up on fecal floatation, I'm fairly sure the seller gave them a parasite treatment while he had them. I was told that fenbendazole is a very safe product, and I figured it was the same as worming my indoor cats every month. They probably don't need it, but as long as its not hurting them either, why not?

I do appreciate your advice however, and should any of my herps ever become truly ill, to the point where they need more in-depth diagnostics or surgery, you can rest assured that I'll be taking them to a vet with a little more experience.

"I can get experience of my own, set up the fecal myself, and have a tech with 30 years experience and a good vet whos willing to help me get the experience I need since there is literally NONE to be had at the veterinary school."

I don't believe you.

Every vet school has someone who is capable of treating reptiles for parasite infections. If you are not willing to find your resources that are within your reach, so be it. But every vet school has someone capable of treating reptiles regardless of the lack of reptiles in the area.

jason, i live about 2 hours away from her, and there is a school about 1/2 an hour away from me that trains vet techs... atleast at this school that is sending over 1/2 of their students to iowa state (which is where she is going) have no idea about anything to do with reptiles when it comes to medicating. maybe as you said it would be intelligent to speak to someone that works with birds since there are many similarities there. BUT, i wouldn't doubt that there is nobody in her area that trains reptile vets or really knows what they are doing.

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/iowa.html

I really don't like when people are not as intuitive about research.

Sorry but don't take offense to this... but I would not attend that school because they are capable of giving a student options to choose from in that particular field of study, I would look towards UCDavis or UPenn because they are capable of giving you those options.

Jason

i'm not attending either school for tech. or vet. i just know because i looked into it and talked to a few people who took the programs or quit them very early to transfer to zoology classes in florida or further south. i was just backing her up because there isn't anything to learn about reptiles in iowa at any of the schools. Unless if you're talking about wildlife management/habitat etc. i'm currently in a parks and nat. resources program which is very informational about them in the wild however nothing about care/medication.

HAHAHAHAHA Have you ever tried to get into veterinary school before? If it ain't within 2 states of you, you only have half a chance you had before. And only 1 in 20 make it as-is. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to waste my time and money applying when I don't have a shot.

I would have KILLED to have a shot at UCdavis, or Kansas state. I'm smart enough to know thats where I needed to be to get ahead. Unfortunately, my grades weren't 4.0, and even my killer GRE scores wouldn't get me in unless I knew the head of admissions personally.

That website was last updated in 2002. Whoever is listed as working at ISU doesn't work here anymore. The only reference to a Dr. Michael Doolan that I could find was a guest speaker from New Jersey.

I also know about Dr. Harmon in Des Moines, he comes highly recommended by members of the Herp Society. Thats probably who I'd go to if my animals were ill. Certainly not anyone at the teaching hospital...

Thanks for your help and all, but I really think I know my area quite well, and as a Vet student, I'm fairly well connected, even if it looks like I don't do my research.

I do respect that you know Uros far better than me, so I really hope you don't take this personally. I'm probably going to have more questions in the future, and I hope you can still take time to share your knowledge.....

"I can get experience of my own, set up the fecal myself, and have a tech with 30 years experience and a good vet whos willing to help me get the experience I need since there is literally NONE to be had at the veterinary school."

I don't believe you.

Every vet school has someone who is capable of treating reptiles for parasite infections. If you are not willing to find your resources that are within your reach, so be it. But every vet school has someone capable of treating reptiles regardless of the lack of reptiles in the area.

Wanna bet? LOL

There is only one reptile class offered at the vet school. I've been told by the upper classmen that its a basic overview of husbandry and basic diseases like metabolic bone disease and their treatments. The exotics people say it may or may not be worth your time, because 90% of it you already know. Half of the lectures are long-distance learning from Kansas State.

Why would I drive half an hour if I thought there was someone more capable of running a fecal within walking distance. Sure, I could take it to the diagnostic laboratory, but then I get a sheet of paper I don't understand, and no vet to interpret it for me. Oh wait, unless I want to pay 80 dollars to walk through the door, to see someone who is an expert in cardiology, but hasn't seen any more reptiles than I have...

If my herps are ill, I will get the best, but until then, I go for someone helpful and willing to spend time with a knowledge hungry vet student.

I didn't post the question to get a lecture on my choice of veterinarians, I was looking for information on your past experiences. I would love to know what you've had show up in your fecals, just because I'm curious.

Actually Flagyll is NOT a fairly harmless drug if doses are given incorrectly or for too long. I know a vet who has seen many cases of dogs going into seizures as a result of improper or lenghty doses of it.

With my experience in turtle rescue I would have come across giardia many times in animals that I get in. Flagyll is effective to get rid of BUT in the case of my leaftails (Phants. and Lineatus) I would not and will not use any types of worming remedies, antibiotics or anything else unless the animals begin to show signs of distress and proper diagnosis and treatment is given by a qualified vet. I really do caution against using these meds. as "preventative". You may do more harm than good like the old saying goes "If it ain't broke.... don't fix it!!"

When I was moderating on the Dragon forum, there were beardies that would get it. So I do not see why geckos can't.

I would have the Vet run it again, not the tech!
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