Tapeworms!

[Samba]

Well guys, I took my kids to the vet, you know, everyone gets a checkup once or twice a year and I found out my little Darwin has TAPEWORMS! I think, "Why me?" then, "Why HIM?" My vet gave me some 'Panacur' to give him. Has anyone used this med before? Anyone know if his enclosure can somehow re-infect him after he's been treated? Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

P.S. This is going to delay my planned breeding of Girl and Darwin, anyone know how soon it will be safe to introduce them? Thanks in advance!

[Linds]

I always keep a stock of fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard, etc) to treat any animals that may need it. It is a mild, yet effective drug that treats a broad spectrum of parasitic conditions. It has a very wide safety margin of safety dosage wise as well, although dosing should always be done accurately regardless. Although with tapeworms the risk of reinfection isn't as high as with many other parasitic infections (it requires an intermediate host to host it into its larval stage), you should still keep the enclosure as simple as possible (ie- papertowel, plastic hides, etc) and keep it scrupulously clean. As for time period, I would wait two months. Hope this helped :)

[Blazin]

Yeah fenbendazole does have a higher margine of error unlike say Flagyl. Its a general dewormer thats very effective and I have a supply on hand as well. One thing I have noticed is make sure any uneaten prey items are also removed as well. I am not 100% sure but crickets and mealworms roaming around the enclosure after the feeding is done will tend to look for a moisture source(your herps feces). This could present a problem as well specially with pin worms I know. Most reptiles have pin worms and believe it or not do fine with them in their systems. Its when their immune systems are comprimised by either stress or other factors that problems tend to arise and the pin worms over run the animal. Keep the enclosure very clean. I use a mild bleach solution and have never had any problems. Hope all this helps.

[eyespy]

I'm not a vet and no expert by any means, but in general tapeworms are not killed by Panacur, Droncit is the drug of choice for them and what I've always been given.

Droncit has a pretty narrow safety margin though and really needs careful dosing. Perhaps your vet felt safer trying Panacur?

[Samba]

Perhaps. He said that the Panacur could be used for my other geckos as well but I'll just see how it goes with Darwin. They all live in separate enclosures anyways. The reason I brought a fecal from Darwin was that lately he's been lethargic, and he's lost about 6 grams. He hasn't really wanted to eat, and when I assist-feed him he'd regurgitate. The doc said he looks fine, but a little thin. Then we found the tapeworms (which explains a lot). I'm gonna be mad at doc if I paid 37.00 for Panacur to kill those damn things and it doesn't! So far he's taking the medicine really well. You shoulda seen the look on his face this morning though... he probably thought he was getting the banana baby food (what I've been giving him with the Enteral Insectivore). He kinda looked at me like, "What in the #@&%?!?!"

Hehe. Thanks for the words. =D

[SnowSnake]

Hi Samba,

My female has the same symptoms as Darwin. I would like to get a fecal done but since she doesn't eat she doesn't poop so how can I get some poop to the vet?!

Thanks!
SnowSnake

[eyespy]

SnowSnake, if your vet really wants a sample he might do an enema and force one out. You could always call to ask if he feels that's a good thing to do.

[Samba]

I agree with Eyespy, but you can also doing something less-invasive. What I did with Drawin, since I was having the same problem, was give him some banana baby food mixed with some nutrients. I made sure he kept it down and watched him like a hawk the next day. When he did come out to deficate I just watched and waited until he was done. (No use disturbing them, right?) When he was I immeadiately cleaned out his cage (again... since I had done that the night before), and collected the sample. He was on paper towels, so I removed it and cut out the sample. I then placed the sample into a small plastic baggie and put it into the fridge until his appointment. Hope this helps!

[SnowSnake]

I'll try tonight to feed her some mealies and if it doesn't work i'll get some baby food. How do you feed them baby food?
The closest herp vet to me is more than 1 hours drive away so my dogs' vet told me to bring the feces to him and he would do a first check, if everything was ok he would tell me. If there were to be something wrong he would call the vet in montreal and tell her about that.

[drewlowe]

snow snake if you have a little syringe handy without the needle that would do the job. if not try an eyedropper. I use the syringe without the needles if i have to administer panicur. you may also use the same type to feed the baby food(which i have used it for that also). If the end is small enough and she refuses to eat you may use that syringe to force feed also. But if you chose to force feed be very gentle as you don't want to hurt your leo. It probly takes me a few moments to get her to let me open her mouth but it's well worth it in the end.

[SnowSnake]

Before I went to work-out at 7 she pooped! Since it's 10:15p.m. should I wait for the next one (poop) or do I put it in the fridge for tomorrow? I have 15$ exactly and a fecal costs 15$ fiiouu!

[Samba]

It's alright to use it... you don't have to catch them doing it for the sample to be good. I hope you put it in the fridge because by now it would be too late! LOL Just continue supporting her, I'm sure she'll be alright. Trust your vet, and if she needs to go to the one an hour away take her! It's well worth it!

[Alicewave]

You can get panacur on www.herpsupplies.com. I'm pretty sure it's much cheaper than $37 bucks. Just for future reference.

[SnowSnake]

When I got to my room to collect the feces it was already dry. Does lethargic meen that he doesn't move a lot?

[Samba]

Yes lethargic means the reptile appears lazy, listless, without engergy or interest. Snowsnake, I would get your leo to a vet soon... these aren't encouraging symptoms you are describing.

Thanks, Meg, I will buy from there next time. I was charged $37.00 (and this is a discount), for the medicine, the physical exam and the fecal exam. Not a bad deal though, I don't mind missing the moolah if it's gonna help my babes!

[Grant vg]

As far as i know, Panacur is not used for Tapeworms.
i worm everything that comes into my collection with fenbendazole twice. The most recent snakes were wild caught and the panacur did not do anything about the tapers...
i got myself some Droncit pills, as eyespy mentioned, administered the correct dosage, twice two weeks apart and within a month and a 1/2 my snakes had gained more then a lb of weight, in comparison to the 200-300 grams they had gained in the prior 2 months.

Tapers will decrease the weight of your animal tremendously as the ones i found in my 2-3 foot blood pythons were 6-7 inches!!
Since the droncit, all the tapers have been flushed out and are non-apparant and they are living there lives happily.
I believe panacur is more for pins and round worms...

I am not sure of the dosage of droncit for lizards , if it differs from snakes, but your best bet would be to ask an experienced breeder first hand on dosage, etc... and go into the vets office with that information.


goodluck!!!!

grant vg

[reverendsterlin]

panacur can usually be found at horse and cattle feedstores.

[SnowSnake]

Samba, If lethargic meens doesn't move a lot then my female certainly isn't lethargic!! She is always moving around!

I handle her but she always seems to want to be handled more. Last night she woke me at 3 a.m. cause she was scratching the paper towels to try and get out! grrrrr
Why does she always want to be handled and taken out of her tank?

I'll get a fecal done anyways.

Thanks!

[Samba]

Snowsnake... maybe she's just bored and wants to roam around! Remember that Leos are nocternal, and nighttime (theoretically) should be their most active time! My male does this all the time! In fact one day I came home and found him underneath the paper towels, in the corner of his tank, looking out into my reptile room! He seemed very sheepish when I straightened his cage!

Digging is something that comes natural for Leos, as in the wild they dig for food, dig for shelter, and dig nests to lay their eggs. See things from her point of view: Imagine your inside your bedroom. Someone dictates when you come out, and how long you can be out. For the most part, you sit inside, without much to do. It would get pretty boring, right? She probably just needs some stimulation.

Try rearranging her cage every so often. If you want, you can use Lizard Litter and allow mealworms to bury themselves in it. This way she can find them later and entertain herself with a snack. I've gotten some criticisim for thinking my Leos can get bored, but in any which case, I believe it's important to stimulate them.

I'll type some more ideas later on, when I have the time! It's good news that your female isn't lethargic but get that fecal done as soon as possible. Keep us updated!