Annual Deworming

[jbodkin]

How many folks take your Geckos to a vet for Annual Deworming and check ups?

 

[nats]

How many folks take your Geckos to a vet for Annual Deworming and check ups?

In the 14 or so years that I've been keeping leos, only one ever went for
a vet visit.
Am I doing something right, lucky, or irresponsible leo keeper?

 

[jbodkin]

Given that any live feeder has the potential of being a host to parasites (With out you knowing) ... How do you avoid ever passing a bad organism to your Geckos ... and if you did how do you prevent or treat illness from that risk?


Just want to make sure I am doing the right things for the gang ... The more I read the more folks talk about routine vet checkups and deworming.


:main_huh:

 

[Geck-O]

How do you deworm the gecko yourself?

 

[Sandra]

Get fenbendazol (usually Panacur) at your vet clinic, measure the correct amount to give your gecko based on its weight (I don't have the dosages at hand right now...), put it in a syringe (without a needle, of course), open gecko mouth, push out the Panacur, close gecko mouth

Rather than deworming them I prefer to have fecal tests of them done. That way you don't medicate them unnecessarily, you don't have to bring them up and down from the clinic and it lets you know if there are other problems. My vet and I are looking for a lab to get all my geckos tested for cheap once a year. If it's just deworming, I can do it myself at home.

If you are only worried about nematodes, it seems that those are seen easily under the microscope so your vet shouldn't be charging much.

 

[RepBex]

how much does a poo test cost ?

 

[jbodkin]

Get fenbendazol (usually Panacur) at your vet clinic, measure the correct amount to give your gecko based on its weight (I don't have the dosages at hand right now...), put it in a syringe (without a needle, of course), open gecko mouth, push out the Panacur, close gecko mouth

Rather than deworming them I prefer to have fecal tests of them done. That way you don't medicate them unnecessarily, you don't have to bring them up and down from the clinic and it lets you know if there are other problems. My vet and I are looking for a lab to get all my geckos tested for cheap once a year. If it's just deworming, I can do it myself at home.

If you are only worried about nematodes, it seems that those are seen easily under the microscope so your vet shouldn't be charging much.

How often do you test? I guess you house all your gecko individually to be able to make sure you have the poo from the right gecko

 

[Sandra]

How often do you test?

Until now I only sent samples to make fecal tests when I saw one of my geckos was ill or they made weird stools, but I want to test them all once a year from now on. I don't have many so I can afford it.

I guess you house all your gecko individually to be able to make sure you have the poo from the right gecko

I do, but if you have several geckos in one tank they'll probably have the same parasites and it will show up in the feces of any of them. You would have to treat them all after that.

how much does a poo test cost ?

It varies from clinic to clinic and lab to lab, it's best that you ask your vet directly.

If it's only looking through the microscope, my vet does it for free in my case so I don't know about that...

About the lab, an ordinary fecal test plus crypto test is 25€, and they do discounts if you ask for several tests at once.

 

[JordanAng420]

Given that any live feeder has the potential of being a host to parasites (With out you knowing) ... How do you avoid ever passing a bad organism to your Geckos ... and if you did how do you prevent or treat illness from that risk?

I totally agree, and this is why mine go at least once a year. Reptiles in particular tend to carry the kind of organisms that can be passed to humans. (Pinworms, Crypto and Hookworm we can get, to name a few) :main_thumbsdown:

 

[JordanAng420]

Given that any live feeder has the potential of being a host to parasites (With out you knowing) ... How do you avoid ever passing a bad organism to your Geckos ... and if you did how do you prevent or treat illness from that risk?

I totally agree, and this is why mine go at least once a year. Reptiles in particular tend to carry the kind of organisms that can be passed to humans. (Pinworms, Crypto and Hookworm we can get, to name a few) :main_thumbsdown:

 

[AntMan612]

What percentage of fecal tests actually end up positive for parasites? Is it a significant risk?

 

[jbodkin]

What percentage of fecal tests actually end up positive for parasites? Is it a significant risk?

I have a very heathly Beardie that eats like a pig, has grown like a weed and poo was fine ... I took him for his first Vet visit thinking we would get a thumbs up as healthy as he looks/acts ... His Fecal came back positive for Hookworm and Giarda.



From what I have read on this forum ... Seems to me a lot of folks only go to the Vet after they have a very sick Gecko ... I would rather help avoid/prevent them from even getting to that point with routine visits. I know it cost a little extra money ... But it is part of the husbandry of the animal and if you can not afford to care for an animal should you have it? ... Just a thought :main_rolleyes:

 

[Sprucedude]

It's not a question of affording it for me. The problem is that I have been looking and so far there are no Herp vets in this country (Poland) that have a bloody clue about the health of leopard geckos. It's very frustrating as I know my leo has an infection. Any vets want to come over?

 

[LizMarie]

While I never took my gecko to the vet before since she died before I was able to. I think when I get another one I would have somewhat of a routine check up and test for parasites because I saw first hand how fast they start to go downhill and can't go through that again.

 

[jbodkin]

While I never took my gecko to the vet before since she died before I was able to. I think when I get another one I would have somewhat of a routine check up and test for parasites because I saw first hand how fast they start to go downhill and can't go through that again.

Sorry to here you lost your little one ... Your story is one of the reasons I have thought so much about this stuff.

 

[LizMarie]

Sorry to here you lost your little one ... Your story is one of the reasons I have thought so much about this stuff.

It was a learning experience. Next time i'll be more prepared. I've found a reptile vet knows his schedule and the minimum prices. Plus it really doesn't cost that much depending on what they have to do. I rather have a clear conscience and be able to catch it in the early stages then waiting until the end.

 

[Alusdra]

While I know the argument 'I've been doing it this way forever and it's worked just fine' is completely fallacious- even so I don't know that I've seen any research on the benefits or effects of deworming on geckos. Do the worms they may or may not have significantly affect their quality of life and mean life span? What is the most common thing for a gecko to die from? Are the dewormers safe for geckos? Also, some of the parasites mentioned aren't worms- eg. giardia is a protozoan. (Though it seems unlikely that your geckos would be infected and not you, as a major source is water, which is treated in all water supplied by a town/city/etc.) The treatments for the various bugs differ, so a fecal would be definitely called for before treating with anything.

It seems to me that parasites are a minor concern so far as the data I have seen- animals are more likely to die of nutritional insufficiency (like not enough Ca++, a husbandry issue) or egg binding or impaction- both of which would be better diagnosed with an xray. Actually- all three of which would be best diagnosed with an xray. And unless you are feeding wild caught insects, the chance of them having something really nasty is probably small. If a company's feeder insects had a zoonotic, devastating disease in their feeder populations, there is a high likelihood they would be sued over it (look at that hamster bought at the chain store that infected a man on chemo who died and how the wife sued them). It's like when one has indoor cats- the exposure is low, so you don't need to be as strict on deworming them as you do with outdoor cats (though apparently it only takes one heartworm to kill a cat...)

That being said- checking fecals can't hurt. I was going to on mine, but it is damnably difficult to catch the stool when it's still moist enough to do any good. I swear the little buggers wait until I fall asleep to poo, so that it has all night to dry out. That they are producing it at all and that it is of normal consistency seems a more sensitive indicator of the animal's health than a fecal.

Now you have me curious though- I may renew my efforts to get a sample.

 

[JordanAng420]

While I know the argument 'I've been doing it this way forever and it's worked just fine' is completely fallacious- even so I don't know that I've seen any research on the benefits or effects of deworming on geckos. (THE BENEFITS ARE TO GET RID OF THE INTESTINAL PARASITES) Do the worms they may or may not have significantly affect their quality of life and mean life span? (ABSOLUTELY, A SEVERE HOOKWORM INFECTION UNTREATED CAN KILL ANY ANIMAL WITHIN A MONTH) What is the most common thing for a gecko to die from? (IF WE'RE TALKING PARASITES, I'D SAY CRYPTO) Are the dewormers safe for geckos? (YES, THERE IS A SEPARATE PHYSICIANS DESK REFERENCE AND DOSING CHART FOR REPTILES) Also, some of the parasites mentioned aren't worms- eg. giardia is a protozoan. (Though it seems unlikely that your geckos would be infected and not you, as a major source is water, which is treated in all water supplied by a town/city/etc.) (TRUE, BUT GIARDIA CAN HARBOR ASYMPTOMATIC IN THE SYSTEM FOR A LONG TIME, AND MOST LIKELY CAME FROM A DIFFERENT WATER SOURCE) The treatments for the various bugs differ, so a fecal would be definitely called for before treating with anything. (YES, WHICH IS WHY MY CLINIC REQUIRES AN EXAM AS WELL)

It seems to me that parasites are a minor concern so far (NOT IF YOU LET THE INFECTION GO TOO LONG) as the data I have seen- animals are more likely to die of nutritional insufficiency (like not enough Ca++, a husbandry issue) or egg binding or impaction- both of which would be better diagnosed with an xray. Actually- all three of which would be best diagnosed with an xray. And unless you are feeding wild caught insects, the chance of them having something really nasty is probably small. (NOT NECESSARILY TRUE) If a company's feeder insects had a zoonotic, devastating disease in their feeder populations, there is a high likelihood they would be sued over it (look at that hamster bought at the chain store that infected a man on chemo who died and how the wife sued them). It's like when one has indoor cats- the exposure is low, so you don't need to be as strict on deworming them as you do with outdoor cats (though apparently it only takes one heartworm to kill a cat...) (ONE OF MY CLIENTS PICKED UP GIARDIA FROM AN INDOOR CAT)

That being said- checking fecals can't hurt. I was going to on mine, but it is damnably difficult to catch the stool when it's still moist enough to do any good. I swear the little buggers wait until I fall asleep to poo, so that it has all night to dry out. That they are producing it at all and that it is of normal consistency seems a more sensitive indicator of the animal's health than a fecal.

Now you have me curious though- I may renew my efforts to get a sample.

Some of my comments are in bold above...I guess the reason I feel so strongly about deworming is because i've seen too many careless children (with ignorant parents) come down with some type of intestinal parasite or whatnot that could EASILY have been prevented....and then of course they go and blame the vet, because he didn't tell them about it. So we inform our clients of every possible situation. We're not money-hungry, we do it because it's in the best intrest for your pet.

 

[nats]

While I know the argument 'I've been doing it this way forever and it's worked just fine' is completely fallacious- even so I don't know that I've seen any research on the benefits or effects of deworming on geckos. Do the worms they may or may not have significantly affect their quality of life and mean life span? What is the most common thing for a gecko to die from? Are the dewormers safe for geckos? Also, some of the parasites mentioned aren't worms- eg. giardia is a protozoan. (Though it seems unlikely that your geckos would be infected and not you, as a major source is water, which is treated in all water supplied by a town/city/etc.) The treatments for the various bugs differ, so a fecal would be definitely called for before treating with anything.

It seems to me that parasites are a minor concern so far as the data I have seen- animals are more likely to die of nutritional insufficiency (like not enough Ca++, a husbandry issue) or egg binding or impaction- both of which would be better diagnosed with an xray. Actually- all three of which would be best diagnosed with an xray. And unless you are feeding wild caught insects, the chance of them having something really nasty is probably small. If a company's feeder insects had a zoonotic, devastating disease in their feeder populations, there is a high likelihood they would be sued over it (look at that hamster bought at the chain store that infected a man on chemo who died and how the wife sued them). It's like when one has indoor cats- the exposure is low, so you don't need to be as strict on deworming them as you do with outdoor cats (though apparently it only takes one heartworm to kill a cat...)

That being said- checking fecals can't hurt. I was going to on mine, but it is damnably difficult to catch the stool when it's still moist enough to do any good. I swear the little buggers wait until I fall asleep to poo, so that it has all night to dry out. That they are producing it at all and that it is of normal consistency seems a more sensitive indicator of the animal's health than a fecal.

Now you have me curious though- I may renew my efforts to get a sample.

You know, you can do your own fecal exam!?

All you need is some Fecasol solution and a few test tubes (both can be
purchased online).

Also, you can buy Panacur and Albon at The Bean Farm.

The correct doses for a leo is in Klingenberg's book.

 

[nats]

Oh, one more thing you need, a microscope!!

Unless you have Superman vision, the eggs are too small to see.