Poor Crayola

[Crayola]

I took crayola to the vet last week because i thought he had worms but i just got results back that Crayola was diagnosed with Eimeria. I did talk to the vet and she said if he seems to get worse then i need to take him back to the vet. What should i do in the mean time to make him better? Can someone help me with what this disease or parasite is? I google searched it and its not helping me any.

 

[Elizadolots]

Here's a thread that will, admittedly, send you to other threads, but you'll get a lot of information from established members: https://www.chameleonforums.com/lily-has-eimeria-64074/

 

[Sohumvet]

Eimeria is a type of coccidia. It can contaminate your setup and can be transmitted to any other reptiles you may have. It is best treated with Ponazuril, which your veterinarian will most likely need to order from a compounding pharmacy. Ponazuril is coccidiacidal and is generally well tolerated by reptiles including chameleons. Prior to Ponazuril, the drug of choice was Albon which was not very effective and could have some detrimental side effects. I happen to be treating one of my own chameleons currently with Ponazuril and he is eating even better now on the medication than prior to the treatment. I recommend you start treatment ASAP and adhere to strict cleanliness.

 

[Crayola]

Ok, I have to call the vet back tomorrow that's when she will be there so ill mention it to her and see what she says. If its that serious I wanna get him the medication he needs asap........ I didn't think it was that serious... thank tho

 

[carol5208]

I am confused...the vet diagnosed your chameleon with Eimeria and then gave you no medications and said bring him back if he gets worse. how can he get better if he is not treated?

 

[Crayola]

Yes made no sense to me. She called me n left voicemail have to call tomorrow.but she said she isn't treating him unless hes worse cause the medication can b more harmful to him..

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Sometimes if coccidia isnt actually causing illness it may not need to be treated. It partially depends on the collection you have - if you only have one or two chams then it's not likely to be a problem. If you have a large collection that you could spread it to then treating even when lacking clinical signs is a better idea imo. If there are clinical signs then it should be treated.

 

[Crayola]

I only have crayola( male veiled cham)... what are symptons i should be looking for?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Usual signs of sickness: lethargy, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, anything else that is concerning. Sometimes they don't ever get sick from it.

 

[Crayola]

I talked to the vet today and she is going to treat crayola. Im not sure what shes giving him yet

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Make sure it is Ponazuril and not Albon. Ponazuril has to be specially ordered, but it's safer for chameleons.