Agentspades
New Member
Does anyone know the proper amount and what type of a dewormer I can use for a veiled chameleon. I have a bunch of Flagyl, Panacur and Strongid. Also how often should I deworm. Thank you
Deworming
- Thread starter Agentspades
- Start date
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
Dosing is not done by species, its done by weight and you aren't qualified to dose or dilute any of these meds. In fact, it was illegal for you to purchase them without a prescription. Further, using these meds without knowing what, if any, parasites your cham has is dangerous. Go see a qualified vet, have them do fecal exams and then if deworming is needed, have them do it.
Chris
Chris
Agentspades
New Member
Well I dont think I am totally unqualified, just until a few months ago I was a vet tech which is something I did for about 8 years. I have the meds from when I used to breed dogs and would always deworm my puppies. My boyfriend works for a vet but unfortunatelly the main vet that does exotics is away, so I was going to have him weigh my little guy and I was going to research into the dosing part of it.
Chris Anderson
Dr. House of Chameleons
What makes you think your veiled has parasites and what parasites do you suspect him of having? Blind treatment is still not a good idea as these meds can be hard on the animal.
Chris
Chris
Agentspades
New Member
Well I guess thats why I am asking, I am not sure if with chams one would do sort of a routine deworming type schedule, considering some types of parasites can lay dormant and only become apparent in fecal checks when the animal is shedding them. My boy was a present and the place where he was purchased is not exactly the cleanest and nicest one to get anything live from. I contacted them and they had no clue where they got him from and if he was ever dewormed 
. Sooo I just want to know the best thing to do, considering my vet is not going to be back for another 2 weeks, and the only other vet that really knows exotics around here I would not trust with a stuffed animal.
. Sooo I just want to know the best thing to do, considering my vet is not going to be back for another 2 weeks, and the only other vet that really knows exotics around here I would not trust with a stuffed animal.
Will Hayward
New Member
There are many instances when medicating will do more damage than good in chameleons. The drugs can be detrimental to the chameleon's kidney and/or liver and leave them unable to digest or process nutrients afterwards- if they survive treatment.
If the chameleon is relatively healthy at this point, do not proceede without a vets examination of the chameleon and a fecal testing. Even then, continue with caution as I have heard from several trusted sources and even experienced it once myself, when a vet perscribed a treatment that was too intense for the chameleon to recover from.
If you are aware that parasites and their eggs can be dormant, than you realise that regular fecal checks would be also an option, one better for chameleons no doubt. And being a vet tech and your partner working for one, it shouldn't be difficult for you to have them done quickly by someone you trust.
When parasites die off from a dose of drugs, they can sit in the body and become a toxic mass, destroying the chameleon silently from the inside out. An overload of dead worms sitting in the gut, unable to be digested and pooped if you will.
If the chameleon is relatively healthy at this point, do not proceede without a vets examination of the chameleon and a fecal testing. Even then, continue with caution as I have heard from several trusted sources and even experienced it once myself, when a vet perscribed a treatment that was too intense for the chameleon to recover from.
If you are aware that parasites and their eggs can be dormant, than you realise that regular fecal checks would be also an option, one better for chameleons no doubt. And being a vet tech and your partner working for one, it shouldn't be difficult for you to have them done quickly by someone you trust.
When parasites die off from a dose of drugs, they can sit in the body and become a toxic mass, destroying the chameleon silently from the inside out. An overload of dead worms sitting in the gut, unable to be digested and pooped if you will.
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
You're probably easily safe to wait until your vet gets back in town before worrying about parasites. Usually a chameleon carrying parasites, if not already showing symptoms, won't be having troubles with them anytime soon. If there was a health issue popping up that was thought to be parasite related, any vet could do a fecal smear/fecal float and spot the typical culprits under a microscope. The web is full of reptile (including chameleons) parasite drug treatment schedule info and most vets have the necessary documentation where they can look up the dosages. As Chris was alluding to, sometimes when treating for parasites, the cure can be worse than the problem. Reptiles are not always as tolerant to parasite drug overdoses as mammals. Sometimes we are asked to accurately measure 0.01cc and it doesn't take much of a visual mistake to end up with 0.02cc which is a 100% overdose and then have fatal consequences. Fortunately, most of the parasites that we have to treat don't need the drugs that can easily kill our critters. Unfortunately, sometimes with chameleons high parasite levels can end up dying from all of the dead parasites killed by the drugs that we use to help them . A looong story short, hang in there until someone can look under a microscope and see what's there . Oh, and if you do find parasites, don't expect that one round of treatments will get rid of them all. It may take 2-3 full-schedule (weeks) treatments to get them all (if that's even possible...)
(Will: Sorry for the duplication. I got interrupted in the middle of writing mine before I saw yours )
You're probably easily safe to wait until your vet gets back in town before worrying about parasites. Usually a chameleon carrying parasites, if not already showing symptoms, won't be having troubles with them anytime soon. If there was a health issue popping up that was thought to be parasite related, any vet could do a fecal smear/fecal float and spot the typical culprits under a microscope. The web is full of reptile (including chameleons) parasite drug treatment schedule info and most vets have the necessary documentation where they can look up the dosages. As Chris was alluding to, sometimes when treating for parasites, the cure can be worse than the problem. Reptiles are not always as tolerant to parasite drug overdoses as mammals. Sometimes we are asked to accurately measure 0.01cc and it doesn't take much of a visual mistake to end up with 0.02cc which is a 100% overdose and then have fatal consequences
. Fortunately, most of the parasites that we have to treat don't need the drugs that can easily kill our critters. Unfortunately, sometimes with chameleons high parasite levels can end up dying from all of the dead parasites killed by the drugs that we use to help them . A looong story short, hang in there until someone can look under a microscope and see what's there . Oh, and if you do find parasites, don't expect that one round of treatments will get rid of them all. It may take 2-3 full-schedule (weeks) treatments to get them all (if that's even possible...)(Will: Sorry for the duplication. I got interrupted in the middle of writing mine before I saw yours
)
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Will Hayward
New Member
Duplication only further reinforces the point. Besides I had almost mentioned you and your own fecal tests as an example of what to do if you are interested in reptile parasites, but that you should still have the vet make their own diagnosis. However we also have to have the last word i suppose and be judgmental of a vets advice.(Will: Sorry for the duplication. I got interrupted in the middle of writing mine before I saw yours
Maybe Matt W. can post about his experiences as a vet and some pointers on the subject.
