Question About Parasite Treatments

[nicolie85]

On September 24, 2008 I took my male veiled to the vet and he was treated with Panacur for Coccidia found in his fecal float. I took him back to the vet on October 8, 2008 for his second dose. The vet said that with the two treatments that the parasites would all be killed. I'm sure it did the trick, but how often should I have my chameleon's fecal tested? Also, should I have him treated with Panacur throughout the year to prevent any future breakouts of those nasty little buggers. I thought I read somewhere that some keepers treat their chameleons throughout the year with Panacur themselves to keep things in check. There is a local petshop that I always go to and the reptile guy treats reptiles with Panacur for only $5 . I just took my iguana to him over the weekend to be treated for pinworms and I fully trust him with my pets.

 

[beeze]

Panacur is not for coccidia. Do you have a chameleon vet?

 

[Eric Adrignola]

yeah - I'd be worried. Coccidia is har dto treat, and form what we've learned recently, Ponazuril seems to work much better than other medicines for coccidia.

Panacur is a bendazol. They work by shutting down the internal workings of intestinal roundworms - they're helminths, worms, multicellular organizims - NOT protozoans. Coccidia is a single-celled parasite, requiring specialized treatment.

Double check with him - a vet should not make such a mistake. Make sure he's not intending to be treating for worms.

IF your vet game him panacur, to treat for coccidia, he is either imcompetant, or trying to seem like he's doing something when he's not really accomplishing anything. I rather not think someone who has gone through vet school is going to make either of those mistakes. Gotta give them the benifit of the doubt.

Seriously though, anyone qualified to give out medicines should know that bendazols are for worms, not protozoans. They might help a bit, but it's not going to "work".

 

[PardalisGirl]

Confirm for sure....

You really do need to confirm the parasite with the vet. Also ask what the "load" was in the test. It's helpful to know how infested they are to determine future treatment after the initial issue is taken care of. Please confirm the type of parasite and let us know. I would not trust someone to dose my reptile unless I could confirm that they know how to calculate the dose based on reptile weight. Panacur comes in a huge tube that is made to treat a horse. Vets and breeders calculate the effective dose per gram of Panacur and add a quantity of water to cut it down to a specific reptile strength. Then you have to weight the reptile and get the dose for that reptile. I would not assume that this person helping you is going through all these steps. The $5 per treatment is more expensive than what you would get from the vet. You would get a vial of the proper mixture for $20 and it would be enough to do many courses of treatment to eliminate a severe infestation. You are not saving money with this person. Please confirm and let us know the exact parasite and the load.

 

[beeze]

Below is a good thread on the treatment of coccidia:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/chameleons-coccidia-ponazuril-offers-16409/