Agh internal parasites

Oh April - I am so sorry to hear that. Having gone through it with Kashmire when I first got him, I can understand the worry over them!

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

It's just done as a precautionary treatment. Even if they aren't showing "signs" in particular, they could still be infected, especially if a fecal hasn't been done yet.

Dewormer will NOT hurt an animal, especially pyrantel(it's even given to people EVERYWHERE to get rid of pinworms). Ivermectin, on the other hand, if overdosed isn't a fun thing to deal with. Praziquantel is very safe too and can be found OTC now.

If you can get the meds at a cheaper rate and you can get them easier by yourself, why not? It's for the protection of your collection. Tapeworms can lead to regurgitation as we've already seen, wasting(massive weight loss), anorexia, and ultimately death. It takes longer for the bigger snakes to show signs as there is more bulk to them. The smaller snakes waste away quickly. Also, if a roundworm infestation is big enough, the animal can even start regurgitating the actual worms because they are backing up into the stomach and esophagus from the intestines. Not a fun thing either. Roundworms also have a migratory phase in which they can go through organs such as the lungs and liver, causing alot of damage along the way.

That is why I said, if one or two have it, regardless of the quarantine procedures, then treat them all. It's not going to hurt the animals at all, and if they do happen to come into contact with infected feces or equipment, then they will be protected(at least for a little while).

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Excellent info Becky. That is what I was looking for...Do you have veterinary training?

Vet Technician, yes sir :) I'm the right AND lefthand of the vet(as well as the backbone in some cases, LoL).

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Vet Technician, yes sir :) I'm the right AND lefthand of the vet(as well as the backbone in some cases, LoL).

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Rock on. Thanks for the info. Consider me flogged (as sometimes happens).

Shelby, sorry to hear about the bad news. This might help. Some vets will take payments. I know my mom has used that before with her animals when times were tight. I think she has even done it up there in Rockford. Message her (Blu Mongoose) and she might be able to help you out with a vet that will if yours wont. Remember, vets are in the business because they love animals too. Yes they have to make money, but some will help you out if you ask for it. If you have been using your vet for a while he might do it because he knows you and knows he will get repeat business from you.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

In my eyes, if one has it, they all have it, and should all be treated accordingly. Treat ALL for BOTH roundworms and tapeworms. There's also no need to stomach tube them. Treat with Cestiject(sp?) and some pyrantel pamoate(strongid) and they should be good to go. Cestiject is an injection and pyrantel can easily be put into the back of the animals throat to be swallowed. No biggie. Any generic Praziquantel will get rid of those tapeworms and you can find strongid at the feed store.

Just some friendly(trying to help you save those arms and legs) advice :)

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Thank you Becky. I was hoping you'd come and help me out. :)

Ok.. let me see here.. where can I get cestiject and pyrantel pamoate? Is Praziquantel one of those things? I wondered why my vet wanted to do the stomach tube.. I thought dosing was typically done at home like RI treatments.

Will I be able to treat itty bitty baby colubrids too? I'd be terrified to give an injection to such a small animal..

You can get pyrantel(Strongid T) at the feed store. It is made for horses and you mix it with water and it tastes like banana or vanilla(I still can't decide and I have tasted it several times. And DON'T give me that look... :) ) It is relatively inexpensive, and you should have it for your horse already, and if not, you should, LoL.

For all of the teensy guys, I would just treat with the Strongid twice(once now and once in two weeks). Do the same with the adults, but mix their dose of Praziquantel in the Strongid. Treat again in two weeks. You can get feline praziquantel at TSC and pretty much any feed store now. I'm glad they made it OTC and not a Rx anymore.

Cestiject is mainly for larger animals(can only get it at the vet though). You can use it in the bigger snakes like the Suris, Annies and the Burm. I would just use the prazi caplets in the smaller snakes. I'd give you some of ours as it is expired and still works like it should, but the whole shipping thing, LoL.

The male Suri probably came with the eggs in tow, but whenever the eggs developed into larva and acual worms, then he started having problems with them. Rounds are icky things to have, and tapeworms especially. Ick...

If you can get some curved tip syringes, that would help greatly. Pharmacies may carry them, but you can definitely get some at the vet or the feed store. That will help you get the liquid in the way back of their throat so they actually swallow it and it doesn't dribble out of their mouth.

Dosages should be fairly easy to find, and I will see what I can dig up in my drug books.

She's the one they call Dr. Feelgood....

Nice advice there Becky!!

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

You can get pyrantel(Strongid T) at the feed store. It is made for horses and you mix it with water and it tastes like banana or vanilla(I still can't decide and I have tasted it several times. And DON'T give me that look... :) ) It is relatively inexpensive, and you should have it for your horse already, and if not, you should, LoL.

For all of the teensy guys, I would just treat with the Strongid twice(once now and once in two weeks). Do the same with the adults, but mix their dose of Praziquantel in the Strongid. Treat again in two weeks. You can get feline praziquantel at TSC and pretty much any feed store now. I'm glad they made it OTC and not a Rx anymore.

Cestiject is mainly for larger animals(can only get it at the vet though). You can use it in the bigger snakes like the Suris, Annies and the Burm. I would just use the prazi caplets in the smaller snakes. I'd give you some of ours as it is expired and still works like it should, but the whole shipping thing, LoL.

The male Suri probably came with the eggs in tow, but whenever the eggs developed into larva and acual worms, then he started having problems with them. Rounds are icky things to have, and tapeworms especially. Ick...

If you can get some curved tip syringes, that would help greatly. Pharmacies may carry them, but you can definitely get some at the vet or the feed store. That will help you get the liquid in the way back of their throat so they actually swallow it and it doesn't dribble out of their mouth.

Dosages should be fairly easy to find, and I will see what I can dig up in my drug books.

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Ok I'm still a little confused, but that's normal. lol

Ok pyrantel = strongid (we've been using feed-through wormer for the horse so I don't have any wormer right now) Does it come in a box/bottle? I guess not a tube since you mix it.

Also what is TSC? And the praziquantel is a caplet?

Do you think my vet will give me the cestiject if I ask for it? If this vet doesn't want to, I do know of another snake vet..

I'm guessing I could get a bottle of it and a bunch of syringes so I can dose it out myself (after weighing the snakes)

Thanks again.

Pyrantel pamoate(Strongid T) comes in a big white bottle with yellow lettering. It is given orally and you really won't hurt the animals if you end up giving too much. It CAN come in a tube, labeled Strongid Paste.

*Pyrantel(Strongid) is 25 mg/kg given twice, once on one week and again two weeks later.

Praziquantel can be found at TSC(Tractor Supply Co.) and pretty much any pet store now(if you have a Petsmart or a Petco, etc). It comes in injection form and oral form. The oral is the only one found over the counter. You would have to find out how many milligrams each tablet was and then break it accordingly, mix it in water and then give it to the animal(back of throat). I haven't tried this one, but I'm sure it tastes like butt, LoL.

*Praziquantel(Drontal/Droncit,etc.) is 5-8mg/kg given the same way Pyrantel is. You may only want to give this to the bigger snakes as they are much easier to dose and you won't be breaking tablets into 64ths... :)

If you can get the Droncit tablets and mix each dose in water, that would work best. The injections can sting, most times worse than Baytril as that Cestiject is THICK(think Karo).

I hope this has helped and if you have any other questions, please ask. I hope we can save you some money. There's no reason to get fecals on all of the snakes. Just treat them all and don't worry about it. The vet can sell you some Droncit tablets if you tell them what it is for. It is VERY unreasonable for them to ask you to bring EVERY SINGLE SNAKE in for fecals and dewormings. Can we say No? :) I like my money to stay where it is supposed to be as any normal person would, my wallet. Let's try to not make you have to sell limbs on the black market, LoL.