Over The Counter Dewormers?

Are there any dewormers I can get over the counter that can get rid of internal parasites in reptiles?

I'm getting a bit worried about my CWD since he's not really that active. While I'm at school he seems to be very active cause his cage is a mess, so I end up cleaning it and changing the water while I bathe him. He hasn't defecated yet, but he did eat a few crickets on Sunday when I put them in and I think he ate some superworms out of this little dish I have for him today. So, I'm not sure if he has worms or not, but I want to give him some medication without going to the vet since it gets a bit expensive.

I know ParaZap is over the counter, I use it with my beardie, as it also prevents parasites

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Originally Posted by Kuba

I know ParaZap is over the counter, I use it with my beardie, as it also prevents parasites

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Where can I find it, and how much does it cost?

You can get Fenbendazole over the counter aka Panacur.

Probably at your local Tractor Supply Store

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

You can get Fenbendazole over the counter aka Panacur.

Probably at your local Tractor Supply Store

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I thought Panacur was subscription?

I guess I'll try that out, by Tractor Supply Store do you mean Walgreen's or Walmart? LOL Idk I never really heard of Tractor Supply besides on here, not sure if there is actually a store around here called Tractor Supply:P

It comes in a horse dewormer paste.

You just have to find out the concentration and weigh the animal to determine dosage based on how many mg per kg the species requires.

They're called Tractor Supply around here, or even Feldmans.

Check your local FARM SUPPLY stores.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I thought Panacur was subscription?

I guess I'll try that out, by Tractor Supply Store do you mean Walgreen's or Walmart? LOL Idk I never really heard of Tractor Supply besides on here, not sure if there is actually a store around here called Tractor Supply:P

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

It comes in a horse dewormer paste.

You just have to find out the concentration and weigh the animal to determine dosage based on how many mg perpg the species requires.

They're called Tractor Supply around here, or even Feldmans.

Check your local FARM SUPPLY stores.

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Alright I'll check if there's any around here. I'll also ask my boss if he has any, since we deal with so many reptiles and some with illnesses or parasites.

Do I only need to give it one dose of Panacur, or like once a week or once every few days?

I believe with snakes it's every 14 days for 3 treatments.

You might want to get a fecal done to determine if the animal actually has any parasites at all.

And if so, if the Panacur is the recommended course of action at all anyways.

BUT, its NEVER a bad idea to use as a first step in newly acquired animals.

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I believe with snakes it's every 14 days for 3 treatments.

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What about with lizards? I'm not worried about any of the snakes because they seem pretty healthy, I'm worried about my Water Dragon. I always worry about the herps though:rolleyes:

Do you know the recommended dosages for the concentrations you're going to get

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Do you know the recommended dosages for the concentrations you're going to get

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Not just yet, but that is what I'm trying to look up right now. I don't know my Water Dragon's weight yet, but I will weigh him tonight and post it. For right now I'm trying to find something that tells me what dosages I need in weight ranges, that would be helpful LOL.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Not just yet, but that is what I'm trying to look up right now. I don't know my Water Dragon's weight yet, but I will weigh him tonight and post it. For right now I'm trying to find something that tells me what dosages I need in weight ranges, that would be helpful LOL.

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Do you KNOW that he has parasites? Why not just take him to a vet who can test to make sure and prescribe the correct doseages for you? The one time I had internal parasites (my first ball python), the fecal was less than $20 and the panacur doses were less than $20.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Do you KNOW that he has parasites? Why not just take him to a vet who can test to make sure and prescribe the correct doseages for you? The one time I had internal parasites (my first ball python), the fecal was less than $20 and the panacur doses were less than $20.

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I'm probably 80% sure. He seems lethargic, since he doesn't move too much or even try to swim when I bathe him and he just sits where ever I put him. I don't think he's eating much either, I did see him eat a few crickets but that was it (dusted with Calcium Powder with D3 supplement) and I think he MIGHT'VE ate a couple superworms, but sometimes he spills them into the enclosure. Like today I found one crawling around, but I remember putting 6 in the dish and I spotted 3 in the dish until I found the one crawling around. I called my boss and he said he can give me Panacur for my Water Dragon, so even if the Water Dragon doesn't have it I'll be glad that I gave him something just in case.

I too would be recommend being very careful self medicating your animals. I don't know if you can overdose you WD with Panacur, but I wouldn't want to see you find out when you're looking for a new WD. Is your WD a wild caught?

Call a vet, tell them money's tight, see if they can do a fecal without an office visit. Some Docs will do this, others won't. If you can just drop off a sample, they can do it at their convenience, i would think it wouldn't cost more than $25. A prescription of panacur can't cost more than another $25.

I had panacur for almost a year laying around the house and finally threw it out about 6 months ago.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

I really don't recommend trying to pare down horse wormer to a dosage safe for a small reptile. That stuff is VERY concentrated, and it would be far too easy to overdose it.

I have to say--do the vet visit. The dragon's lethargy may be parasites, but what if it's something else? The vet will be able to evaluate it, and treat it properly.

I'll agree that from your description of him being lethargic and not eating that it sounds like something is wrong. How you got from there to 80% sure he has parasites, I don't know.

I very strongly recommend against giving a dewormer when you don't know your animals has worms, or what kind of worms they might be. I don't know about panacur in particular, but most dewormers are POISONS. The dosage is determined by figuring out how much is enough to kill the worms, but not enough to harm the host. Of course, we don't really know if it is harming the host or not, we just know that we don't notice any harm. Although it is common to routinely give dewormers to many animals, whether they need it or not (heartworm meds for dogs, broad spectrum dewormers for horses), this is something I view as a necessary evil at best, and in some instances, I wonder how necessary it is.

With our reptiles, we are lucky, because they are pretty isolated. A dog is at risk of getting heartworm every time it goes outside during mosquito season, or even if a mosquito gets in the house. That same kind of risk just isn't there with out reptiles.

The worst thing is, if your treat your water dragon with a dewormer when he is sick with something totally unrelated to parasites, not only are you not doing him any good, but you are possibly going to make the situation worse by causing stress when you administer the medication, or due to the stress the dewormer causes on his system.

You really should take him to a good herp vet, and find out for sure what is wrong with him, so you can give him proper treatment that will help him get better.

I agree with the last three posts, and what I was "gently" trying to get at. You're not a trained veterinarian, and cutting costs by trying to self-medicate or take short cuts because you "suspect" that he has worms may cost you his life. Especially something in horse concentrate.

Part of our "contract with our animals" is that we agree to provide them with the proper medical care, which includes vet visits. That should ALWAYS be a consideration before taking on new animals.

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

Is your WD a wild caught?

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99.99% of water dragons in the pet trade are wildcaught :)

I have seen some CBB babies though and they were the cutest little lizards...:banana: