Lab results back from vet - our beardie has pinworms - how to treat?

[Monkey girl]

Our 3 year old bearded has oxyurid worms (pinworms). Does anyone know how to treat? I've researched on line and fenbendazole (brand name panacur) seems to be the treatment of choice, however, recent testing has shown to be ineffective and currently there is no other treatment on the market for reptiles.

Has any one else had their dragon get pinworms, if so, how did you treat it?

thanking you in advance for any advice.

[jclaiborne]

I was always told that pinworms was pretty common because of crickets, for how cheap panacur is, it wouldn't hurt to try.

http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html

[Jackie]

My kingsnake had it. Treated with super low dose of ivermectin. What did the vet recommend?

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[bumblebee1028]

Did your vet discuss the medication with you? Pinworms are fairly common with beardies, and as jclaiborne said, I've always heard that they can get them from their crickets. They're really not anything to worry about as long as you don't leave them untreated for a long time.

I've had to treat two of my beardies for pinworms. Both times, I used the generic of panacur, and it worked great. Just make sure you get another fecal exam done about 2 weeks after treatment to make sure it took care of it. This is where I've gotten the medication, if you are interested in doing it yourself (sometimes it's cheaper than getting the meds from the vet): http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.ph...product_id=113

Hope that helps!

[Monkey girl]

My kingsnake had it. Treated with super low dose of ivermectin. What did the vet recommend?

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The vet recommended panacur.

[Monkey girl]

Did your vet discuss the medication with you? Pinworms are fairly common with beardies, and as jclaiborne said, I've always heard that they can get them from their crickets. They're really not anything to worry about as long as you don't leave them untreated for a long time.

I've had to treat two of my beardies for pinworms. Both times, I used the generic of panacur, and it worked great. Just make sure you get another fecal exam done about 2 weeks after treatment to make sure it took care of it. This is where I've gotten the medication, if you are interested in doing it yourself (sometimes it's cheaper than getting the meds from the vet): http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.ph...product_id=113

Hope that helps!

thanks for the reply :-)

The vet recommended panacur. We had him checked out because he seems lethargic and isn't interested in eating. He checked out find with the exception of the pinworms. Would this make him lethargic or is he perhaps coming out or brumation? We have only had him for a month or so, so maybe it is still the transition?

[jclaiborne]

thanks for the reply :-)

The vet recommended panacur. We had him checked out because he seems lethargic and isn't interested in eating. He checked out find with the exception of the pinworms. Would this make him lethargic or is he perhaps coming out or brumation? We have only had him for a month or so, so maybe it is still the transition?

He could just still be settling in. My guy just finished up a 3 week hunger strike...he would pick at his greens, I offered him crickets, meal worms, super worms, wax worms and dubias daily and he just stared at me with his mouth locked shut like get this outta my face. Then yesterday he launched at the tongs and started chomping away.

[bumblebee1028]

thanks for the reply :-)

The vet recommended panacur. We had him checked out because he seems lethargic and isn't interested in eating. He checked out find with the exception of the pinworms. Would this make him lethargic or is he perhaps coming out or brumation? We have only had him for a month or so, so maybe it is still the transition?

No problem

Unless you've made changes to the enclosure in the past week or so, he should be over the relocation stress by now. Males do go on hunger strikes (it's that time of year), so that could be a part of it as well. My boy isn't eating super well right now, but there are several girls in the same room, and he does see them occasionally.

Parasites can definitely make them lethargic and not interested in eating (especially if they have a high parasite load), and the panacur can't really hurt. From what I understand, it's very mild. If the vet found pinworms and recommended panacur, I would definitely treat him with panacur.

Another thing you may want to try (especially if you medicate him) is probiotics. They help replenish the gut flora that the parasites and medication destroy. The website I linked earlier has several probiotic products such as Bene-bac and Acidophilus +, but you can also try plain soy yogurt.

Do you know what he was eating at his previous home? What are you offering him?