Prophylactic worming?

[count dewclaw]

Does anybody give their snakes a worming medication as a prophylactic measure? I know in livestock and horses they are wormed on a rountine basis and was wondering if it might be a good idea for garters. On one of the gecko forums they have started recommending treating cresteds every spring for entamoeba. Curious to know what others think....

[guidofatherof5]

Great question. I was wondering the same thing.
Since I'm treating a few of mine for hookworms, would it be best to treat all of them.
Are there benifits to that or any drawbacks. By drawbacks I mean health drawbacks. The med.(Panacur) I'm treating with appears to be safe and very effective. By treating could you be doing more harm than good?

[gregmonsta]

I wouldn't until there is more information available. When I treated Penelope for hookworms the medicine (Levamisole) stated that it can affect growth, pregnant females and offspring, etc.

[Hollis_Steed]

Great question. I was wondering the same thing.
Since I'm treating a few of mine for hookworms, would it be best to treat all of them.
Are there benifits to that or any drawbacks. By drawbacks I mean health drawbacks. The med.(Panacur) I'm treating with appears to be safe and very effective. By treating could you be doing more harm than good?
Steve, is Panacur vet dispensed or is it something I can get online? Is it primarily a treatment for hookworms or does it also take care of any other worms? I would like to treat my wild caught snakes and am looking for advice.

[guidofatherof5]

I think it can be bought on-line but I would be very sure of the dosage which is based on the snakes weight.
Another very important thing to remember is different meds. for different parasites.
Panacur has a wide range of applications but it's not for every parasite. Having the parasite identified is very important.

[infernalis]

Good call Steve.

[guidofatherof5]

Steve, is Panacur vet dispensed or is it something I can get online? Is it primarily a treatment for hookworms or does it also take care of any other worms? I would like to treat my wild caught snakes and am looking for advice.

I would get a fecal float done before you treat. You may not have to treat. Not all wild caught snakes have parasites. A lot depends on their food source. My wild radix population feeds mostly on nightcrawlers so parasites are not common. A snake that feeds mostly on frogs, salamanders, fish, toads will more than likely have a parasite load.
Remember, Panacur and other treatments come with their own risks to the snake.

[Hollis_Steed]

We don't have a reptile vet where I live. can a regular small animal vet do the fecal float for snakes?

[guidofatherof5]

We don't have a reptile vet where I live. can a regular small animal vet do the fecal float for snakes?

That shouldn't be a problem for them.
Parasitology, identification and treatment should have been a big part of their training.

[infernalis]

Here is a chart I found by Melisa Kaplan.

Common Reptile Drugs and Dosages (http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html)

[Hollis_Steed]

Here is a chart I found by Melisa Kaplan.

Common Reptile Drugs and Dosages (http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html)
Great Resource to keep around, thanks for posting it!

[Jeff B]

Panacure- the chemical is Fendendazole.
You can buy it from Bean Farm which an online reptile supply store, it is sold as dog dewormer,
http://store.beanfarm.com/product_info.phpcPath=1199&products_id=5897
it is also sold at Petco.
just calculate dose appropriately for weight of snake, I did a prophylactic collection wide this spring after babies were born, and then again in the fall. What I do is approximate the dose weight, weigh out 10 times on a scale for 10 snakes, and rough that amount for adult females and for males at about half that dose (since they are about half the size of females), then basically I dip the butt end of the mouse in it and feed the snake. Hookworms and pinworms being main potiential possible target, possibly tape worms in wild caughts. It is a safe product and hard to overdose as it is not as toxic as some meds, but the main thing is don't do it during pregnancy as it can effect or even terminate.
I also do a prophylactic treatment for other parasites to mainly rid of any protozoan parasites, but I don't want to disclose details as that is more complicated and more toxic, so it is tricky to administer and not recomended as a "do-it-youself"
I follow up with a probiotic administered with the same dip the butt of the mouse in it, this recharges the gut microbes that may be damaged and restores good digestion.

[Hollis_Steed]

Jeff,
Thank you!
I'll copy this and put it in a file for using over and over i'm sure. Very much appreciate the great information from those of you in the know!