Worms of the unwelcome kind

[chris-uk]

So, today Nobby (our WC parietalis) finally provided me with a faeces sample that was fresh, not in her water, and on a day when I could take it to the vet for a faecal float. Surprise, she's got a high load of worms which need treating before she leave quarantine and we put the big girls together.

The vets we used was really good, they offered to do the float straight away so that we didn't need to drive back for medication if it was positive (they're about a 35 minute drive from home. And they didn't cost a fortune, the fecal float and 5g of Panacur only cost £12.

So, I'll be worming my first snake over the next couple of weeks. The treatment prescribed is 0.15g of Panacur each day for 3 days, then repeat after 2 weeks, then a week later take in another faecal sample for testing. Does that sound about right?

[gregmonsta]

Sounds about right . You need two blasts to catch the eggs that will be hatching later. What type of worm did they identify?

[guidofatherof5]

Good catch Chris. The treatment sounds like what my Vet. has prescribed.
I'm sure Nobby will feel better after her guests are evicted.

[chris-uk]

There were some live round worms, and some round worm eggs.

Any tips for getting the panacur in into the snake? I should have asked while I was there. But the plan I have is to inject the 0.15ml into a piece of food (either a pinky head or piece of salmon) as I don't rate my chances of prying her mouth open and squirting the panacur down her throat.

[katach]

That will work, as long as she eats the piece of food...

[chris-uk]

That will work, as long as she eats the piece of food...

She'll eat the food. Never refused food yet, Nobby is our most consistent eater - she has to be to keep all the worms happy with the free banquet.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I have a 1 cc syringe with an IV catheter on the end.... I just suck up the panacur, hold the snake by the neck, and with the catheter part I push it sideways into the mouth then slide it around so the end is in the mouth. I gently push it down the throat a little and squirt the panacur in. works good for me. the IV catheter is a little flexible so it works well and doesn't hurt the snake.

[Dan72]

Chris, because Nobby is W/C, is the cause of the worms what the snakes diet had been in the wild? Frogs or fish, something like that? With my radix as young and as small as she was when I found her in March, I don't think her diet could have been anything more than earthworms and thats all she's had since moving inside. Could worms give her worms? Or could she pick them up from wherever she was getting her water.... Should I have her checked for worms being W/C???

[Invisible Snake]

Chris have you noticed any sub-cutaneous worms on Nobby?

[guidofatherof5]

If Nobby is a pinky eater I would inject it into said pinky.
Problem solved an no waste.