My wild experience..wild garter!

[ConcinusMan]

and, i forgot, was trying fenbendazole for parasites. one quarter microgram granual stuffed into a mouse's mouth. she only had one dose before going off of food. what do you guys think?

Oh, jeez. Don't do that. It's dosed by the animal's weight and it is poison you know. It's one of the safer ones and most garters can handle nearly twice the recommended dosage but too little and all it does is make worms resistant. How the heck did you weigh a quarter microgram? The cheapest scales that can weigh a whole microgram accurately are around $1200-$1600. How much does the snake weigh? The doseage for a 100 gram snake is around 10 milligrams, or 7.5 milligrams minimum. 7.5 milligram = 7500 micrograms. 0.25 (1/4) micrograms is only 0.00025 milligram so "1/4 microgram" can't possibly be what you gave the snake. If it turns out you gave the snake a quarter gram you overdosed by over 200 milligrams. If your snake is huge and 100 grams, like I said the doseage is only about 10 milligrams.

[guidofatherof5]

Find a good Herp. Vet. and give them a call for the proper dosing. Most Vets. will give out that info. without a visit.

[ConcinusMan]

I already have the info. The trick is measuring the dose correctly when it comes in either a packet of powder, or a syringe in gel form. The gel form (sold for use on horses) is easier to measure. But the nice thing is, with this particular drug, it's not easy to overdose since most of them will tolerate nearly twice the recommended dose. Anything over that will most likely be fatal. Other dewormers aren't so forgiving, or safe for gravid reptiles but Panacur is. The only drawback is, there are species tapeworms that reek havoc on their health, and are common in garter snakes, and Panacur is completely ineffective against them. For those, you need praziquantel and that must be dosed precisely. Fine line between not enough, and too much. That one, I wouldn't just hand out to them as a routine deworming. It's hard on the snake and a bit of a risk, so I only use it if there's ample evidence of tapeworms.

[jaleely]

Hi there! Haven't checked this thread In a Looong time. Have access to a microscope and scale that balliances for jewelry and powders, but I think I underdossed. She's huge, 150grams minimum at the time. I do forget exactly but can refer at home. I'm in eastern Oregon again and will check her weight and length next week. Today I went to the same spot and found a tiny baby wandering. Might let him go though. I made a lot of mistakes with this girl, and she tolerated it and begs me for food but that doesn't mean I did best by her. I just still keep her separate from my collection. One, she's so huge she far outsizes my female captive wandering and. red-sidded, so I'm afraid to put together, two she probably still has parasites. I was afraid to do any more and the onl vet that would agree to talk about snakes wouldn't answer me without a visit. She wanted $85 for a VISIT because she's the only one in the area and she knows it. Anyway, that ticked me off so I'm just waiting until I can get a different vet.

[jaleely]

This is super annoying to type on from my phone, apologies! My hubby found Olive, but I found this little one today. First snake I've ever found. Dumb thing won't let me post a pic.

[joeysgreen]

We charge $88 for an exam because a) we need an exam to write a prescription and b) an exam and associated work (writing the file, writing/filling prescriptions, carrying out treatments, taking a proper history... and that's if the animal is rather healthy.) take time.

I just cleaned out my basement the other day. Recycled 5 boxes, or over 100lbs of crap I had to learn in college. That wasn't 1/2 of it and I'm not even the doctor! I say this to encourage you to not undervalue the resource that is your local veterinary clinic. One that is experienced with reptile medicine is a true asset.

If I also may be so forward as to say that veterinary care should be considered before you grab that "free" snake. A few well-cared for animals can be much more rewarding than a zoo of odds and ends thrown together.

Also, on a different but related note, tapeworms require an intermediate host and would be one of the risks of feeding wild caught food. If feeding CB mice, or aquarium bred fish, the risk is near zero and any prexisting infestation is self limiting.

[jaleely]

I decided to let the little guy go today, because he hadn't eaten for me, whereas Olive ate from my hand every day when we got her. As for the rest, good points. But I just think t was too much money for what I needed. I didn't want an appointment.
I've paid$200 once to fix a hognose with an impacted scent gland. I'm typically of th opinion "don't get the animal if you aren't prepared to provide vet care". I didn't think advice on treatment I had already decided on for a parasite I'd narrowed down to was worth the charge, so that I could pay for the opinion the snake had parasites, then have a test be recommended so I could be sold medicine I already had. Also she drives a corvet, d I paid for college too so that's no excuse, that's cost of living. And yes, I do think I'm just as smart as her training in this particular situation. A physical exam and fecal showed no tapeworm, a microscope shoed two parasite types..which was hard to tell which, but it was one of two, that would both be treated with the med I used. training there would have showed which specific parasite, but that it, and was a moot point as treatment was same. People complain aboutvet hsprices all of the time because they feel the animal isn't worth the monetary value "it was free" and whatnot. I didn't think that, I thought the runaround wasn't worth it. As with a lot of jobs, some gouge because they've cornered the market. You can't run a valued business by saying your high prices are to recoup your expensive education. There are thousands of people who take year to see a return on their college years of taking out too many loans. Animal stuff is pretty black and white..either people will pay because they'll pay whatever they're told their pet needs to survive, or its zero.
Good vet care truly is hard to come by. Unneeded charges are pretty easy. I enjoy my odds and ends. It's a zoo I'm happy to say is healthy and i'm not afraid to pay to take to the vet when needed. This wasn't needed.
Anyway, no vet knew specifics on burmation for garters. I was politely told to google. My mistake on that will be addressed this year.

[jaleely]

Ugh wish my phone would let me fix typos!!!

[joeysgreen]

Vets do make a living on practicing medicine; it's nothing to be ashamed of. Practicing medicine means doing things properly. The more corners you cut, the more you are putting the animals at risk.
Respiratory infections: this is our most common malady. Often times we are handicapped because the internet is full of advice and clients already have what they want; a quick fix with whatever antibiotic they fancy. Sometimes this is our preferred route, but in many cases additional diagnostics and treatment prove beneficial. To summarize, your veterinary team knows how to practice medicine. They do it every day.
Back to your fecal. I do reptile fecal's every day. Do you think that just because you have the same microscope that you are as good at doing a fecal analysis? I'll guarantee you that 3 of 4 fecals I"ll see what you've missed.
Then there is your difficulty in dispensing the medication that you already have. You have already done it wrong once, how much experimentation can your animal's stand while you learn to do it right? In short, you are practicing veterinary medicine without a license and it's only allowable due to the demands of the livestock industry that ensures many medications to be sold without prescription.
A vet needs a VCR or VCPR (vet/client/patient relationship) to first assess a need for an animal, to develop a treatment plan to prescribe a medication. If they don't have this, they put their license at stake. Would you risk your career because a client is to cheap to pay for an exam/consultation fee? It is your right to take that prescription and have it filled wherever you desire. Dispensing med's at the clinic is a convenience for clients that don't want to run elsewhere, and yes, it's smart business too. Not only is your vet a doctor, they are likely the business owner. Business owner's of all sorts generally drive a car nicer than you or I.
And costs are all relative. You fancy $200 is a lot to save a snake. I spent over $3500 on a tortoise surgery. I also work at an ER/Specialty Centre where invoices over 10K are common. Are we gauging pockets, or are we running CT scans, placing pacemakers, curing cancer and doing brain surgery?

[jaleely]

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