Pacman Sick

[Paul Rust]

I have been talking to Greg Mertz DVM about this method. He says that by using this method, the frogs are not getting a proper dosage and this could lead to drug resistant parasites. He was going to write something up about it for me, but has yet to do it.

I agree with him 100% however, I have yet to see anyone take the position that benzimidazole class dewormers should not be used as a parasite control method, particularly when used in a 3 week rotation. In fact, research is starting to show the beginnings of ivermectin resistant worm strains. There has traditionally been a problem because there are no amphibian specific remedies, otherwise we wouldn't be modifying canine dosages for use on our frogs and I still cannot go into a pet shop and buy a box of amphibian "Worm Be Gone". I use and recommend this method because when I researched parasite control in amphibians I always ended up with two options, either dust the food or administer orally. Dusting is the most common recommendation and the easiest to do as a maintenance method but as you said, it is impossible to control dosage. This is known and that's why any time this method is recommended it states to dust for three consecutive feedings to minimize the risk of resistant parasites. The oral method would be the preferred method except that at a dosage of 25mg/kg it is extremely difficult for most hobbyists to get the correct dosage for a dart frog that weighs less than 3 grams, I have trouble and I have the proper equipment. Sure you can do the math but when you put it into practice you are literally trying to split a drop of medicine into such small parts that you wouldn't know if the animal actually received any at all, so again you are little better than guessing at dosage and probably overdosing. In the end you are still left with two options, do nothing and let your frog die or do something that has been proven to work even with the outside chance of resistant parasites. I do a fecal exam on all my enclosures every month to monitor parasites and always have a good outcome but I'm not so arrogant to think that a better way is not out there. If he can come up with a reliable prep and dosage that would give our animals the proper amount, that would be great and i would put it into use immediately but so far even the best amphibian husbandry manuals haven't solved this problem as far as I know. This really is too bad because other than stress, parasites are the most common problem we deal with and I would love to be able to throw a proven remedy out there when someone has this problem. Sorry for the long response but I have beat my head against a wall for a long time trying to find a better way, I hope Greg Mertz DVM can offer not a paper on drug resistance, but an alternative to the treatments that we use currently. Please don't take this response the wrong way, I am not defending the way I treat for parasites and wish a better way was available. I have a personal account where I have only lost 2 frogs in 10 years from parasites. Both deaths happenned while trying other methods. I lost an A.moreletii a few months ago while trying to treat it orally. I lost a Cobalt Tinc a few weeks ago trying the absorption through the back method. The Tinc death was the kicker for me because I quarantined him for treatment and dusted the flies for his tankmates, all the others survived. This months fecal exams for all my animals was normal, as usual.