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Thread: Nematodes

  1. #1
    Greg M
    Guest

    Default Nematodes

    Hi everyone!

    I have had the large male Woodhouse's toad for about 2 and a half years. I hadn't noted anything obvious in the feces under a high-power dissecting microscope, although doubtless there are parasites. As an aside, I study nematodes - work with Caenorhabiditis elegans, and have some background in parasitology - so I had been monitoring the feces for signs of parasites. Anyway, I was looking at a fecal sample today, in part because I had fed the toad his first pinky mouse recently, and noted live nematodes in the sample - they looked like pinworms. I was wondering 1) can toads get parasitic worms from frozen/thawed pinky mice, and 2) could someone walk me through treatment (type of drug, dosage, frequency) or direct me to a good web-page? I have noted Panacur being used, either dusting crickets or given as a solution orally. Avermectin has also been suggested.

    Thank you and best wishes,
    Greg

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  3. #2
    hyla
    Guest

    Default Re: Nematodes

    I am going to say some parasite eggs could survive the freezing process in a feeder rodent. But not a cause for too much concern. I would be more concerned with not thawing it out completely or letting it thaw out too much and then bacteria starts to really grow. And as far as the dosage for parasite treatments it is on here somewhere, alternating with flagyl and panacur I believe .

  4. #3
    Eel Noob
    Guest

    Default Re: Nematodes

    Let us know how you do the treatment.

  5. #4
    Greg M
    Guest

    Default Re: Nematodes

    To follow up on my post, I talked to my local herp vet. He prescribed Panacur (Fenbendazole) administered orally at 50 mg/kg of body-weight. He suggested administering daily for 5 days, and then repeating in two weeks. Based on John's posts, as well as information from other sites, I felt this was excessive. Instead, I am treating once per week for three weeks. I was uncomfortable with administering the drug by dusting crickets - I was concerned about accurately dosing the animal. I decided to use a variation on a trick that I found in one of John's posts - injecting the drug into a food item and then feeding to the toad.

    So here's what I did:

    1. The toad weighs about 100 grams fasted for 4 days (he can weigh a lot more after a big meal).

    2. Suggested dose was 50 mg/kg body-weight, so toad needed 5 mg. The vet gave me a 50 mg/ml suspension of Fenbendazole, so toad needed 0.1 ml (or 100 ul).

    3. I injected 0.1 ml of well-shaken suspension into a medium-size Dubia roach (into the abdomen) and fed to very hungry toad.

    4. I am repeating 2x at weekly intervals. Fecals were clean after second treatment.

    Thanks to John and everyone who made suggestions!
    Last edited by Greg M; September 25th, 2010 at 09:28 AM.

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