Medical care

this information is intended to be advice and experience only. vet visits are extremely important.

 this information is not provided as an alternative to a vet visit. it is provided to help while at the vet visit

Giardia, Coccidia, Pinworms, Protozoan, Flagellates

  -Parasites:

In healthy reptiles these parasites are common. a reptile can live a completely healthy happy life while caring these parasites. the problem is that in captivity and times of stress these parasites can turn deadly, fast. I have had a few issues with parasites in the past. Each reptile who suffered from parasites were reptiles i had purchased online. Since i have had issues in the past, i saved up to purchase a microscope that i can use to preform fecal on any reptile i think might have issues. I also purchased a book called Understanding Reptile Parasites which has been extremely helpful. this book lists dosing as well as symptoms and other treatment that may be done. This book helped me identify and CURE a very serious issue that was going on in my house, Giardia. Giardia is not common at all in reptiles that are captive born and raised. Giardia how ever can be found in streams, creeks, lakes, and ponds. If you purchase an imported reptile this may be a concern. I lost Zoolou, a 1 year old male Pure ausie to Giardia, when i received him he already had bloody stool, green liquid stool, sunken in eyes, his body was pale in color and his head was dark in color. over all frill dragons show dark coloration or light coloration when happy or sulking or basking. but when they show a dark head and light body it may very well mean that they are sick or extremely stressed. Zoolou arrived very sick, and weak. with in one week he had passed. i spent over 350$ in vet bills trying to save his life. Unfortunately there is a point of no return. His necropsy (biopsy) showed he had sevear kidney failure as well as liver damage. He was so sick, when i did fecal checks on him all i could see were bacteria in his fecal. at that point nothing could have been done for zoolou, his digestive track shut down and he became impacted. his whole body shut down and he passed away in my hands. i know this sounds like he might have had other issues going on too, but the main cause for the dominoes to fall, was giardia. it infected his gut which became inflamed, the inflammation became sores in his stomach, which caused other 2ndary infections so on and so forth. parasites dont really "kill" its the damage they can do inside the system, that will kill. Other parasites are just as dangerous as giardia if they get out of hand. fecal exams should be done 1-4 times a year on captive reptiles

   -Treatment should be prescribed by your vet. unfortunately not all vets are trustworthy and dont often see reptiles. listed here are common medications and their usage, this is not vet advice. i am not a vet.

Ponasirul:

 a very safe drug used to successfully kill and cure reptiles of coccidia.

 proven cure for coccidia if environment is cleaned and sterilized as well. steamers are great non toxic ways to kill microbes. usually given in 20-60mg/kl PO, seek vet for proper dosing, do not attempt to dose this medication yourself. some treatments are once a day for 15-28 days, some treatments are once a week some treatments are 3 days on 7 days. must seek vet for best treatment for your reptile. no dehydration or loss of apatite reported with this medication

Flagyl :

for giardia, flagellates, protozoan (things that move under microscope)flagyl can also be given for coccidia treatment but results very

Flagyl is a safe drug when dose is given at the correct dosage(20-50mg/kg never use more then 50mg/kl), it is an antibiotic so you must complete full course

Always follow flagyl with Beni-Bac for birds and reptiles. give every other day for 2 weeks to replace what was lost

Panicur :

 for pinworms, hook worms and other worm like critters

panicure is safe when given in correct dose once, then repeat in 2 weeks.

Always follow up with Beni-Bac for birds and reptiles, give every other day for 2 weeks to replace what was lost

Reptaid:

a herbal supplement, it contains herbal antibiotics as well as herbal energy supplement,

it may be used to help increase appetite in newly purchased reptiles but also may cause dehydration, it claims

to be a cure all for coccidia and flagylates but it does not, it is an immune system boost that may help reduce parasites.

Bene-bac:

 for bird and reptile will help maintain a natural balance in your reptiles digestive track.

Use once every other day for 2 weeks, may be smeared onto a feeder bug and tong fed, has a nice sweat taste.

follow up antibiotics with this supplement to help restore natural gut flora lost while treating with antibiotic. antibiotics knock out good bacteria as well as bad bacteria so use bene-bac to replace what was lost. will also help restore lost apatite due to stress.

Baytril:

 strong antibiotic that may be given with other medications listed above. a "shot gun" type antibiotic vets use as a "cure all"

baytril may do more harm then good, it is an aggressive broad spectrum antibiotic. its wise to try reptaid first, baytril may cause loss of appetite and dehydration,

if your reptile is sick enough to require baytril then blood work should be done before use to find out whats really going on.

Ceftazidime:

A very effective injection antibiotic that has very low risks of dehydration and very good results. It is rather expensive to purchase

(about $88) but it is extremely effective at treating sepsis and other infections. It is preferred over baytril since baytril causes dehydration

and loss of apatite as well as other side effects. recomend blood test to help identify illness in reptiles needing this medication.

Metoclopramide:

a digestive stimulant used to prevent or aid in passing impaction due to mild dehydration or medications. very safe if used in low dose.

very effective in aiding reptiles pass stool comfortably. i have used it just a few times with absolutely no complications in reptiles who were 3-5 days constipated.

produced bowl movement with in 24-48 hours after first dose, no straining noted when passing fecal.

for supplies to preform your own fecal test please visit http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Reptilestore.html

Damaged frill, Damaged snout, Broken bones

   -damaged frill is a very common issue. upper pieces of the frill may become dry, brittle, die and fall off. The cause of this seems to be basking lamps. frilled dragons should have a body temp of about 97 degrees. this means that their enclosure should be no cooler then 80 degrees, ambient average temp should be 85-90, and their basking area should be 100-110 with a PEAK basking spot of 120. i use an INFA-RED temp gun to set up each of my enclosures to ensure this. if the enclosure is to cool, your frilled dragon  will spend to much time under the basking light and literally cook its frill to the point that parts of it will die and break off. please visit Frilled Dragon Care for more info or Lighting for "how-2". another reason for frill damage would be roommates. if your frilled dragon is housed with more then one frilled dragon their clawes could cut eachothers frill causing infection, fungal issues or just small holes.

Treatment:

i use Zylafen which is basically just Tea Tree oil. tea tree oil has natural enzymes to treat and combat fungal problems and combat and prevent infection

i mix zylafen with neosporin to make it stick to the effected area better. zylefen can be used to help shedding issues and other skin problems

    -Snout damage or beginning stages of mouth rot is not common in frilled dragons. they dont often ram their face into the glass of the enclosure like iguanas and water dragons do. they do how ever do this with screen enclosures. my frilled dragons constantly rub their nose on my outdoor sunning screen enclosure. i use "Pet Screen" which is a soft plastic coated screen to avoid issues. some frilled dragons will at some point get snout damage. the best thing to do would be to eliminate the cause. if they just nose rub glass all day then you must attempt covering the front of the enclosure. after a few weeks hopefully they will stop. if they do not stop nose rubbing you may want to try to place items infront of the glass so they can not get to it. if they STILL nose rub i would attempt building an enclosure listed on my "building basics" page

Treatment:

i use Zylafen which is basically just Tea Tree oil. tea tree oil has natural enzymes to treat and combat fungal problems and combat and prevent infection

zylafen can be used on and around the mouth area, it can be ingested and wont make your reptile sick.

     -broken bones can happen. and when they do, there is no need to freak out. if the break is in a rear leg, you can start by removing all branches from the enclosure. you may use 2 band aids and a Popsicle stick to splint the leg but this sometimes becomes award and makes it even more difficult for the frilled dragon to walk around.when a broken bone is on the rear legs its best to keep the reptile happy, dont change to much other then removing climbing branches. antibiotics are almost NEVER used in a broken bone. the area will be swolen for 1-2 weeks but swelling will go down and bone will heal. defects may be visible after the bone heals but the reptile should be able to function normally. bones take 1-2 months to completely heal. if the broken bone is on the front legs this is a bit different. frilled dragons use their front legs to hold their body up and move around. a splint would be a MUST. i have not encountered a broken bone on the front leg but i recommend bringing the reptile into the vet and getting it wrapped in a cast. water bowl may need to be removed and you may have to offer water only by using a syringe for a few weeks for broken bones on the front legs.