# Sick beardie with Coccidia



## DaveyB (Sep 22, 2008)

My mates Beardie was sick and he had a fecal exam and the results came back with this. He has asked me what I know about it and to be honest, not a lot. I'm not even sure why the vet hasn't told him what to do - but I suppose you have only paid for a fecal exam, a little advice will be extra! I looked on the net and it doesn't really say what you should do. I've read what it is and what it does, but not found a 'cure'. The only thing I can find is keep your vivarium clean - that's a given! So what else can you do for a Beardie with this disease? Is there anything you can put on his food to help this along?

All advice welcome.
Thanks


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## Bosscat (Sep 1, 2008)

I was looking at the geckospot and came accross this:

'Coccidia are relatively common in reptilian species. In most species they can cause quite severe sickness and can be fatal in some (such as leopard geckos). However, they are a natural part of the intestinal flora of bearded dragons. In low numbers, in bearded dragons, they seem to cause no harm to the host reptile, however, if present in high numbers, they should be treated. If your bearded dragon is found to have a low number of coccidia, and treatment is not required, the numbers should still be monitored as any sort of stress, or a change in conditions, may let the parasitic load increase. The fact that coccidia are natural and cause no symptoms in one species yet can prove fatal to other species highlights the importance of good hygience practises. You should always wash your hands thoroughly in between dealing with different reptiles within your collection- and should not transfer decor (without a good wash) or uneaten food items between tanks.'


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## Bosscat (Sep 1, 2008)

So, treatment will depend on how bad he has it. It sounds like if its at low/normal levels they don't normally treat it


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## DaveyB (Sep 22, 2008)

He was ill enough to be taken to the vets......
It would appear we have read the same websites. I did find a product called AcidophiLiz which you add to their food and it kills the bacteria. It also kills the friendly bacteria which they need to digest food. But, this supplement also replaces the good bacteria it kills off. It was only available on American websites though and couldn't find it anywhere to buy in England. Maybe there is another version of it under a different name which you can buy in UK - if I find it, I shall post it


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

if it was in high numbers though - surely the vet should have recommended a course of treatment despite only paying for a fecal? I'm surprised they didnt as its all money to them - perhaps your friend should ring and double check with them if he isnt sure - what would they use to treat it out of curiosity ? antibiotics? wormer?


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## stuartdouglas (Mar 5, 2008)

Baycox.................get your vet to prescribe a course of Baycox. It's a downward spiral, if your beardie is unwell the coccidia will overtake the beneficial gut flors and you'll end up with Coccidiosis, which, if not halted will kill the animal.


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## emrawkgrrl (Sep 7, 2008)

My beardie had that when she was younger. The vet gave her some Metronidazole, that cleared it up. Have to be careful though as that also gets rid of the good bacteria in the gut.


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## DaveyB (Sep 22, 2008)

He is seeing the vet again at the beginning of next week for treatment. How much is a prescription from the vet these days? From what others have said about stuff they have used from a vet before, this stuff 'AcidophiLiz' does exactly the same but you can't buy it from an English site. I'm guessing it does the same stuff. Kills all the bacteria in the gut and replaces the good bacteria it has killed off.

At least my mate knows what's wrong with him now and is getting advice from a vet. Better than when people ask online for a diagnosis on their very sick pet......
I'll let you know what is prescribed, if anything. As there seems to be a complete lack of info on this disease on the net (just info on what it is, not how should go about treating it) - even though it seems to be quite a common problem


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## repti-mon (Aug 31, 2007)

our beardies had it in quite high numbers when we bought our female who brought it in. They do have it all the time in small numbers but in large numbers can be fatal! Thought we'd cleared it all up by daily cleaning of her tank using newspaper as substrate, using disposable furniture made out of card and throwing away every 2 days but she must have still had enough in her to infect our male after her quarantine.
Thay both fell ill after a few months and went off there food, so we admitted them to our vets to stay in for about a week having treatment which he said could make them worse and kill them or better and fix them, luckily it fixed them!!! There now doing better than ever, infact since then the male has started eating veg again which he hadn't for a long time! Cant rememeber the exact cost but it was alot! About £300 I think, £150 per beardie. Well worth it though!

Nick


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## Mimmyminx (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi

Just so you know, coccsidia isn't a bacterium so antibiotics won't help. It's a protozoan which is an entirely different organism. My 7 month old beardie was recently diagnosed with it and it can be passed onto humans so if you suspect it, get it treated.
It isn't normal to have protozoans in an animal's intestines unlike bacteria which is normal. Acidophilis is 'good' bacteria and can be bought from any health food shop but this won't do anything to get rid of the protozoan as it is a completely different organism. It's like comparing a plant to an animal.
You need the baycox as SD has already said below, but you definitely need to get rid of the protes. They are spore forming and so can be inhaled. Some strains can cause toxoplasmosis in humans which is often fatal.
Go back to the vets and ask for treatment before your beardie and/or you get sick.

Good luck
:notworthy:


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

The wee chap will indeed, as mentioned, need to go on a course or two of drugs to clear it.

The UK version of "Acidophiliz" is Avipro made by VetArk, works in the same sort of way, as a top up of good bacteria given at on his food for at least a week or two during and after treatment to try and bolster his natural gut fauna back to normal 

Livefood UK Ltd.

:2thumb:
Lotte***


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## uncivilised_dragon (Jul 2, 2009)

My eight month old Beardie just got diagnosed with Coccidiosis, the vet prescribed Baycox 2.5% Poultry which only cost AU$16.00 for 5ml, which more than covers three weeks of treatment. The lizard should be given the serum for two days then five days off, repeating this procedure for three weeks. 

The treatment should be on going as Coccidia spread through feces, so re-infection can easily occur if the lizard or even crickets walk through the feces before being ingested or the lizard licks its foot. Keeping the enclosure clean is most important. Newspaper is the recommended substrate as it can be easily changed. 

Even after the animal is declared cleared of the parasite, if any unusual behaviour occurs in the future, get the vet to look for Coccidia straight away. As small amounts could be present even after treatment and they can build up again. So just continue with a strict cleaning regime.
My vet said Coccidia can’t cross between species, so not from reptile to human. But naturally still wash your hands before and after handling any of your retiles. 

For more information about Coccidiosis this site is helpful
Coccidiosis


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