That is a very strange thing for a vet to say as if it is no longer effective against worms then there is not a great deal of use in using it as a precaution!

__________________
Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

Sue,

I thought that too and his explanation was that Panacur is cheap and when treating 40 or 50 animals it was considerably more cost effective than using the more expensive injection and that in most cases it would work but not always. He did not say said Panacur would not kill all worms but he said some strains of worm had built up a resistance to it and that the new method was 100% effective every time therefore he preferred to use it when worms were confirmed to be present or where the animal showed definite signs of worm infestation.

Matt Brash is a well respected zoo and government vet who treats lots of exotics and appears to use the most advanced treatments available.

The tortoise trust advise that injectable wormers for torts are not a good idea. I do know of the thoughts around panacur not always being effective, Drontal is another option but as far as I know may not actually be licensed for use in torts so I would not use it myself without veterinary supervision unless I found it to be licensed for torts. Panacur also has an extremely high safety margin so it's worth knowing that even double the dose would not be likely to do any harm
Would you happen to know the generic name of the drug used as an injectable please?

__________________
Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

Sue,

I believe it was levamisole, which I know the tort trust have some doubts about re its effectiveness. He is due back at the vets tomorrow for a second shot and I will be discussing further. Interestingly when I checked a dropping yesterday there were no signs of any worms but there were still eggs present. I wonder whether this is normal and if they are dead and just clearing his system?

The more research I do the more Panacur sounds like the preferable option. Is it readily available over the counter or does it have to be prescribed by vets?

Regards.

Jon

I have heard of levamisole being injected I am interested in this as I have some large yellowfoots and tubing them can be difficult and dangerous for my fingers. I would never go against tt guidelines though as they have not let me down so far

Ahh that is not licensed for tortoises and can be quite dangerous in use. It's not the effectiveness that is in question.

__________________
Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

Not nearly so dangerous as injecting your torts

__________________
Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

okay but you know what I mean it is impossible to stomach tube an adult sulcata. I have known people that have had their fingers brocken by strong retracting heads.

There are obviously lots of opinions on this subject and vets opinions also seem to differ as I have spoken to a couple of others who treat torts and they all say something different about injections, although they all agree that Panacur is the safest treatment.

Anyhow I visited the vet again last night and explained my concerns re levamisole and the fact that live worms and eggs are still being passed and he agreed that panacur would be an option. After a little struggle we managed to stomach tube the first dose, he goes back for second dose on Tuesday and a further one on Friday. This dosing regime is not quite what I expected but it was straight out of an upto date zoological medical manual. Something definately worked as his first stool after this contained lots and lots of tiny pinworms visible to the naked eye (just).

fingers crossed that it works.

Thanks for all the advice.

Jon

The same goes for leopards, the spurs on the legs make it impossible to retract trapped fingers. The trick is to hold behind the head and let go if the strength becomes to much, then you have to admit a tortoise is much stronger than a human (vbg)

__________________
Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com