Ruggero-

You've brought up some very important questions, and I hope I can answer them sufficiently.

1) Should all new animals always be dewormed before entering a collection? 

A: All animals should be checked for worms, protozoal parasites and ALL other parasites before entering a collection.  I am a big supporter of quarantine times for new additions, and there are great guidelines to follow from the AZA.  Ideally, all animals should have fecal floats, direct smears, acid-fast tests, gram stains and crypto IFA's.  Additionally, all tests should be repeated three times one week apart to compensate for intermittent shedding.  Then, and only then, should treatment be given to the identified parasites, if possible.

Realistically, this can't be done, but you should do at least a fecal float, a smear, and a dif-quick stain.  This trio is easily done and cheap.  No single test can identify all common parasites.

2) Should Panacur be dosed to all reptiles for all parasites?

A:  Goodness, NO!  Panacur does kill a number of parasites, but not all, by far.  In fact, it doesn't even kill all worms.  Anyone who tells you this needs to do some more reading.  Besides that, even dosed at the appropriate level, Panacur can cause irreversible aplastic anemia (total and complete shutdown of the bone marrow), kidney failure, and neurological damage.  Does this mean that it shouldn't be used?  No.  It means that it needs to be used appropriately and when indicated by parasite load.

3) Does a negative fecal float mean that there are no parasites?

A:  No.  As I stated above, no single test can detect all parasites.  In fact, a single negative float doesn't even mean that there aren't roundworms, the most common worm identified on a float.  What it does mean is that there are no worms or worm eggs being shed AT THAT TIME by the animal.  This can mean that they aren't adults yet and thus not producing eggs, that there aren't enough to shed, or just aren't shedding.  Many parasites shed in response to diet, stress, temperature or just in a systemic cycle.  Hence the "three times one week apart" I mention above for best results. 

4) If an animal DOES have worms, should it promptly be treated with a parasiticide?

A:  Unfortunately, no.  Especially with lungworms, flukes, migratory cercaria and others, treating aggressively for parasites will usually kill the animal, too.  This is because the parasites are not in the GI tract and can be passed quickly when they die.  If the parasites die elsewhere in the body, the body of the parasite begins to rot and the host animal can't clean it up and remove it quickly enough, thus turning into septic shock and killing the host, as well.  

Also, remember that different parasites may require different protocols of the same drug to treat appropriately.  For example, one type of protozoal parasite I use a treatment of 10 days of drug x, while for a different parasite I still use drug x, but for 7 days, then a week off, and then 3 more days of treatment.  Treatments must be tailored for the individual life cycles of the parasites to be effective.

Thus, the moral of the story is: Know what you are treating, treat with the best medicine and proper technique, and you'll have the healthiest animals.  And always follow quarantine!!


Good luck, and Happy Herping.