Very sick female please help!!

[Bagel_mAn_(o)]

I purchased a female gecko two weeks ago at a reptile show and she had lost weight.She is barely drinking and eating and she seems dehydrated(although i spray two times everyday).Her movement has become more clumsy and a bit sluggish.From what ive read on the forums it sounds like she might have Entamoeba Invadens. I read that you Metronidazole over the counter and mix it with their food. Any suggestions on what to do and where to get help immediately would be much appreciated, i dont know if i can wait till next week for a vet to schedule me, she might not make it till than.:cry:

-Yasha

[Salzy]

If you called the vet right now, could they get you in? It's not a good idea to assume that it is Entamoeba invadens right off the bat and administer treatments yourself without the advice from a vet. Try to keep it hydrated as best as you can. Put it into a deli cup with moistened paper towels so it will maybe drink. Has it been defecating? If so, it must be eating something. But, if you haven't noticed any feces for a while, then I would for surely be concerned. Let us know what your housing setup is for it and it may help us out. But seriously, don't rely on us...call a vet ASAP. Hope it goes well...

[lesley]

Ditto, Salxy!! A vet is the way to go. Did you contact the seller for advice?? What kind of gecko and how is it set-up. Some "geckos" don't like to be sprayed but rather soaked. Just a word of adivice for new gecko buyers, a "healthy" gecko should be able to handle the normal stress of a show/purchase. They should settle into their new habitat within a week or two. An already unstable animal will go down-hill quickly and show signs of weight loss, soooooo always try to purchase from a reputable breeder that will tell you how to care for this critter and will tell you how to contact them if a problem does come up.

[Chicubswally]

Great advice so far. I would second the 'check for poop' statement. If they are pooping, they are eating.
Also, the gecko could be a bit sluggish if handled excessively as well. It is common for owners to handle their new pets too much initially. Minimize handling for now, keep misting, and feed every day. Check for poop!

[floydsmom]

put her in a deli cup with a really nice moist paper towel. that'll get a good poop out of her if she's eating, and it will help hydrate her. let her soak in about shoulder height luke warm water as well. both should hydrate and stimulate poo.

if the poop is really runny and gross, most likely a parasite. if the poop is well formed and normal looking, usually it's something else. but either way have a fecal done. with all the signs something is going on.

[Bagel_mAn_(o)]

Ok i took her to the vet and they treated her with flagyl and panacur, but my concern is that the vet said the flagyl treatments are done in a 2 week interval vs he neosclales article which said to treat every 48 hours 5 times and another treatement a month later.So now im worried that im not getting enough of a treatment.Any thoughts on why the vets treament regiment differs from neoscales? Also any Advice would be greatly appreciated.-Yasha

[crestiesx2]

Not sure. You could PM Dr. alan or Genevieve and ask. Neoscales may have had some different criteria or a slightly different situation that regulated the use of a different dose or treatment schedule.

[Gecko Mom]

Were you able to have a fecal done? What type of gecko is she? Different types may need a different regimen.

Nancy

[floydsmom]

also, they may be giving a stronger dose in fewer dosages. and also, as gecko mom said, it might not be exactly what you thought. and dosages go by weight, not by species, so it depends on how big she was.

[ominously]

You paid a vet to give you a treatment and diagnosis - they did and now you're questioning it based on what you've read.

The whole point is to follow the directions of a qualified veterinary doctor - not what you read. I can wirte you a treatment for liver disease, but without seeing a specific patient, it's as good as worthless.

Do not undermine the physician - this is what they went to school for and are trained to do. Too many people approach medicine in humans and animals agreeing with the doctors, but thinking they know a little something the doctor doesn't because they've read somewhere, or heard somewhere...

This is why there are super resistant strains of all kinds of bacteria now (MRSA, VRE etc.) If you know better and think you can do it, why take them to the vet in the first place? Because we said so?

Honestly, no two cases or situations are almost ever exactly alike; that you would follow the advice of an article (reliable or otherwise) over that of the vet that physically saw and assessed your animal would be absurd in my opinion. And before it gets brought up, yes, a vet/doctor can be wrong - this is where you assess the ability and experience of them before you bring your animals to them. If you have gone without that knowledge ahead of time, then you get what you paid for and no piece of mind to follow.

Just my thoughts.