I bought a routine stool sample to my vet yesterday, and the results came back that my 4 month old beardie has Coccidia. He seems to be healthy and eating/pooping ok. The vet said unless he starts to have diarrhea, he would not need to be treated. Would this parasite go away on its own? Is it going to cause any long term side effects/damage to my baby? The only thing I notice is that his poop smells AWFUL (which I think is normal for beardies).
Coccidia is actually a normal flora protozoan species in bearded dragons, but it is also a very opportunistic pathogen. If the dragon's immune system becomes suppressed in any way (typically from stress) or he accidentally ingests more than the body can handle (food or surfaces coming into contact with feces) it can cause an infection. Some coccidia infections can be treated no medications by the immune system with a very sanitary environment, others generally reguire a sulfa based drug like Albon... being a protozoan makes it much more difficult to kill than some bacterial infections. Is the beardie still eating and behaving normally? Or is there a decrease in appetite and lethargy? My first recommendation, regardless of the severirty of the infection, is to switch the substrate/bedding to paper towel. Change the bedding daily, and after every bowel movement thoroughly sanitize. The best disinfectant for the job is probably chlorhexidine (frequently sold as Nolvasan). Coccidia is extremely resilient and difficult to kill with basic disinfectants and it is also resistant to Triclosan in most soaps... you could try 70% ethanol in a pinch...just rinse with water and do not allow the dragon to come into contact until the fumes and residue have dissipated. I'm not sure it would be all that effective, but if supplies are limited its worth a shot! The second recommendation I have is to get a quality probiotic, and I would order it now. There is a product called Acidophiliz+ by Pet Authority that can be purchased from a variety of sites such as http://reptilesupply.com . It contains live cultures of lactobaccilus acidophilus that will help to stimulate appetite and compete with the pathogenic species for resources and space in the gut. It is also a life safer if you must use drugs to fight the infection, as it replenishes the good flora that are annihilated by the sulfa drugs. It was a life saver for my dragon when he had pinworms... and you can use much more than the dosing suggests. This product is pretty inexpensive, and works much better than probiotics typically prescribed by a vet (such as benebac) due to the presence of live cultures. Overall, keep things VERY clean and sanitary. Thats the biggest thing. Hydration and low stress is also very important. If the dragon does not improve shortly, bring another fecal sample in and get the proper meds. Make sure the vet is reliable - I actually had one mistaken a pinworm egg for coccidea...which is pretty embarassing really considering the size difference under a microscope.
Here are a couple of additional articles we have on Coccidia: http://www.reptilerooms.com/index.php?categoryid=23&p142_id=151&p142_dis=3&p142_template=Simple http://www.reptilerooms.com/index.php?categoryid=23&p142_id=149&p142_dis=3&p142_template=Simple
Skechers appetite is still real good. He/she is eating quite well. Activity level is pretty good. The only thing that worries me is the awful smell of his poop, and he can go A LOT (usually once a day, but seems like a lot for a little guy). I actually "trained" him to poop on a piece of cut up wee-wee pad (like the dogs use). This way, all I have to do is remove the pad and throw it out, and put a clean one in. As for substrate I use the "biodegradable" tank liner. I have 2 pads...when I change/clean the tank I take the used one and use an organic cleaner for reptile enclosures (Fluker's makes it) and scrub the pad and rinse it with hot water and hang it to dry. Same with the cricket keeper...I buy 100 max at a time, and each time before I buy new crickets, I clean and disinfect the keeper, water (I use the calcium gel stuff) and food dish, and ALWAYS put in clean egg crate. I am hoping the infection does go away on its own. The vet I go to is good (the stool samples do get sent out to a lab though. Her worry about treating the beardie if he is not having diarrhea or other symptoms is the meds making him sick, and there have been reports of the meds causing a yellow fungal rash too.
The smell of the poop is pretty subjective, so it is hard to say if something overly unusual is going on. Diarrhea, unusual looking feces...and most importantly lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss are the most important indicators of a parasitic infection. Honestly - if the dragon is still behaving normally and isn't losing weight or slowing down, it is probably something that will be overcome by the immune system. Just keep him hydrated, very clean, and stress-free and he can probably fight it off on his own. That being said: at the first sign of illness, I would begin looking into the options I recommended earlier; such as the probiotic and another fecal examination/vet visit. Because this species of pathogen is frequently found at normal levels in the bearded dragon, it is possible that the lab picked up a few coccidia oocysts that were normally being passed, but they may not be at an elevated level to have too much concern. Trust me, you will know if your dragon has a severe infection... they often hide, sleep, and look miserable throughout the entire day with no interest in food or any activity, and weight loss begins. It sounds like you are doing everything just right, so keep us posted and just keep a close eye on him. From what you describe, I'd say it isn't a full fledged infection and may have just been traces of normal oocysts being passed, but that doesn't mean it isn't the start of an infection so just be vigilent.
