Vet says gapeworm, recommends unavailable treatment; options?

[timebider]

I have seen her drink but not very much, so I'm adding water to all of her food. Do you mean liquid Safeguard for goats? (Is there a liquid?) I called TSC and they said they didn't have it -- but to be fair, I did ask specifically about the Safeguard Aquasol for chickens. I also found Safeguard at Fleet Farm but it was a paste for tube-worming cattle. I'd love to get some from TSC and work out the conversion without having to call the vet back.

I'm in NE Wisconsin. I don't really mean to bash the vet, it's just that I'm used to vets pulling out all the stops to diagnose problems that are making animals seriously ill. It was a shock to encounter the attitude that chickens are throwaway animals and don't merit the same concern as more common pet species, especially from a vet. I guess I should have told her straight out that I don't share that belief. It just baffles me that she had poop right there she could have tested but she chose not to, even though she admitted she was treating for gapeworm because she didn't know what else could be wrong.

Just so thrilled and relieved that my girl is still here with us and seems like she'll recover.

 

[casportpony]

Safeguard AquaSol is hard to find and very expensive, so don't even think about that any more.

The difference between AquaSol and the others are:
A) 1 ml of AquaSol = 2 ml of the goat, cattle, dog/cat stuff.
B) AquaSol is truly water soluble, the others are not.
C) AquaSol smallest bottle is one liter - the goat liquid is 125 ml (1/4 liter)
D) AquaSol liter is ~$300. Liters of Safeguard and Panacur are much less.

Call Tractor Supply back and ask if they have Safeguard for goats.

-Kathy

 

[pennyJo1960]

I am so happy she seems to be on the road to recovery

 

[timebider]

Safeguard AquaSol is hard to find and very expensive, so don't even think about that any more.

The difference between AquaSol and the others are:
A) 1 ml of AquaSol = 2 ml of the goat, cattle, dog/cat stuff.
B) AquaSol is truly water soluble, the others are not.
C) AquaSol smallest bottle is one liter - the goat liquid is 125 ml (1/4 liter)
D) AquaSol liter is ~$300. Liters of Safeguard and Panacur are much less.

Call Tractor Supply back and ask if they have Safeguard for goats.

-Kathy

After seeming a lot better all morning, my girl is back to panting and occasionally gaping. She did drink a lot of water a little while ago and ate some yogurt with minced wheatgrass this morning but not much else. I called the vet's office and the staff said that she'd left conflicting information (what a shock). They debated among themselves and then told me to increase the Panacur to .11 mL per day. Does that dosage seem right to you, @casportpony ? I have more than enough in the bottle they gave me and if it's true that it's impossible to overdose hens on this drug, I definitely want to bomb her with it to give her the best chance at recovery. The vet is much closer to me than TSC, and the Panacur is only $8, so I'm inclined to stick with that—but if you think Safeguard is more effective than Panacur, I'll get some first thing tomorrow (which is the soonest I can make the trip). Thanks so much for your help and advice. Trying to calculate these dosages is making my math-illiterate head spin.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: 10% Panacur = 10 % Safeguard

Call the vet and ask "how many milligrams per ml is the Panacur". They should answer something like "100 milligrams per ml" (100 mg/ml).

If it's 100 mg/ml, then the amount they are having you give is still way under what I give mine.

-Kathy

-Kathy

 

[timebider]

@casportpony The bottle says "Panacur suspension 10%." What is the dose you would give at 10%? That's what I'll do. Thank you!!

 

[casportpony]

@casportpony The bottle says "Panacur suspension 10%." What is the dose you would give at 10%? That's what I'll do. Thank you!!

10% = 100 mg/ml. Your bottle is the same stuff as mine. How many ml's are in your bottle?

-Kathy

 

[mg15]

I wonder if she has an infection ? Baytril would help.
I am sure the vet did not take an X-Ray. that would show if
she has egg peritonitis causing infection. the vet would be able
to see any misplaced eggs in the abdomen.
mg

 

[timebider]

@casportpony -- at least 30 mLs I'm sure, probably more, but I'm not home yet so I can't look. So I could give that large a dose today and get a bottle of Safeguard tomorrow.

 

[casportpony]

@casportpony -- at least 30 mLs I'm sure, probably more, but I'm not home yet so I can't look. So I could give that large a dose today and get a bottle of Safeguard tomorrow.

With 30 ml's there is no need to buy another bottle.

-Kathy