Leopard vs. Worm meds :(

Kasia

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I will start from today's score
1 for Leo and 0 for meds :(. Mine Ernie is just too strong. I was at the Vets today and got him 3 daily doses of deworming meds. For some time I have guessed that I will probably not be able to open his mouth and today I found out that it is almost impossible. Ernie is no fool, will not eat treats with even a smear of that med. I mean big red strawberry and cucumber... nothing, after giving him some on it he refuses to eat anything off my hand. After that I used force approach. Done it many times, but mostly on my Russian, Ernie yes.. but only when he was little... In comparison Russian is a piece of cake...It was a massacre. I managed to squeeze half of the dose in his mouth after 20 min struggle with a toothpick (not sharp). I have to say that I feel defeated because he was all red on the neck had swollen eyes and looked very poorly:(:(. I will greatly appreciate any tricks on how to open mouth of a stubborn Leopard. Thanks :)
 
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Markw84

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I will start from today's score
1 for Leo and 0 for meds :(. Mine Ernie is just too strong. I was at the Vets today and got him 3 daily doses of deworming meds. For some time I have guessed that I will probably not be able to open his mouth and today I found out that it is almost impossible. Ernie is no fool, will not eat treats with even a smear of that med. I mean big red strawberry and cucumber... nothing, after giving him some on it he refuses to eat anything off my hand. After that I used force approach. Done it many times, but mostly on my Russian, Ernie yes.. but only when he was little... In comparison Russian is a piece of cake...It was a massacre. I managed to squeeze half of the dose in his mouth after 20 min struggle with a toothpick (not sharp). I have to say that I feel defeated because he was all red on the neck had swollen eyes and looked very poorly:(:(. I will greatly appreciate any tricks on how to open mouth of a stubborn Leopard. Thanks :)
Just think about a large sulcata. There is no way. That is one of my loves for Mazuri. All my tortoises love it and I get them used to it as soon as possible even as hatchlings. I can put a drop of panacur in a small ball of moistened Mazuri and they still gobble it down. It doesn't absorb in and get overpowered by the smell of the food in any other treat I have tried. But has worked every time in MazurI.
 

MPRC

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I've used the edge of a credit card to pry before and then stuck the syringe in immediately, but it really is a 2 person job if you have someone available to help.
Also, I know it's a no-no, but desperate times have called for desperate measures in which case I have put meds on bread and then covered them with raspberry jam and rolled them up and had them go down without a fight.
 

Kasia

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Just think about a large sulcata. There is no way. That is one of my loves for Mazuri. All my tortoises love it and I get them used to it as soon as possible even as hatchlings. I can put a drop of panacur in a small ball of moistened Mazuri and they still gobble it down. It doesn't absorb in and get overpowered by the smell of the food in any other treat I have tried. But has worked every time in MazurI.
Unfortunately in Poland Mazuri is not popular and that's why it's hardly available. I never used it. :(
 

Kasia

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I've used the edge of a credit card to pry before and then stuck the syringe in immediately, but it really is a 2 person job if you have someone available to help.
Also, I know it's a no-no, but desperate times have called for desperate measures in which case I have put meds on bread and then covered them with raspberry jam and rolled them up and had them go down without a fight.
I will definitely try the credit card trick, it sounds better then my toothpick :). Thanks:)
 

Markw84

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Unfortunately in Poland Mazuri is not popular and that's why it's hardly available. I never used it. :(
Have you looked for NutraZu? It's the same stuff - just has to be sold under that brand in Europe. How about RepCal tortoise pellets? I happen to like that as well and so do all my tortoises. In fact, younger tortoises will take to that much more readily than Mazuri. Probably any pellet type product your tortoise likes would work. It will absorb the medicine and the smell they like overpowers the medication more than other food items.

I just don't like prying their mouth open if I don't have to!
 

Kasia

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Have you looked for NutraZu? It's the same stuff - just has to be sold under that brand in Europe. How about RepCal tortoise pellets? I happen to like that as well and so do all my tortoises. In fact, younger tortoises will take to that much more readily than Mazuri. Probably any pellet type product your tortoise likes would work. It will absorb the medicine and the smell they like overpowers the medication more than other food items.

I just don't like prying their mouth open if I don't have to!
We have Repashy brand but never seen/heard of the other two in Poland. There are certainly more turtle pellets available. I never feed any pellets. In Poland fresh food is very cheap (we have loads organic markets where weekly supply of greens for two torts will cost less then 2 dollars) so I never even considered buying ready made pellets.
I don't like the struggle either but this time is necessary:(
 

Tom

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I also use the "Mazuri method" for liquid oral meds, but I prefer to use pills or injectable whenever possible.
 

Kasia

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I also use the "Mazuri method" for liquid oral meds, but I prefer to use pills or injectable whenever possible.
I am very curious why aren't there any worm products that could be administered trough the cloaca, that will slowly dissolve and have good therapeutic effect (anatomical issues??). That would be the easiest way, I think only flagella medicine is available in injections.
 

Tom

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I am very curious why aren't there any worm products that could be administered trough the cloaca, that will slowly dissolve and have good therapeutic effect (anatomical issues??). That would be the easiest way, I think only flagella medicine is available in injections.

There are three ways to administer fluids to a tortoise. Orally, subQ (Under the skin with a needle), or through the cloaca.

At one time when I was nursing someone else's sick leopard tortoise back to health, we did subQ fluids while my vet friend was there and he left me a cannula and large syringe to do cloacal fluids. On day one, I slipped the canal right in, taking all the precautions that my vet friend had shown me, and I have no trouble. Day 2? No dice. No way no how! She clamped that back door shut and nothing was getting in there. Eventually we put in a feeding tube for meds and this allowed us to shoot in food, meds and fluids easily.

My point is that this is the reason we don't do cloacal medicine. If they don't want to let you in, it will be easier to open their mouth than it will to get into the cloaca.
 

Kasia

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Hi
I proudly announce today's score:)
Me 1, Leo big fat 0 :)
Mastercard works wonders. It took me 2 minutes and all went in his mouth, thank you all for the input!
 

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