Assar Manuswin wrote:
> Lyle,
>
> I give these advices for the sake of the animal. There are many hobbyists
> that choose not to go to a vet out of economical reasons (yes, I realize
> this is wrong), or maybe (as here in Sweden) it is hard to get hold of a
> good reptile vet. In a case like that I give these kind of advices, to at
> least give the animals a chance to survive.
This is the short sighted view. Every net vet says the same thing - but it
doesn't wash in the real world.
Consider the following: A person imports 30 gex. Shotguns them according to
your advise. They survive the treatment but are not parasite free. They are
however, sold as such to the next guy. He adds them to his collection and
within months begins to lose animals to the parasites that his recent
acquisitions bring into the collection. As you can see - it is entirely
possible to do more harm in the long run with advise such as this.
> And what I mean by giving the
> animal a "none accurate" dose is that it's OK to give a slightly higher dose
> of fenbendazole than giving a too small dose, considering that studies have
> shown that fenbendazole is almost harmless for most reptiles, even in huge
> overdoses.
Y'know - we used to say that about panacur and birds. Talk to the Columbiformes
people and they will tell you some sad stories. Also - use that paste and you
will likely be more than slightly overdosing.
Here's another story for you. On the old cham list someone said that Ivermectin
was toxic to certain Chams. Mmmm I thought - used carefully the drug has been
used in many many cham species. I wonder why these are special? Well it turns
out that he gave a smidgeon from the horse paste version. thinking - they are
so small - I'll only give a little. Guess what - he was giving 40 times the
high end of the dose. These pastes can be very very difficult to measure in
smaller animals. Different preparations around the world have different
concentrations - making international dosing reccomendations complicated. See
how complicated this gets - and all we want to do is medicate a few gex.
What's my point - simply that it it not a simple matter and use of these meds
has consequences for the animal and the animals it may be exposed to in the
future.
> Fenbendazole treats *almost* any kind of worm, and therfore I
> think it's unnecessary to seek a vet if you know how to treat it.
LOL - I am sorry - but you are missing some of the major principles of
veterinary medicine - both form an individual animal and heard health
standpoint. In this particular instance you do not know what you are even
treating.
> Let me repeat that this is NOT my own speculations, and that these advices
> are developed from expierience, and through veterinairian advices.
> What I do fail to understand is how I can be held responsible for giving
> "wrong" advices of how to treat reptiles for worms. I only give those
> advices that, according to me and the vets, work fine. And if the person
> that uses them interprets them, or uses them, wrong then is it my fault??
> Also if a certified veterinairian gives a person one piece of advice, and
> the person does wrong, is it the vet's fault??
In many instances yes. Particularly if that advice was incomplete and failed to
identify potential problems or consequences. That is why we insist on meeting
the client, understanding their collection and the dynamics of said collection,
and assuring ourselves that the people understand our advise, and then document
such. We don't do this simply because we think its a kick to drag people and
their geckos into the office, nor because we simple are afraid of litigation -
we do this because it gives the best results most frequently.
There is more to the job than knowing the right answer - it is conveying the
info in a way that the owner can do the appropriate things at the appropriate
times.
Aside from legal responsibility - there is an ethical concern here. This is not
a game, and medical advice, when inappropriate can kill. If you ahve not
c0onsidered all the angles, then the best advice is to contact someone who will
I do not mean to flame - but it is important that you understand the
consequences of giving such advise over the internet. I do think you have the
animals best interest at heart - I would hope that you might consider some of
these points when you next decide what the best way to help.
Keith
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