mouth discharge, the bad kind.....

[MizM]

Nothing like a jinx thread!

Came home tonight to find white goo on my 3" parahybana's mouth!! I HATE THESE DAMN THINGS!!!! (I usually don't hate, and rarely cuss, but I'm mad!!!) Some wonderful, kind, sweet, caring, amazing people had sent me some Cipro when my schmidti had them, so I chopped some up and put it in water and paintbrushed it on her mouth and anus. Strange, she ate an extra large cricket last night, if the goo was nematodes, she shouldn't have any appetite.
Drat, drat, drat, drat!!!!

If the Cipro cures her, I owe my friends a lifetime debt of gratitude! I will be their slave for life! I will do their laundry, wash their dishes, vaccum their house, wash their cars....=D

 

[bodisky]

Originally posted by xanderTluv
Yes they are present in soil and other organic materials. But these are most likely free-living nematodes and are not harmful. I just found some about 3 weeks ago in one of the water dihes. I immediately sent Chip a PM to clarify, and he agreed that they are most likely free-living! I just cleaned the water dish and took no further action!

Yes, that could very well be. Not all nematodes are baddies. Keep in mind however that nematode afflicted T's rinse their mouths frequently in their water dish. In fact examining the drinking water has become part of our normal diagnostic testing routine.
For instance the T I am treating now has worms present around her mouth (but are less in number now) and the same worms are also in her water. Interestingly, this T is being kept drier than normal and only on vermiculite. (I only use that anyway) I believe that is helping her.
Sometimes humidity is over-rated.
Kerry
RIESM

 

[bodisky]

Originally posted by MizM
Great job Rhys! Take note Arachnofriends, when you have mysterious T deaths, DON'T TOSS THE BODIES!! PM bodisky right away and donate them to research!!

Re: Injections
Ahhh, good thought about a hobbyist friendly cure! My mom is diabetic, so I have needles readily available, and am proficient in giving injections. My thoughts on injecting the T would be JUST UNDER the skin of the opisthoma. Of course I'm SURE I could do it correctly, but if I had to do it to one of my beloved Ts.... YEAH RIGHT! I was under the impression that the entire system was affected with bqacteria when there was a nematode infestation. Does it seems to be isolated to the digestive tract?

Yes, I did get your e-mai, would love ALL of the pictures. I want to share them with my vet!!

KERRY - THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDYING PATIENCE WITH ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS AND FOR UNDERTAKING THE ENORMOUS TASK OF TRYING TO FIND A CURE FOR 'TODES!! YOU HAVE MY LIFETIME GRATITUDE!!!

Terri,
I thank you for the kind words and your enthusiasm! Keep that light turned on!
Its not just me, we have several other labs and professionals donating their time and expertise.
What I learn I share. I dont get into any games or me firsts that seem to plaque the science world. Cant speak for my other associates though. I finance my lab myself. I dont need or have to fight for grant money. Although donations would be nice for poor Larry! Bacterial ID is very expensive.
I'll bet you could give a T an injection with your experience. Better than me I'll bet. My left arm and fingers still do not work right!
As for your question re: the digestive tract. I have found worms in and around the chelicera, mouth, digestive system, anus and around the booklungs inside the abdomen.
Gotta run, still waiting for that foal. I will get the pics out to you. Let me know if you or your vet have any questions. Dont forget to tell her most of the pics were taken using a polarized light scope.
Kerry
RIESM

 

[xanderTluv]

bodisky,
Can a T lose its ability to open it fangs long before any sight of nematode infestation? I have a A. metallica. I just tried to feed her a roach, well she just played with it with her palps. Kind of like she couldn't use her fangs! She has got me worried. Not to mention she is very slow moving, kind of lethargic!

 

[Aviculariinae]

A bit late for me i loss 3 ts to what now seems like these flies,i had a huge infestation of them i opened the jar to one of my taps and about 20 flies flew out,then in my other taps jar i managed to capture the flies in side! they multiplied at a massive rate and lived in there for about 10 days before they eventually died off! They seem to come from dead crickets,ive had a box of crix's that i left in the sun over a weekend,and you should have seem the amount of flies that was inside!

I still have a few in one cage but i think im getting it under control,drying out seems to work well! I think in may do this aswell after paddy's day!

 

[bodisky]

Originally posted by xanderTluv
bodisky,
Can a T lose its ability to open it fangs long before any sight of nematode infestation? I have a A. metallica. I just tried to feed her a roach, well she just played with it with her palps. Kind of like she couldn't use her fangs! She has got me worried. Not to mention she is very slow moving, kind of lethargic!

Hi!
IME noticing the the lock down or the white crud first is a toss up. Equal frequency. Others may have different experiences.
If you are able to handle her go ahead and look at her mouth and chelicera. You can take a toothpick to gently pry or touch. Look between the chelicera and the fang. If you get any "goo" you can put it on a clear surface dilute with water or normal saline and examine with a magnifying glass. IF there are nematodes you may be able to see them. BIG IF here, this may not be a problem with her at all.
Also, you can go to an auto supply or electrical supply store and purchase a telescoping rod with a mirror on the end. Not expensive at all, a few bucks. They are good for looking under T's and other hard to get a places without much upset.
Kerry
RIESM

 

[MizM]

Kerry, thanks for taking the time to answer all of our probing questions!! Seems your MARE is taking her time too!! We'd love to see pic of the foal... when it gets here!!

About Larry, would he accept cash donations? Are there other ways that the cash-poor enthusiasts could help? Please, let us know what WE can DO to help YOU. As you can see by the length of this thread, nematode destruction is important to ALL OF US!!

 

[bodisky]

Originally posted by MizM
Kerry, thanks for taking the time to answer all of our probing questions!! Seems your MARE is taking her time too!! We'd love to see pic of the foal... when it gets here!!

About Larry, would he accept cash donations? Are there other ways that the cash-poor enthusiasts could help? Please, let us know what WE can DO to help YOU. As you can see by the length of this thread, nematode destruction is important to ALL OF US!!

Hi!
Between my girlfriend's horses and ours we have a total of six mares we are waiting on. I dont even know what day it is I am so beat!
We happily take cash donations but I would rather see Larry take them than me. He recently spent around 3 grand to get a system that would make bacterial ID so much faster. Thats real important when time is your enemy. He purchased that for the institute and for us hobbyists. I think his address is in the sticky. So is his email I think. He has had surgery recently and his recovery is a bit slow so lets all wish him well shall we?
I understand cash-poor thats for sure. I keep thinking I need a part-time job but I dont have the time!!! In these times its hard to come up with cash donations. But really though, all I am asking for is donations of sick, dead or dying T's. They get the best of care and are euthanized with care when it is time. We also need normal death T's as these are used for normal tissue sectioning. As I mentioned before we need to see what is normal before we can even guess at the abnormal.
I no longer do normal death dissections but there are other volunteer labs that do. Everything still goes through me and I send them out. I am concentrating exclusively on abnormal sick, dead and dying T's.
Yes, when we get to talking nematodes the list always gets long! There are many hobyists out there who really care. Thank god for that.
Kerry
RIESM