problems administering meds

[Lycanthrope]

im currently treating my savannah monitor for internal parasites. ive got Metronidazole suspension, with instructions to give it to him daily for seven days by mouth. problem is, he really doesnt like to take it, and he squirms alot. tonight he squirmed and the syringe moved, he got it in his airway real bad. it came out of his nose, and he kept gasping with his mouth open. after some assistance from me, i think hes got it all out, hes eaten and is basking. im worried about a future respiratory infection, but we will deal with that hand if it comes. my question is, have any of you worked with this medication, and if so, do you know if i could just inject a food item with it to avoid this situation in the future? it would be much easier, but for all i know this could weaken or negate the strength of the medicine. thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Crotalus]

I think you should follow the instructions you got. Ask a friend for assistance by holding the lizard while you give him the shot, and perhaps try to have a longer tube on the syringe.

/Lelle

 

[Lycanthrope]

yeah, Bridget has been helping me by holding him. with both of us holding him as firmly as possible withot causing injury he still manages to move quite a bit. surprisingly strong for his size (16"). he crushes anything i get in his mouth. at first i tried a q-tip to hold in there and keep it open, but he broke that. he smashed a wooden handle to the paintbrush i use on my t's too, to the point of closing his mouth almost completely. hes even caused some damage to the tip of the syringe. he really hates that medicine. im thinking some moderately gauged rubber tubing like that used in air pumps for aquarium might work. thanks for the idea.

 

[Lycanthrope]

well i dont know how im going to do these last 4 doses. tonight as soon as he saw the syringe he closed his eyes and held his mouth closed with all his might. it took me 45 minutes to get it open, gently prying with a q-tip. i knew monitors could be hard to work with, but damn. now he knows when its coming. on the upside, the meds are working. his apetite has picked up, and hes already put on some of the weight he lost.( even without the weight he lost he was plump.) i think tomorrow night ill try changing rooms and sneaking it up on him. maybe if hes not in the bathroom like all the other times i can catch him off guard. anybody know any secrets to get a stubborn monitor to open his mouth?

 

[MrT]

What do you feed these guys?
Maybe you can give the meds to it while its mouth is still open, as it eats.
I've heard of this for snakes.
Do they eat rodents?


Ernie

 

[Lycanthrope]

his diet primarily consists of lots of crickets, and a mouse twice weekly. problem is, while he swallows his mice in the same fashion a snake does, he does it much quicker and with alot of fast paced movements. if something is a tad too big he will just run it into the wall repeatedly until its down. i guess its just one of those situations that arises. i still havent found an easy way around it, but im halfway done with it so its almost over.

 

[MrT]

Originally posted by Lycanthrope


if something is a tad too big he will just run it into the wall repeatedly until its down.

Now that was funny!! ROTFLMAO =D

Good luck with Harvey Wall Banger

Ernie

 

[Lycanthrope]

it is quite entertaining to watch. lately he has taken to "slatting" his food too. he will grab ahold of a prekilled mouse and just shake it back and forth like a dog.

 

[Lycanthrope]

well Ernie, i decided to give your suggestion a try, and it worked. right when he grabbed his mouse by the head, i got the tube in the corner of his mouth, and to his throat. he paused for a moment, then swallowed everything without incedent. thanks.

 

[MrT]

Thats great!!

Post us a pic. of the head buster..

Ernie

 

[Lycanthrope]

yeah i am overdue to take a few pics. i think ill do just that tomorrow.

 

[Lycanthrope]

as promised, here are a few pics of Sal, just took them tonight. first up, begining his nightly expedition in the living room.

 

[Lycanthrope]

this is him considering making a dash underneath the lazy boy.

 

[Lycanthrope]

trotting along.

 

[Lycanthrope]

and finally, the best of four attempts at a profile...

 

[MrT]

Cool,
But, I thought his nose would be flatter.. LOL

How's he doing, health wise today?

E

 

[Lycanthrope]

back to eating like a pig, getting into things he shouldnt, and asserting his obvious superiority over anyone who tries to stop him. all in all, a perfectly healthy monitor.

 

[fatbloke]

Lycanthrope

the way i used to administor medicine to a large monitor was to either inject it into the food item or as you know they are stubborn when you try and open the mouth the way i got round getting him to open his mouth came from the vet and the way to do this i was told is to place your thumb and finger over their nostrols and within a minute or two they will open their mouths and ive never had any problems with adminastring the medicine using this method

fatbloke

 

[skinheaddave]

I have used the nose-covering method with some success. The problem I traditionaly had was that once I got the syringe in, she (old monitor) would clamp down on it. Once a monitor has something, it is there until it decides to let go -- amazing jaw pressure. Glad to hear things are going well, Lycanthrope.

Cheers,
Dave