Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
January 1, 2014
Common Reptile Drugs and Dosages
Warning: The provision of this information is for the use of wildlife rehabilitators working in conjunction with veterinarians, and for veterinarians abroad who may not have easy access to such information or to other vterinarians who are knowledgeable about reptile medicine. Herp owners are strongly encouraged to not self-treat their reptiles and amphibians without the guidance of a reptile vet. The increasing availability of over-the-counter products and some legend drugs does not mean that treating animals, including reptiles, is a straight-foward matter. There are many factors herp vets must take into consideration when deciding upon the course of treatment, drug to use, and dosage to give, factors the following document does not address. Failure to take those factors into consideration may lead to the death or permanent injury of the reptile.
Compiled by Melissa Kaplan
Unless otherwise noted, the doses below are from Mader (1996) and Frye (1993).
Note: All drugs are administered s.i.d. unless otherwise indicated.
Antibiotics
Calcium
Parasites
Protozoans
Turtles
Miscellaneous
*
From Mader
†
From Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 5th Edition
| Calcium | |||
| Type | Diagnosis | Dose | Comments |
| Calcitonin (Calcimar, Miacalcin) | Hypercalcemia | 1.5 U/kg SC tid | Need additional fluids for diuresis. May be lethal if given before Ca:P levels are normalized. |
| Secondary hyperparathyroidism | 50 U/kg IM once; rep in 2 wks if needed | ||
| Calcium glubionate (NeoCalglucon, Calci-Syrup, Sandoz | Mild MBD | 1 ml/kg PO bid | OTC in most states; can be ordered through pharmacies if not otherwise in stock. |
| Dystocia | 1 mg/kg PO bid up to 5 ml/d | Continue until eggs are laid; if not laid within 24 hrs, consider needle aspiration or surgical extraction. See Dystocia | |
| Calcium gluconate (various manufacturers) | Iguana: hypocalcemia | 100 mg/kg IM qid prn | . |
| Calcium lactate (Calphosan) | hypocalcemia | 250 mg/ig IV, IM bid | . |
* Ivermectin is administered in near-toxic doses to be effective, and must be repeated often 3 times to be as effective as the far less toxic fenbendazole. Merck, the maker of ivermectin, does not recommend its use in reptiles. Often fatal or nearly so to small, debilitated reptiles. May cause paralysis, blindness, etc. in larger reptiles. Its use is not recommended for lizards and snakes; it is nearly always fatal when used in turtles and tortoises. Ivermectin toxicity includes paralysis and blindness.
† From "Drug Dosage and Chemotherapeutics", by Lara Maxwell, DVM, in Biology, Husbandry and Medicine of the Green Iguana, E.R. Jacobson, DVM, ed.
‡ From VIN
ƒ From Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 5th edition
*Fenbendazole, commonly sold under the brand name "Panacur", is generally purchased by veterinary clinics in powdered form. The powder is mixed with fluid as needed for oral administration. Fenbendazole is also available in cream form sold in tubes for horses. The calculations for fenbendazole are as follows:
| Cream |
kg
bodyweight x 0.25 = cc per dose |
| Compounded liquid |
0.3-0.4
cc/lb. bodyweight per dose |
| Dosages
Specific To Turtles Franklin Gould, Journal of Wildlife Rehabilitation, 1998 |
|||
| Condition | Drug | Dosage | Comments |
| Parasites | |||
| Amoebiasis, Trichomoniasis | Metronidazole | 50 mg/kg PO; rep 2 wks | . |
| Coccidia | Sulfadimethoxine | 30 mg/kg PO d for 10 d | . |
| Tapeworms | Praziquantel | 5-8 mg/kg PO; rep in 2 wks | . |
| Roundworms, Hookworms, Lungworms, Heartworms | Fenbendazole | 40-50 mg/kg PO; rep 2 wks, 2-3 x | . |
|
Antibiotics |
|||
| Amikacin | 2.5 mg/kg every 72 hrs IM | up to 5 mg/kg for 48 hr with fluid support | |
| Amoxicillin | 10 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | w/aminoglycosides | |
| Ampicillin | 10 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | up to 20 mg/kg q d | |
| Baytril (enrofloxacin) |
5 mg/kg per d for 10 d SQ
|
up to 10 mg/kg q d up to 15 mg/kg for 72 hr in tortoises with URI After the initial injection by vet, the injectible may be given by mouth, increasing dose to 10 mg/kg per d for 10 day [K. Harkewicz VMD 2002] |
|
| Ceftriaxone | 50 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | . | |
| Chloramphenical | 50 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | . | |
| Gentamicin | 2.5 mg/kg every 72 hours IM | up to 10 mg/kg for 48 hr w/fluid support | |
| Tetracycline | 50 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | . | |
| Trimethoprim-Sulfa | 30 mg/kg per d for 7 d PO | . | |
| Tylocin | 5 mg/kg per d for 7 d SQ | . | |
| Anti-Viral | |||
| Acyclovir (Zovirax 5%) | Topical, applied daily | . | |
| Supplements | |||
| Vit A injectable | It is recommended that this be givin in doses of less than 2000 IU per injection due to potential toxicity | ||
| Cod Liver Oil | 1-2 drops twice per week added to food | . | |
*For slurry recipes, see Emaciation (Starvation) Protocol
