# Got a fecal examination...Hookworms



## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

sent in a few fecals to dr frye and they called saying it was the most hookworms they have ever seen in a single examination. My girlfriend was on the phone with them since she had already done the credit card over the phone to pay. They were telling her what to do to and talking to her about the medicine and everything but one thing hit me the wrong way. They said to do the 10:1 water/bleach ratio and to spray their paper towels down with them. that it would kill the hookworms. Im no expert but every time i read about bleaching to clean i hear RINSE RINSE RINSE. but in this case they said to leave it in there? I called back to see if she may of misunderstood because i wanted to be DEFINITELY POSITIVE before i put my frogs anywhere near bleach. She said the lady that my girlfriend talked to is out for lunch and i could email Dr Frye. I have emailed him and Im still waiting on a response. I just wanted some opinions. maybe my girlfriend misunderstood? maybe it wont hurt the frogs? i had a dog that had heart worms and they gave him cyanide to kill the heart worms which almost killed him but did kill the heart worms in the process. so im not sure...

also. i have a potted pothos in there. and a piece of driftwood. im thinking of throwing them both away. maybe bleaching them and putting them in the trashcan so i dont pass the disease around. unless yall think otherwise? it would be no problem for me to buy a fresh piece of driftwood once all the hookworms are gone and put it in the viv. same goes for the plant. 

vet said we will have to treat them for months. even treat them after they show no signs of hookworms because they can show up a few fecals later. so after all is said and done can i get rid of all of them?


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## tachikoma (Apr 16, 2009)

I would wait for the lady your girlfriend spoke with to return from lunch. I just can't see having them sit on a bleach soaked substrate as a good idea. I could be wrong but that's definitely worth waiting to speak to the lady again first. 

What kind of frogs do you have btw?


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## mantisdragon91 (Jun 2, 2010)

mrzoggs said:


> sent in a few fecals to dr frye and they called saying it was the most hookworms they have ever seen in a single examination. My girlfriend was on the phone with them since she had already done the credit card over the phone to pay. They were telling her what to do to and talking to her about the medicine and everything but one thing hit me the wrong way. They said to do the 10:1 water/bleach ratio and to spray their paper towels down with them. that it would kill the hookworms. Im no expert but every time i read about bleaching to clean i hear RINSE RINSE RINSE. but in this case they said to leave it in there? I called back to see if she may of misunderstood because i wanted to be DEFINITELY POSITIVE before i put my frogs anywhere near bleach. She said the lady that my girlfriend talked to is out for lunch and i could email Dr Frye. I have emailed him and Im still waiting on a response. I just wanted some opinions. maybe my girlfriend misunderstood? maybe it wont hurt the frogs? i had a dog that had heart worms and they gave him cyanide to kill the heart worms which almost killed him but did kill the heart worms in the process. so im not sure...
> 
> also. i have a potted pothos in there. and a piece of driftwood. im thinking of throwing them both away. maybe bleaching them and putting them in the trashcan so i dont pass the disease around. unless yall think otherwise? it would be no problem for me to buy a fresh piece of driftwood once all the hookworms are gone and put it in the viv. same goes for the plant.
> 
> vet said we will have to treat them for months. even treat them after they show no signs of hookworms because they can show up a few fecals later. so after all is said and done can i get rid of all of them?


Are the frogs lethargic, losing weight or otherwise behaving abnormally? Is their any sign of blood in their poop? If not leave them alone and stop sending your money to a man whose medical treatment theories on parasites are a decade or more behind modern practice and theory.


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

tachikoma said:


> I would wait for the lady your girlfriend spoke with to return from lunch. I just can't see having them sit on a bleach soaked substrate as a good idea. I could be wrong but that's definitely worth waiting to speak to the lady again first.
> 
> What kind of frogs do you have btw?



yes thats what i was thinking. im not trying to sit my frogs on bleach. they are red eyed tree frogs. im going to wait a little while and call back.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Absolutely don't put them on bleach. The bleaching is to clean a dirty holding tank when you transfer them to a clean one once a week during treatment.
I think the treatment for months idea would be if you're keeping them in their permanent tank during treatment since the tank itself is infected with it and will keep reinfecting the frogs. The way it is usually done is to dose on say Sunday, transfer the frogs to a clean container Monday, bleach clean the dirty one and throw out any plants/substrate etc that was in with them, then repeat for three more weeks for a total of four doses before putting them in a NEW clean permanent tank.


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

ok well what do i do with my pothos, driftwood, fake plants, and water bowl for now? i was going to take them out and clean the tank with the bleach solution. its just a big rubbermaid. but i can clean the other stuff and put it back in there but it wont kill everything will it? i was going to throw the pothos and driftwood away and get new stuff. but then it will just get all over the new stuff. but if i leave this stuff in there then it will not go away. it seems like it will be never ending. i cant just have nothing in there can i? my male doesnt even stick on the sides. he stays on the pothos.... and there has been poop on the pothos so im sure there are definitely hook worms.


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

ChrisK said:


> Absolutely don't put them on bleach. The bleaching is to clean a dirty holding tank when you transfer them to a clean one once a week during treatment.
> I think the treatment for months idea would be if you're keeping them in their permanent tank during treatment since the tank itself is infected with it and will keep reinfecting the frogs. The way it is usually done is to dose on say Sunday, transfer the frogs to a clean container Monday, bleach clean the dirty one and throw out any plants/substrate etc that was in with them, then repeat for three more weeks for a total of four doses before putting them in a NEW clean permanent tank.




sounds like a better plan... now i just need to figure out what to put in there because i cant keep buying expensive stuff for them. pothos arent that expensive...but having to buy a new pothos every week just to throw it away? idk... ill do whatever it takes to get rid of the worms but i want to do it the most money efficient way. 

and can i get these worms? probably a silly question. i just know ive touched stuff in there tank with bare hands. i have gloves but im sure theres been a time where i havent used them.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I think they'd be ok without pothos for a bit. I'd keep the hospital tank as simple as possible.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

For the month of treatment you're going to be keeping them in temp tanks with disposable stuff, throw out the plants and wood once you start the treatment, bleach any fake plants or bowls if you want to keep them.


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

ok, they are in a sterlite right now. so im going to buy one more. also going to try to find a bigger pothos to split into multiple pots and use 1 each time i switch over. 

1. once i buy the new sterlite, sanitize it.
2. put frogs in the new container with paper towels and water bowl and a new pothos or whatever i use for them to climb on thats disposable.
3. sterilize the old one they were in and throw away all the wood and plants etc
4. after 1 week put them back into the older sterilized tank and put new disposible stuff into it.

then go back and forth. while sending in fecal examinations to make sure it is working. and also put medicine on them as prescribed. 

once there are no hook worms left in their fecals, continue to treat for a month or two. to make SURE they are all gone. 

does all that sound right?


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Not really - it should be 4 weeks total and 4 total doses (treatments), if you're dosing on Sunday, then transfer them to the new one Monday and bleach the dirty one, then do everything as normal until the next dose Sunday (only dose once a week) when you give them the next dose and transfer to a clean one again on Monday, etc, then after the 4th treatment and transfer, send in another fecal sample and see what the Dr says.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

With severe infections of hookworms (if your treating them), you are going to want to use multiple enclosures. The reason is because the larva are directly infectious to the frogs (they can pentrate the skin and restart the infection). You are going to need enough enclosures that you can rotate the frogs to a new clean one every day. This means at least 3 containers, so the frogs can be in one, have a second undergoing cleaning and the third ready for the frogs. The reason I'm suggesting swapping the frogs every day is because they are going to deposit fecals onto the walls of the enclosures contaminating them with potentially infectious larva. This is why switching them on a daily basis can be important in breaking the cycle of infection. 

Also if you can keep the enclosure a little drier this will help to reduce survivial of the larva on the sides of the walls. 

You can also get a second opinion on the frogs... there are a number of vets that will give you a second opinion... 

Some comments,

Ed


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

Ed said:


> With severe infections of hookworms (if your treating them), you are going to want to use multiple enclosures. The reason is because the larva are directly infectious to the frogs (they can pentrate the skin and restart the infection). You are going to need enough enclosures that you can rotate the frogs to a new clean one every day. This means at least 3 containers, so the frogs can be in one, have a second undergoing cleaning and the third ready for the frogs. The reason I'm suggesting swapping the frogs every day is because they are going to deposit fecals onto the walls of the enclosures contaminating them with potentially infectious larva. This is why switching them on a daily basis can be important in breaking the cycle of infection.
> 
> Also if you can keep the enclosure a little drier this will help to reduce survivial of the larva on the sides of the walls.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much Ed. Im not gonna lie, i was hoping youd pop up since you helped me with my frogs last time. i just bought a container but i will get one more so i can put them in a new one every day. that sounds like a much better idea. and i will make sure i keep it a little drier. i called the vet back and she said dont use the bleach, that was a misunderstanding on my girlfriends behalf. no biggie. she said bleach is only to clean with then rinse it out properly. she said with the amount of medicine shes sending me, i will have enough for months of treatment. i went ahead and got more because shipping would be the same. im hoping the male will climb the walls because it would kill me seeing him on the ground.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

mrzoggs said:


> Thank you very much Ed. Im not gonna lie, i was hoping youd pop up since you helped me with my frogs last time. i just bought a container but i will get one more so i can put them in a new one every day. that sounds like a much better idea. and i will make sure i keep it a little drier. i called the vet back and she said dont use the bleach, that was a misunderstanding on my girlfriends behalf. no biggie. she said bleach is only to clean with then rinse it out properly. she said with the amount of medicine shes sending me, i will have enough for months of treatment. i went ahead and got more because shipping would be the same. im hoping the male will climb the walls because it would kill me seeing him on the ground.


I tend to respond to pms.....  

Good luck. 

Ed


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