This was sent to me by Marcia awhile back
(Some may remember the Groom's Cicket article I posted)
Marcia has been a scientist for 26 yrs - (retired due to health prob) & has worked with & been taught by a couple of friends of hers - Dr. Fredric. L. Frye and Dr. Roger Klingenberg.
(Ellen I have a copy of Dr. Frye's Pathology report on her Leopard Gecko's, I also took a copy to my
vet & emailed a copy to a Zoo Nutritionist friend here in the US, awhile back) They were all very interested in this information.
Apparently crickets can store large quantities of this toxin in their bodies, and the cronic ingestion by insectivores causes this poison to build up in their systems. The liver's function is to filter, or cleanse the bloodstream and becomes unable to do it's job. The animal becomes anorexic, and therefore the stored up fat in their system becomes mobilized and the liver is unable to synthesize this fat. These fatty lipids basically clog up the liver and the organ eventually fails.
I have has lost 15 Leopard Geckos since last Nov to hepatic lipidosis but have been able to save 5 others by reversing the condition. These survivors were probably not as advanced in their liver disease as the others, and are fully recovered and thriving well. I euthanized the last one last week, but was able to keep her alive for 6 months by dropper feeding and a supplement "concoction" I came up with. I believe this treatment saved the other 5 sick ones.
First of all I switched cricket
vendors as soon as Dr. Frye implicated the feeders as the cause of mycotoxic poisoning. I am now using Sequoia Ranch Cricket Farm, and they can be reached at XXXXXXX. They are located in CA, and feed their crix fresh food daily. I get the crickets very young and feed them fresh food changed every day with the following:
Dry Cricket Food
1 bag: Dry milk (D,calcium,iron)
1 cup: Shelled sunflower seeds (E)
1 box: Rice baby cereal (iron,calcium,phosphorus, B1,B2, niacin)
1/3 cup: Spirulina (B1,B5,B6,B12,E,beta-carotene,iron,chlorophyll,amino acids)
3/4 cup: Raw bee pollen (B1,B2,B3,B6,B12,folic acid,C,D,E,K,minerals)
1 cup: Wheat germ (E)
1 cup: Alfalfa leaf tablets (A,B6,E,K,enzymes)
1/2 cup: Dried sea kelp (iodine)
1 Dried egg yolk
1/2 cup: Dried high protein monkey chow
(blend all the ingredients in a food processor, freeze the bulk, store a 1-week supply in the refrigerator).
I also have Marcia's listing for-
Fresh produce, Dropper food & Liver Health Supplement
She also states- I hope this information can help you and others who love their herps, and perhaps your
vet or those at Texas A & M would be interested in seeing this.
Marcia knows about our sugar glider's and the Aflatoxin problems, she has also spoken with Dr. Frye who is the world's most authoritative figure in Reptile research about this!
Dr Roger Klingenberg is aurthor of the book
"Understanding Reptile Parasites"
<small>[ 05-25-2002, 04:45 PM: Message edited by: Lucy ]</small>