My bearded dragon took a spill last night and fractured a vertebrae in his tail. I took him to an emergency vet who made sure he was stable and did x-rays. Those were sent off to a zoo exotics vet who confirmed the fracture. I then took him to his primary reptile vet who did a full exam and confirmed the same thing. My problem is, he keeps opening and closing his mouth every 5 seconds since it happened and smooshing his face into the blankets. I'm concerned about his breathing and his primary vet said his breathing is shallow but no one is doing anything about it. Said maybe he is opening his mouth because he is in pain but really didn't know. All 3 vets said this. He is on an anti inflammatory and a pain medication as of about 5 hours ago that I thought would help but he's just wide awake doing this non stop. He's been up for 24 hours and I have been up with him watching him extremely concerned. Has anyone been through anything similar? This guy is my entire world.
-
Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!
Help (broken tail)
- Thread starter shannonr
- Start date
Wow I am sorry your going thru this --- what kind of meds did they put him on and how much? I am flagging your post to Tracie our vet tech see if she can help here --- where is he sitting ? under his basking lights? This is important so we want to make sure this stuff is on par --- NO coils for a UVB long tube fixture a MUST-- surface basking temps 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer--- is he moving around? You want to keep your night time temps around 80 to keep his immune system up -- you can use a Ceramic Heat Emitter to do this place on top of your screen above where hes sitting -- the wattage is going to depend on the size of the tank --- I use a 100 watt on my tanks to keep temps around 70 during the real cold winter months - I am hoping Tracie sees this today she is normally on at night--
They have him on
They have him on .1ml of Gabapentin one time per day and .2ml of Meloxidyl one time per day. He is in his tank under his ceramic heater. The spot he is laying is 80°. I have a digital thermometer and two other standard ones in the tank. All of his tank set up is perfect. I am concerned about his breathing which only occurred when he fell but I am getting brushed off by 3 vets. I have now been up with him two nights straight, we both aren’t sleeping and his breathing is just getting more and more shallow.
Breathing not good -- are you using a solid clear bright white basking bulb? This is imperative surface basking temps should be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- che's are good for keeping temps warm during winter but Not for basking- what kind of uvb? If it's in a dome that would be a coil and they are inadequate - you want a long tube fixture-- I can post links if you need them--
The reason I have the surface temp at 80° is because it was night time and he isn’t moving so I need to make sure I’m not going to cook him. Recommended by all 3 vets. But I’m not sure what this has to do with my question. I’m concerned about the mouth gaping and gulping with shallow breathing that he’s been doing since he fell. He was doing it in the car on the ride to both vets. At the vets office. I’m not concerned about his tank set up which I know his perfect.
Usually the mouth breathing can be from incorrect basking bulbs etc --- I have seen this in the past -- and it had turned out they were only using a ceramic heat emitter --- no bright white basking bulb like I had asked about --- CHE's do not emit UVA -- its good the night time temps are 80 that will help him -- if all is good w/ what I have been posting about then I can only have Tracie help you from here
The mouth gaping, gulping and shallow breathing was a result of his fall. I’m just trying to see if anything has seen anything similar with an injured bearded dragon
Yes -- the cause could be a number of reasons -- does he have a black beard?
No, I just feel like he can’t breathe. He looks exhausted.
Update on the dragon --- flagging again to Tracie
That is awful
--- I am so sorry -- so the only X ray done then was of the tail? A full exam should of consisted of them checking the organs out but I am not a expert--- that poor dragon --- I feel for him and you -- I am so sorry-- I still want Tracie to weigh in on this --- maybe she can give a little more insight on the injury sustained --They only did an xray but should have checked everything else. I’d prefer no further responses as I’m grieving and this is just making it worse but thank you for your time.That is awful
Hello,
I am so sorry this happened. How far of a fall did he take & what type of surface did he fall on?
If his mouth is opening & closing, it may indicate pain, yes. Does he have a basking spot that is
around 95-98F?
Please post a picture of him, along with the tank setup so we can be sure the UVB lighting is set
right for him. For now, try to keep him from moving too much so that he doesn't hit his tail on
anything & cause more pain. Can he walk & get himself around to some extent?
Tracie
I am so sorry this happened. How far of a fall did he take & what type of surface did he fall on?
If his mouth is opening & closing, it may indicate pain, yes. Does he have a basking spot that is
around 95-98F?
Please post a picture of him, along with the tank setup so we can be sure the UVB lighting is set
right for him. For now, try to keep him from moving too much so that he doesn't hit his tail on
anything & cause more pain. Can he walk & get himself around to some extent?
Tracie
