Beardie not using hind legs--consipation????

[linzismith]

I have a bearded dragon just under a year old. This past weekend he suddenly stopped using his hind legs. I did some research and found out that this can be due to two things: constipation and MBD. Well, as it turns out, I had no idea beardies needed UVB light. I ran to Petco and bought a UVB light, but I mentioned to one of the employees that I wasn't sure if MBD was the issue because it came on very fast--one day he was fine, the next day he wasn't. She thought that probably meant he was constipated. This seemed pretty likely, considering that he didn't have UVB light or calcium supplements until this past weekend, which both aid in digestion. I took him to an exotic pet vet, we did an enema that wasn't all that successful and I brought him home. It's been five days since he stopped using his hind legs. He has pooped twice now, but is still not using his back legs. Will he ever regain use of them? Or is it possible that there is something else wrong entirely?

 

[renich]

Typically when beardies do not use their hind legs, it indicates impaction. But you stated that your beardie has pooped twice since then. You can usually feel impaction. When you give him a warm bath and massage his tummy, do you feel a lump there?

Couple of thoughts -
1. Was the exotic pet vet a herp vet? Beardies need herp vets for proper care. It is difficult to treat a beardie under 1 year of age. But I'm surprised that he did not ask for a stool sample or draw blood.

2. How long was it prior to the 2 recent poops?

3. What are your hot and cool side temps? What are you using to measure the temps?

4. What type and brand of UVB bulb did you buy?

5. What are you feeding your dragon?

6. What substrate are you using?

 

[linzismith]

1. Was the exotic pet vet a herp vet? Beardies need herp vets for proper care. It is difficult to treat a beardie under 1 year of age. But I'm surprised that he did not ask for a stool sample or draw blood. The vet's office name was "Bird and exotic pet vet" so I don't think he was a herp vet. He did say we should do a blood and stool sample. I didn't do the blood sample because it was really expensive and I wanted to first see how the enema went and wait some more to see if he just pooped. Do you think at this point we should do the blood and stool tests? I did save his last two poops, what I could save anyway, since he pooped in the bath. What sorts of things might we learn from these tests? And what would that mean for how I have to care for him? I don't want to sound heartless, but I really can't afford to have a little lizard with major medical problems, like kidney disease.

3. What are your hot and cool side temps? What are you using to measure the temps? The hottest part is around 115 degress. I tried measuring it with a thermometer that humans use for testing for fever, but it stopped working at 108. So i laid my oven thermometer in there and it's at about 115. The cool side is probably around 65, but it's a huge breeder tank so there's lots of room in there for him to find a good temp. He usually spends all day on the hot side, then when his light turns off, he moves to the cold side.

4. What type and brand of UVB bulb did you buy? I bought a ESU Reptile brand light, it's a desert lamp with 7% UVB. I know a lot of sites say to get the Reptisun 10.0 or 5.0, but I found a site, www.uvguide.co.uk, that is devoted solely to testing lighting for reptiles. They put out a report saying that the 10.0 is actually too strong and causes conjunctivitis and blindness in beardies. So I went with something less strong. We also have a zoomed basking spot lamp for heat, which puts out just UVA.

5. What are you feeding your dragon? When he was younger he only ate crickets and mealworms. When he finally started eating vegetables we started feeding him more vegies. His favorites are onions, apples, red peppers, and asparagus. I've now learned he still needs mostly crickets, and when we do feed him vegies they should be greens. However, for the past week I've been trying to feed him a mix of bok choy and carrots with calcium sprinkled on top. He readily eats the carrots, but he won't go near the bok choy. The vet also mentioned that he had never heard of a beardie eating onions, and that onions often cause problems in reptiles. He didn't say what problems or why, but I guess I'll stop feeding them to him.

6. What substrate are you using? We have a felt-like material we got from petco, so it's not sand that's impacting him.

 

[renich]

1. Was the exotic pet vet a herp vet? Beardies need herp vets for proper care. It is difficult to treat a beardie under 1 year of age. But I'm surprised that he did not ask for a stool sample or draw blood. The vet's office name was "Bird and exotic pet vet" so I don't think he was a herp vet. He did say we should do a blood and stool sample. I didn't do the blood sample because it was really expensive and I wanted to first see how the enema went and wait some more to see if he just pooped. Do you think at this point we should do the blood and stool tests? I did save his last two poops, what I could save anyway, since he pooped in the bath. What sorts of things might we learn from these tests? And what would that mean for how I have to care for him? I don't want to sound heartless, but I really can't afford to have a little lizard with major medical problems, like kidney disease. It is your judgment call to have the tests done on your beardie or not. A blood and fecal test would determine what is bothering your bearded. The fecal test would look for known diseases in your beardie (mites, internal parasites, calcium/vitamin D3 deficiency, Gastroenteric Infections, Pseudomonas, Coccidia). Some diseases are treatable and others are not. The test results would steer you in the right direction of whether your beardie is suffering or not. Even though they are little creatures, they do suffer if exposed to a life threatening diseases. And I don't know about you, but I don't like to see anyone suffer - human or animal.

3. What are your hot and cool side temps? What are you using to measure the temps? The hottest part is around 115 degress. I tried measuring it with a thermometer that humans use for testing for fever, but it stopped working at 108. So i laid my oven thermometer in there and it's at about 115. The cool side is probably around 65, but it's a huge breeder tank so there's lots of room in there for him to find a good temp. He usually spends all day on the hot side, then when his light turns off, he moves to the cold side. A good thermometer is needed to ensure you are getting proper reading. Temps are very important for your beardie's well being. You can get a digital probe thermometer cheap from Petco or Target. It should be about 110 in your basking spot for beardies under 1 year of age and 85 on the cool side. Temps should not go below 65 at night.

4. What type and brand of UVB bulb did you buy? I bought a ESU Reptile brand light, it's a desert lamp with 7% UVB. I know a lot of sites say to get the Reptisun 10.0 or 5.0, but I found a site, www.uvguide.co.uk, that is devoted solely to testing lighting for reptiles. They put out a report saying that the 10.0 is actually too strong and causes conjunctivitis and blindness in beardies. So I went with something less strong. We also have a zoomed basking spot lamp for heat, which puts out just UVA. The link your provided discusses coil bulbs for the repti sun 10.0. NO coil bulb is safe for a bearded dragon. The Repti Sun 10.0 tube bulb is the best on the market for beardies. I'm not familiar with the one you purchased. I would worry about low levels of uva and uvb. These are essential for your beardie's digestive process.

5. What are you feeding your dragon? When he was younger he only ate crickets and mealworms. When he finally started eating vegetables we started feeding him more vegies. His favorites are onions, apples, red peppers, and asparagus. I've now learned he still needs mostly crickets, and when we do feed him vegies they should be greens. However, for the past week I've been trying to feed him a mix of bok choy and carrots with calcium sprinkled on top. He readily eats the carrots, but he won't go near the bok choy. The vet also mentioned that he had never heard of a beardie eating onions, and that onions often cause problems in reptiles. He didn't say what problems or why, but I guess I'll stop feeding them to him. Mealworms are a big no no for beardies. They are too tough for the bearded dragon to break down and digest. I've never heard of feeding a dragon onions either. They tend to like the veggies better than the greens. But the greens are very important. Try collard greens. I recommend making a pile with them. First, put your veggies and then sprinkle your greens on top. They have to eat some greens to get to the veggies. Try zuccini and yellow squash. Carrots should be offered ocassionally. Also, all food should be no larger than the space between your beardie's eyes. Have you been cutting the greens and veggies that small?

6. What substrate are you using? We have a felt-like material we got from petco, so it's not sand that's impacting him.

 

[beardielover]

wow, i'm with you renee! poor little guy....i think when we take on the responsibility of caring for anything, we are obligated to do everything that we can for them. they are so helpless and defenseless. totally relying on us for proper care.

linzismith, how is your bearded dragon?

 

[linzismith]

Thanks everyone for your help. And thanks to Renee for clearing up my confusion about the bulbs, that was really starting to frustrate me. I talked to our vet again. They said that at 28 grams he was still too small for a blood test. They could draw blood, but not enough to run all the tests they would want to. They also said he was probably too young for MBD. So all signs are pointing to constitpation (I think he was just really dehydrated, and without a UVB light, was having trouble digesting too). The vet also did say that it can take some time to regain use of their legs if they are that constipated.

Apollo is doing better. Out of nowhere he started using his back legs again today--he just stood up on all fours and started walking again. One leg still seams weaker than the other, but I think it will come around. I've started putting his food in the food processor instead of just dicing it, and I always spray it with lots of water so he doesn't get dehydrated. He has a UVB light and is getting more protein than he has been.

Throughout this process we have felt pretty confident he wasn't suffering (at least from pain in his legs--the constipation was probably pretty uncomfortable). He was still moving about his cage quite a bit and chasing crickets just as fast as he ever did on four legs. My biggest concern was him never regaining use of his legs, which might have caused him pain and suffering in the long run. Thanks again you for all your support.

 

[renich]

I'm glad Apollo is doing better! That is wonderful news!

Yes, it is very important for beardies to stay hydrated. Sorry, I missed that one. Most bearded dragons do not drink water from a bowl. That is why baths are very important. You can also try a spray bottle. Squirt it in their mouths. They will lap it up eventually....you can mist their bodies too. but there is controversy over that. Some say that misting the top of a beardie does not hydrate them.

 

[beardielover]

oh, that is wonderful news! i'm glad the little guy is getting back to normal. i tell you, the first year can be very stressful. but it sounds like your vet gave you great advice and you are on the right track to a happy, healthy beardie!

 

[BeardedBob]

Re: Beardie not using hind legs--constipation????

Also glad to hear your beardie is using their legs again. It is obviously very scary when a bearded dragon stops using hind legs. It is a sign for constipation/impaction that should be taken care of right away.

I am glad to hear you did something about it. I worry about people that take on the responsibility for a pet but then not to follow through with ensuring their proper health. None of us are perfect, but once you know of a problem, doing nothing would be too sad.

 

[renich]

Hi, Linzi. Just wanted to follow up and see how your beardie is doing. Is the impaction over?

 

[linzismith]

yeah, he's doing great. he's defecating about once a week now (although the other day he went twice in three days) and his legs are working great.

Is once a week about normal?

He's also a lot more active, exploring his cage like he used to.

 

[renich]

Great to hear he is doing much better!!!!

It varies among beardies. Typically, under 1 year, they are pooping once a day. But after a year, it slows down.

I remember when Bernie hit the 1 year mark, he pooped once a week and only in his bath. Our herp vet was not concerned.

With the impaction yours overcame, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[beardielover]

Oh that is wonderful news! It's amazing how these little guys can give us such scares!!!!!! Whew, on the road to recovery.

 

[KAJA]

Great to hear!!