Beginning to think bad thoughts...what now?

[Ozzie&Dino]

First off I am just getting more and more agrivated with the fact that I feel like I have bought a defective BD. I don't know honestly what else to do about him. Dino as most of you know came to me very ill with Giardia and pinworms and Coccidia. He has been treated for all of them for the length of time he should to rid of them. I put him on Probiotics and Reptaid ( Different times) He got better after treatment but he has never been a hearty eater like most Beardies are. Yuki was a fantastic eater but just was not people friendly like Dino. Dino has not eaten much in the last week. He has eaten maybe one superworm and 2-3 butterworms. He normally loves hornworms and I bought 2 tubs full and got those last week and he won't touch any of them. He does not have firm stools ( Its like water) and very little of it so I started keeping him on paper towels because of the mess. I had him shipped to me from the breeder so my guarantee is now void. I have owned my Veil Chameleon for 3yrs and never had the first issue with him and I bought him at a Repticon. Here I am fixing to buy Dino a nice huge new Habitat but I am afraid to if he is going to up a die on me He stays under his hammock sleeping most of the day. I give him soak baths in 95 degrees water twice a week and mist him every day at least twice. He has been offered Dubia, hornworms, mealworms, butterworms, crickets, waxworms, can grasshoppers. He has his greens every day and he did eat some oraganic spring mix a week ago but then never touched it again. I know you guys are not vets but maybe you could give me some hints on what to do? I don't want to keep running to the Vet constantly with him because supposibly I bought a healthy beardie or so I thought. I was going to pick up the new habitat this evening but I have since put it off until Saturday since Dino has me just a bit worried. I am just completely at a loss.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I can relate to your frustration. The first thing I would tell you is "Welcome to the world of reptiles!!" LOL. I'm not making light of the situation you are currently dealing with in regards to Dino. Sometimes though our reptilian charges can frustrate us to the point where we start yanking hair out of our heads when instead we really just need to breathe and reaccess.
I have been away from the forums for a bit recovering from a surgery so I am not familiar with the issues that Dino arrived to you with. I can tell you that when it comes to parasites though that simply treating them once or even twice for the problem does not guarantee that the issue is resolved. In the case of Coccidia in particular healthy bearded dragons keep a certain level of them in their bodies. At proper levels these parasites are harmless and in fact perfectly normal. The problem is that many things can cause their levels to explode out of control, the most common trigger being stress, ie the major stress of which Dino experienced being shipped to you and then being plopped into a strange new world in your home for example. Stress on a reptile really is much more traumatic than most people realize. It totally compromises the immune system and kills off the gut flora which would normally keep things like the Coccidia in check. That compromised immune system also opens the door for other parasites that may be lurking or inadvertently introduced to enter the game and pretty soon you have one very sick dragon.
These are things that you probably already know but worth the repeat I think because if you keep that in mind then you also remember that once a dragon such as Dino gets a major illness such as he did that total recovery from that is most times a very long battle for both him and you.
My advice at this point knowing that he went through a heavy parasite outbreak previously would be to first of all take a stool sample back to your vet regardless of if it is watery or not and have a fecal float test done so that you know exactly what the issue you are dealing with is. BTW watery stools can be a sign of a parasite issue but they can also be a sign of a very well hydrated dragon too. The microscope is the only way to tell for sure
As far as the results your vet comes back with on the fecal float and their suggested treatment you will have to make your own decision on whether you want to put him through harsh prescription meds or not. If it is a very serious re-infestation then I would but I would also do the following and probably try this first beforehand.
I would start him back on the Reptaid right now and give him a full 10 day cycle, then wait a week and repeat a second 10 day cycle. In addition to the Reptaid I would go to your local grocery and look in the health food "dairy" area and find a container of 100% Whole Soy Yogurt. You can use plain flavor or either blueberry or strawberry flavor and in addition to the Reptaid I would recommend giving Dino .5mils of the 100% Whole Soy Yogurt per day to help replace and promote regrowth of some of the beneficial gut flora in his system. You could alternatively use Acidophiliz or BeneBac but the Whole Soy Yogurt is readily available and does work regardless of the "controversy" on the subject of Probiotics.
I would also recommend raising his nighttime temp to 80 degrees Fahrenheit while you are treating him. This will also promote the growth of his gut flora.
Husbandry practices have to also be kept up religiously every day with a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of his entire enclosure as well as all furnishings until the parasite issues are resolved so it may help to minimize furnishings too for the time being.
I think you will see real results very quickly if you do these things and once he starts feeling better and his immune system starts returning he will make a dramatic turn around for you.
Once you get him boosted back up I would recommend you giving him a single dose of the Reptaid two days a month to help keep his system boosted and remember that follow-up fecal tests are going to be the only way for you to know for sure things are back in control.

Lastly and perhaps most important do not give up on the guy. These battles although hard fought are always in my eyes worth the fight!
Hope this helps.
Enjoy!!

 

[Ozzie&Dino]

Thank you so much Mungi. I really needed that. I plan to take another stool sample to my Vet as soon as I get a good enough one that is not dried all to the paper towels by the time I get home. I have Reptaid and Acidophiliz by Pet Authority that conditions the gut after treatment of antibiotics and I failed to mention that I have started 3 days ago giving him the 3 drops as prescribed on the bottle at night right before lights out. I will start the Reptaid in the morning and the probiotics at night. He readily takes the Acidophiliz by mouth because it is some cherry flavor. His basking spot is 104 but he refuses to bask there and he does not look hot because his mouth is never open like my Chameleons is.

I am not going to give up on him I am just frustrated that I thought we were all fixed and good as new but thats obveously not the case. I have been sterilizing his habitat almost daily anyways with a bleach mixture and rinsing really well, furniture also but I will keep it up. Maybe I am giving him baths too much or too long plus the misting. I don't know, guess I am use to keeping Reptiles hydrated and maybe I am over dosing him with water? I had just read from a well known breeders site that you can never hydrate them too much.