im scared my beardie is going to die..

[sci]

tl;dr : im depressed, im venting my frustrations and that mouthrot ( stomatitis ) is a horrible nightmare thats not well documented or talked about when its already happening. hes going to schedule a surgery soon but theres a chance he might not make it (god please i dont want to think of this possibilty). i want this post to who ever reads this as an educational experience and be aware that it is hard to take care and take responsibly... especially to the ones you deeply love.

hello , this is very hard for me to post right now but its been so hard recently for me and my beardie and i think im just posting here just to rant what ive been through a couple of months.. (trigger warning: dying beardie and some blood)

so my bearded dragon of 3 years was diagnosed with mouth rot, it wasnt immediate but it was gradual.
it was on sept 22, 2021 that i was really concerned because of the lack of food he was eating so i booked a vet appointment on the 23rd

this is him when we first got him to the vet. see that black dead skin on the gums. thats the start

the initial diagnosis was just an infection from a food injury or something like that was what the vet told me, so we got him some antibiotics and gave me some dextrose (which was called pet reboost which was vitamins and what needed there was the electrolytes for him to stay hydrated)

the vet told me to get some food in him so i did with some slushie veggies etc. he had good appetite and i really thought he was doing well. but he wasnt getting better.

i came back to the vet on oct 8, his black dead skin on his gums became pus. i thought since it was recovering that was a normal side effect which is in some cases but it was just the start of the nightmare we had to go through...

the vet still didnt say it was confirmed mouthrot, and still tried to go over other problems with the dragon, especially why he was lethargic. we did x-ray and attempted blood sampling (blood sampling was the hardest thing to watch because we tried drawing blood 3x and still not get any blood from him, at the same time it was a very stressful and painful experience for my beardie)

i begged for the doctor to prescribe me oral antibiotics and that was probably on the 4th or 5th time (somewhere in november) i visited that i got my oral antibiotics (every visit i was only given with injected antibiotics)

i hate this so much, everytime he bleeds, i feel like a chunk of myself have been cut apart. everytime he gets hurt from cleaning and feeding , he would bite on his infected gums and the cycle keeps on repeating over and over again. the gum is inflamed, swollen to the point it over lapses over his teeth which causes it to bleed and get infected again and again...

its december and ive been on the vet for more than 9 visits, a lot of antibiotics, the mycrocyn AH that i used to clean his mouth is so expensive that i could finish a bottle in a week and a half or so. i want to use more so i can try clean his teeth but i have to ration it because of how expensive buying it from the vet is.. also its so hard to clean and at the same time try not to make him bite or close his mouth on the swab..

dec 5 this is what he looked like....

it honestly gotten worse , before i could still give him food, but now he would throw it all up.. he switched to dragon gel since it was something that couldnt damage his gums as he ate..

its so hard seeing him decline in health. he was so chonky, so active, so playful.. but now i could feel his hip bones, i could feel his spine. i could really see he lost so much weight..

ive spent all of my savings already, im so stressed balancing my university and work. ive withdrawn my investments and the money i made online to scrape up the funds for his medicines and vet appointments. ive also bought a lot of new things online such as new uvb lights, vitamins, electrolyte baths etc that i never had the chance to find here locally before because ive been thinking that maybe theres something wrong, maybe because i lacked taking care of them, especially during the peak of covid where i was struggling with stopping with my depression doing a relapse from not using antidepressants.. i just feel so horrible and the anxiety is eating me away... this bearded dragon had helped me through when i was recovering from depression and when it helped me going back to university, he was my first and i genuinely feel like i failed as an owner..

im also incredibly frustrated that i coulnt find any articles about mouthrot, its only prevention but never have i seen any documentation of people going through it and their bearded dragon surviving, especially in my case. ive tried contacting some professors from different universities and still nothing. im also asking my veterinarian and weve decided on surgery but he too has to contact his colleagues from university who are reptile specialists (for him to know if theres still a chance and if there are still other alternatives). not to doubt my vet, he is also an exotic specialist but he has never operated on a bearded dragon before..... it doesnt sound reassuring but he handles reptiles like sea turtles etc.. also i have no other vet to go over with... its very copium

i probably spend a thousand dollars from this already... i couldnt ask money from my family because they would have already freaked out if they knew how much ive actually spent on.. they would probably tell me to buy a new healthier dragon instead of spending so much money.. and it really makes me angry hearing it because .. from what i know... thats usually what others have done....

so yeah... surgery soon... gonna try and scrape up some more money from my job while being a student... still dont know when the possible schedule to be.. ive mentally prepared handfeeding him for the rest of his life because theres a high possibility that he would loose his senses on the mouth if the surgery is successfull... but the vet told me not to be too optimistic about it... honestly am im also sad if what im doing is futile and im just.... extending his pain?

i hope my experience also helps to those searching for situations like this. honestly mouthrot (stomatitis) articles, videos, blogs and forums never show anything on the current state. its usually about them being dead (usually in research articles) or in care guides for prevention. i cant even find anything about bearded dragon surgery for mouthrot when thats the last resort in these cases

yeah sorry for the long post. love your beardies and never down play small mouth injuries
heres a pic of him and me when he was very healthy
View attachment IMG_20211212_171353.jpg

 

[Sadie]

tl;dr : im depressed, im venting my frustrations and that mouthrot ( stomatitis ) is a horrible nightmare thats not well documented or talked about when its already happening. hes going to schedule a surgery soon but theres a chance he might not make it (god please i dont want to think of this possibilty). i want this post to who ever reads this as an educational experience and be aware that it is hard to take care and take responsibly... especially to the ones you deeply love.

hello , this is very hard for me to post right now but its been so hard recently for me and my beardie and i think im just posting here just to rant what ive been through a couple of months.. (trigger warning: dying beardie and some blood)

so my bearded dragon of 3 years was diagnosed with mouth rot, it wasnt immediate but it was gradual.
it was on sept 22, 2021 that i was really concerned because of the lack of food he was eating so i booked a vet appointment on the 23rd
View attachment 31093
this is him when we first got him to the vet. see that black dead skin on the gums. thats the start

the initial diagnosis was just an infection from a food injury or something like that was what the vet told me, so we got him some antibiotics and gave me some dextrose (which was called pet reboost which was vitamins and what needed there was the electrolytes for him to stay hydrated)

the vet told me to get some food in him so i did with some slushie veggies etc. he had good appetite and i really thought he was doing well. but he wasnt getting better.

i came back to the vet on oct 8, his black dead skin on his gums became pus. i thought since it was recovering that was a normal side effect which is in some cases but it was just the start of the nightmare we had to go through...
View attachment 31094

the vet still didnt say it was confirmed mouthrot, and still tried to go over other problems with the dragon, especially why he was lethargic. we did x-ray and attempted blood sampling (blood sampling was the hardest thing to watch because we tried drawing blood 3x and still not get any blood from him, at the same time it was a very stressful and painful experience for my beardie)

i begged for the doctor to prescribe me oral antibiotics and that was probably on the 4th or 5th time (somewhere in november) i visited that i got my oral antibiotics (every visit i was only given with injected antibiotics)

View attachment 31095

i hate this so much, everytime he bleeds, i feel like a chunk of myself have been cut apart. everytime he gets hurt from cleaning and feeding , he would bite on his infected gums and the cycle keeps on repeating over and over again. the gum is inflamed, swollen to the point it over lapses over his teeth which causes it to bleed and get infected again and again...

its december and ive been on the vet for more than 9 visits, a lot of antibiotics, the mycrocyn AH that i used to clean his mouth is so expensive that i could finish a bottle in a week and a half or so. i want to use more so i can try clean his teeth but i have to ration it because of how expensive buying it from the vet is.. also its so hard to clean and at the same time try not to make him bite or close his mouth on the swab..

dec 5 this is what he looked like....
View attachment 31096View attachment 31097

it honestly gotten worse , before i could still give him food, but now he would throw it all up.. he switched to dragon gel since it was something that couldnt damage his gums as he ate..

its so hard seeing him decline in health. he was so chonky, so active, so playful.. but now i could feel his hip bones, i could feel his spine. i could really see he lost so much weight..

ive spent all of my savings already, im so stressed balancing my university and work. ive withdrawn my investments and the money i made online to scrape up the funds for his medicines and vet appointments. ive also bought a lot of new things online such as new uvb lights, vitamins, electrolyte baths etc that i never had the chance to find here locally before because ive been thinking that maybe theres something wrong, maybe because i lacked taking care of them, especially during the peak of covid where i was struggling with stopping with my depression doing a relapse from not using antidepressants.. i just feel so horrible and the anxiety is eating me away... this bearded dragon had helped me through when i was recovering from depression and when it helped me going back to university, he was my first and i genuinely feel like i failed as an owner..

im also incredibly frustrated that i coulnt find any articles about mouthrot, its only prevention but never have i seen any documentation of people going through it and their bearded dragon surviving, especially in my case. ive tried contacting some professors from different universities and still nothing. im also asking my veterinarian and weve decided on surgery but he too has to contact his colleagues from university who are reptile specialists (for him to know if theres still a chance and if there are still other alternatives). not to doubt my vet, he is also an exotic specialist but he has never operated on a bearded dragon before..... it doesnt sound reassuring but he handles reptiles like sea turtles etc.. also i have no other vet to go over with... its very copium

i probably spend a thousand dollars from this already... i couldnt ask money from my family because they would have already freaked out if they knew how much ive actually spent on.. they would probably tell me to buy a new healthier dragon instead of spending so much money.. and it really makes me angry hearing it because .. from what i know... thats usually what others have done....

so yeah... surgery soon... gonna try and scrape up some more money from my job while being a student... still dont know when the possible schedule to be.. ive mentally prepared handfeeding him for the rest of his life because theres a high possibility that he would loose his senses on the mouth if the surgery is successfull... but the vet told me not to be too optimistic about it... honestly am im also sad if what im doing is futile and im just.... extending his pain?

i hope my experience also helps to those searching for situations like this. honestly mouthrot (stomatitis) articles, videos, blogs and forums never show anything on the current state. its usually about them being dead (usually in research articles) or in care guides for prevention. i cant even find anything about bearded dragon surgery for mouthrot when thats the last resort in these cases

yeah sorry for the long post. love your beardies and never down play small mouth injuries
heres a pic of him and me when he was very healthy
View attachment 31098

I am going to get some more help on this -- I have a vet tech mod that can maybe help w/ some more treatment advisement for you --- in the meantime ell me what your using for a UVB and what are your basking temps how are you taking them ------ NO stick ons please and NO coils for a UVB ---

 

[Vic and Mars]

I'm so sorry this is happening. I don't have much experience with this stuff, but I send my regards. I truly hope everything turns out okay for you and your beardie. Since this is happening, it's a good idea to make sure you're conditions are ideal. A lot of people on here like Sadie have great advice. Again, I really hope he ends up alright. Feel free to come on here for advice whenever you need it, that's what we're here for <3

 

[Sadie]

I am going to get some more help on this -- I have a vet tech mod that can maybe help w/ some more treatment advisement for you --- in the meantime ell me what your using for a UVB and what are your basking temps how are you taking them ------ NO stick ons please and NO coils for a UVB ---

I heard back from some one I reached out to and this is what they have said

Aw, poor baby that's really sad for the beardie and for the owner. I'm not sure exactly what to say, they've tried a lot of things but see if you can set up a Gofundme accct. in the animal section and include the heartbreak and the attempts to save the beardie. Maybe put this out on any beardie forum and ask for advice. Try some watered down chlorhexedine mixed with raw honey, raw honey is a natural anibacterial + anti inflammatory. If I can do some research and come up with anything else I'll post back. Best wishes to you, so, so sorry about this. Make a Gofundme for your baby.

 

[Sadie]

I heard back from some one I reached out to and this is what they have said

Aw, poor baby that's really sad for the beardie and for the owner. I'm not sure exactly what to say, they've tried a lot of things but see if you can set up a Gofundme accct. in the animal section and include the heartbreak and the attempts to save the beardie. Maybe put this out on any beardie forum and ask for advice. Try some watered down chlorhexedine mixed with raw honey, raw honey is a natural anibacterial + anti inflammatory. If I can do some research and come up with anything else I'll post back. Best wishes to you, so, so sorry about this. Make a Gofundme for your baby.

BTW, I think the surgery would be helpful and hope she can get money through a Gofundme. Don't be ashamed to set one up, many people do and have success.

 

[sci]

I am going to get some more help on this -- I have a vet tech mod that can maybe help w/ some more treatment advisement for you --- in the meantime ell me what your using for a UVB and what are your basking temps how are you taking them ------ NO stick ons please and NO coils for a UVB ---

hello sorry for the late reply, the way bearded dragons are kept here are a bit different when some reptile hobbyist in my place here use different lighting and heat lamps, and it was how i followed in taking care of my beardies aswell.

i live in a fairly warm climate with a lot of sunlight (south eastasia), so my beardies have been taken care outdoors since temperatures reach from 30 degrees Celsius and higher (it can get really hot mid day).. also additionally they have these uva/uvb halogen lamps placed in their enclosure that ive been recommended to use here

currently due to bad weather , even more so that hes sick, hes been staying inside the room with me, with a makeshift temporary enclosure

the temps that he basks on reach 38-41C
i would adjust the temp manually to 35-37C because he couldnt move away
and would slightly lower again before we go to sleep to 30-32C

 

[sci]

BTW, I think the surgery would be helpful and hope she can get money through a Gofundme. Don't be ashamed to set one up, many people do and have success.

ive never thought about gofundme before... its kinda embarrassing but ill go give it a try! thanks!

I heard back from some one I reached out to and this is what they have said

Aw, poor baby that's really sad for the beardie and for the owner. I'm not sure exactly what to say, they've tried a lot of things but see if you can set up a Gofundme accct. in the animal section and include the heartbreak and the attempts to save the beardie. Maybe put this out on any beardie forum and ask for advice. Try some watered down chlorhexedine mixed with raw honey, raw honey is a natural anibacterial + anti inflammatory. If I can do some research and come up with anything else I'll post back. Best wishes to you, so, so sorry about this. Make a Gofundme for your baby.

i see ill try this as well when im going to clean their mouth along side the mycrocyn AH that my vet has given me to use

 

[Sadie]

hello sorry for the late reply, the way bearded dragons are kept here are a bit different when some reptile hobbyist in my place here use different lighting and heat lamps, and it was how i followed in taking care of my beardies aswell.

i live in a fairly warm climate with a lot of sunlight (south eastasia), so my beardies have been taken care outdoors since temperatures reach from 30 degrees Celsius and higher (it can get really hot mid day).. also additionally they have these uva/uvb halogen lamps placed in their enclosure that ive been recommended to use here

View attachment 31125

currently due to bad weather , even more so that hes sick, hes been staying inside the room with me, with a makeshift temporary enclosure

the temps that he basks on reach 38-41C
i would adjust the temp manually to 35-37C because he couldnt move away
and would slightly lower again before we go to sleep to 30-32C

The outside time is great but you need a better UVB bulb --- the one your using is not sufficient for UVB --- can you get a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/ a 12% bulb off of Amazon--- or a Sunblaster Nano Tech 6400K bulb? You need to get proper UVB for him ASAP--- I am thinking this is cause of a lot of the gum / mouth issues your having --- why cant the dragon move away from the heat? The 30-32 C is too warm for nite time sleeping temps--- dragons like it cool and dark NO lights -- temps for nite time temp should be 20 C - 21 C -- or 68 F -70 F -- your basking bulb is good its a clear bright white bulb but I am thinking he is NOT getting enough UVB -- please what I posted ASAP--

 

[sci]

The outside time is great but you need a better UVB bulb --- the one your using is not sufficient for UVB --- can you get a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/ a 12% bulb off of Amazon--- or a Sunblaster Nano Tech 6400K bulb? You need to get proper UVB for him ASAP--- I am thinking this is cause of a lot of the gum / mouth issues your having --- why cant the dragon move away from the heat? The 30-32 C is too warm for nite time sleeping temps--- dragons like it cool and dark NO lights -- temps for nite time temp should be 20 C - 21 C -- or 68 F -70 F -- your basking bulb is good its a clear bright white bulb but I am thinking he is NOT getting enough UVB -- please what I posted ASAP--

hello!

he has been getting weaker due to his loss of appetite and hes been declining in weight aswell , we have managed to get him proper food down ever since we started giving him gel food but due to the pain he would throw it up occasionally , he can move but he struggles moving now, i have to personally monitor him and adjust the temperature for himself now.

20-21C at night? yes i usually do that to my beardies especially at night we turn off the lights or place it at the dim setting but okay i will take your advice and adjust his night time temp, im worried he would get cold if it were that temperature since hes sick.

also i just ordered reptisun 10.0 uvb but it might take long to arrive, maybe after 12 days... (if i order in amazon it will take months to arrive)

 

[sci]

i have an update.. im kinda sad but i had a talk with my vet that the advice given to them after asking other vets (they asked their professor that specialized in wildlife) that surgery is too risky in my beardie's current state.

we are trying to maintain the infection in whatever ways that we can, they have given me additional medicine and changed in handling it.

doc said ive cleaned too much that its not helping with the growth of new tissues, and possibly removed good bacteria (in retrospective i was told to clean as much as possible cus bacteria has been the cause and i want to lessen the infection as much as possible)

so the (experiment) medicine the doctor would like to try since we want to lessen the inflammation, or if possible harden it so its good to cauterize . (with the maintenance of his weekly injected antibiotics + daily oral antibiotics )

.1% POVIDONE + PROBIOTICS + VITAMIN K
Wound Buster
Antiseptic with coagulant properties

Formulation:
Each 60ml contains:
Probiotics (CFU 20 x 10^8)
-Lactobacillus casel
-Lactobacillus lactic
-Saccharomyces boulardii
Vit K 50mg
Eucalyptus oil 0.006 ml

Dosage:
(Dog and Cats) PRE-POST SURGERY
Directly Spray at the site of wound twice a day. repeat as needed

(instructions given to me by the vet)
apply on wound 2x a day using a cotton swab/cotton ball gently

(to those wondering what its said on the fighting cocks its : "for drying wounds" and "for the crown cuttings(? something to do with rooster crown)"

PROPYRIN
Analgestic + Anti-iniflammatory

instructions: give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water in a syringe (orally given)


so my new daily routine now until dec 18 cus the doc told me to come back and see how it goes

-give 0.15ml microflox solution (mix 0.1ml microflox + 0.2ml water and take out 0.15ml from that solution)
-give 0.3ml reptiboost (D-ribose+L-carnitine+glucose+electrolytes)
-feed dragon gel
-clean out the food in his mouth gently with mycrocyn (not too much cleaning)
-give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water
-apply Wound Buster on the sores

 

[Sadie]

i have an update.. im kinda sad but i had a talk with my vet that the advice given to them after asking other vets (they asked their professor that specialized in wildlife) that surgery is too risky in my beardie's current state.

we are trying to maintain the infection in whatever ways that we can, they have given me additional medicine and changed in handling it.

doc said ive cleaned too much that its not helping with the growth of new tissues, and possibly removed good bacteria (in retrospective i was told to clean as much as possible cus bacteria has been the cause and i want to lessen the infection as much as possible)

so the (experiment) medicine the doctor would like to try since we want to lessen the inflammation, or if possible harden it so its good to cauterize . (with the maintenance of his weekly injected antibiotics + daily oral antibiotics )

View attachment 31140
View attachment 31141
.1% POVIDONE + PROBIOTICS + VITAMIN K
Wound Buster
Antiseptic with coagulant properties

Formulation:
Each 60ml contains:
Probiotics (CFU 20 x 10^8)
-Lactobacillus casel
-Lactobacillus lactic
-Saccharomyces boulardii
Vit K 50mg
Eucalyptus oil 0.006 ml

Dosage:
(Dog and Cats) PRE-POST SURGERY
Directly Spray at the site of wound twice a day. repeat as needed

(instructions given to me by the vet)
apply on wound 2x a day using a cotton swab/cotton ball gently

(to those wondering what its said on the fighting cocks its : "for drying wounds" and "for the crown cuttings(? something to do with rooster crown)"

View attachment 31142View attachment 31143
PROPYRIN
Analgestic + Anti-iniflammatory

instructions: give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water in a syringe (orally given)


so my new daily routine now until dec 18 cus the doc told me to come back and see how it goes

-give 0.15ml microflox solution (mix 0.1ml microflox + 0.2ml water and take out 0.15ml from that solution)
-give 0.3ml reptiboost (D-ribose+L-carnitine+glucose+electrolytes)
-feed dragon gel
-clean out the food in his mouth gently with mycrocyn (not too much cleaning)
-give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water
-apply Wound Buster on the sores

I have sent a email to a vet tech about this ---

 

[Sadie]

I have sent a email to a vet tech about this ---

I heard back from someone else that may have had some knowledge on this med - I have posted her response --I have emailed the vet tech I am hoping to hear from her tonite ---

I don't have any knowledge about this product but I just hope the poor beardie can heal in some way. I feel really sad for the owner, they are doing a great job trying to help their baby and my heart goes out to both the owner and the dragon. I mentioned raw honey last time, maybe mention that again.

 

[sci]

i have an update.. im kinda sad but i had a talk with my vet that the advice given to them after asking other vets (they asked their professor that specialized in wildlife) that surgery is too risky in my beardie's current state.

we are trying to maintain the infection in whatever ways that we can, they have given me additional medicine and changed in handling it.

doc said ive cleaned too much that its not helping with the growth of new tissues, and possibly removed good bacteria (in retrospective i was told to clean as much as possible cus bacteria has been the cause and i want to lessen the infection as much as possible)

so the (experiment) medicine the doctor would like to try since we want to lessen the inflammation, or if possible harden it so its good to cauterize . (with the maintenance of his weekly injected antibiotics + daily oral antibiotics )

View attachment 31140
View attachment 31141
.1% POVIDONE + PROBIOTICS + VITAMIN K
Wound Buster
Antiseptic with coagulant properties

Formulation:
Each 60ml contains:
Probiotics (CFU 20 x 10^8)
-Lactobacillus casel
-Lactobacillus lactic
-Saccharomyces boulardii
Vit K 50mg
Eucalyptus oil 0.006 ml

Dosage:
(Dog and Cats) PRE-POST SURGERY
Directly Spray at the site of wound twice a day. repeat as needed

(instructions given to me by the vet)
apply on wound 2x a day using a cotton swab/cotton ball gently

(to those wondering what its said on the fighting cocks its : "for drying wounds" and "for the crown cuttings(? something to do with rooster crown)"

View attachment 31142View attachment 31143
PROPYRIN
Analgestic + Anti-iniflammatory

instructions: give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water in a syringe (orally given)


so my new daily routine now until dec 18 cus the doc told me to come back and see how it goes

-give 0.15ml microflox solution (mix 0.1ml microflox + 0.2ml water and take out 0.15ml from that solution)
-give 0.3ml reptiboost (D-ribose+L-carnitine+glucose+electrolytes)
-feed dragon gel
-clean out the food in his mouth gently with mycrocyn (not too much cleaning)
-give 0.1 ml propyrin mixed with 0.1 ml water
-apply Wound Buster on the sores

im here on an update from using this

so far its doing pretty well sorta kinda . vet said there was an improvement and so far the infection has stopped getting worse that it is.

(if i were to be unfiltered looked really f*cked up because the infection was really hard to control)


--trigger warning : blood--

so my problem has always been bleeding of my beardie's mouth. this caused feeding to be an incredibly hard challenge, and because of this his weight dropped from 800g-500g

DEC 14 (before new meds)

Dec 15-new medications was given by the vet
Dec 16 (day 1 of new meds)

the med has a coagulating effect, also makes his mouth bubble with the saliva

Dec 17

god i just want to pull out my surgical kit and cut off the dead tissues... so scabbing is happening on the exposed gums. take note thats still very inflamed. it literally is over the teeth thats why if it chew or chomps its teeth, it will bleed.

dec 18 (taken before the vet visit)
took a herbal bath (boiled some guava leaves because it has natural antibiotics like honey and can help dry wounds fast) pic here: guava bath

at the vet

 

[sci]

i was also told that due to their decreased weight i need to feed him 3x a day now. morning, afternoon and night

dec 19 update

its not pretty but scabbing is good,, the plan is to decrease as much of the inflammation and removing as much dead tissue so that it could be possible in the near future to cauterize

 

[yfandes5_]

tl;dr : im depressed, im venting my frustrations and that mouthrot ( stomatitis ) is a horrible nightmare thats not well documented or talked about when its already happening. hes going to schedule a surgery soon but theres a chance he might not make it (god please i dont want to think of this possibilty). i want this post to who ever reads this as an educational experience and be aware that it is hard to take care and take responsibly... especially to the ones you deeply love.

hello , this is very hard for me to post right now but its been so hard recently for me and my beardie and i think im just posting here just to rant what ive been through a couple of months.. (trigger warning: dying beardie and some blood)

so my bearded dragon of 3 years was diagnosed with mouth rot, it wasnt immediate but it was gradual.
it was on sept 22, 2021 that i was really concerned because of the lack of food he was eating so i booked a vet appointment on the 23rd
View attachment 31093
this is him when we first got him to the vet. see that black dead skin on the gums. thats the start

the initial diagnosis was just an infection from a food injury or something like that was what the vet told me, so we got him some antibiotics and gave me some dextrose (which was called pet reboost which was vitamins and what needed there was the electrolytes for him to stay hydrated)

the vet told me to get some food in him so i did with some slushie veggies etc. he had good appetite and i really thought he was doing well. but he wasnt getting better.

i came back to the vet on oct 8, his black dead skin on his gums became pus. i thought since it was recovering that was a normal side effect which is in some cases but it was just the start of the nightmare we had to go through...
View attachment 31094

the vet still didnt say it was confirmed mouthrot, and still tried to go over other problems with the dragon, especially why he was lethargic. we did x-ray and attempted blood sampling (blood sampling was the hardest thing to watch because we tried drawing blood 3x and still not get any blood from him, at the same time it was a very stressful and painful experience for my beardie)

i begged for the doctor to prescribe me oral antibiotics and that was probably on the 4th or 5th time (somewhere in november) i visited that i got my oral antibiotics (every visit i was only given with injected antibiotics)

View attachment 31095

i hate this so much, everytime he bleeds, i feel like a chunk of myself have been cut apart. everytime he gets hurt from cleaning and feeding , he would bite on his infected gums and the cycle keeps on repeating over and over again. the gum is inflamed, swollen to the point it over lapses over his teeth which causes it to bleed and get infected again and again...

its december and ive been on the vet for more than 9 visits, a lot of antibiotics, the mycrocyn AH that i used to clean his mouth is so expensive that i could finish a bottle in a week and a half or so. i want to use more so i can try clean his teeth but i have to ration it because of how expensive buying it from the vet is.. also its so hard to clean and at the same time try not to make him bite or close his mouth on the swab..

dec 5 this is what he looked like....
View attachment 31096View attachment 31097

it honestly gotten worse , before i could still give him food, but now he would throw it all up.. he switched to dragon gel since it was something that couldnt damage his gums as he ate..

its so hard seeing him decline in health. he was so chonky, so active, so playful.. but now i could feel his hip bones, i could feel his spine. i could really see he lost so much weight..

ive spent all of my savings already, im so stressed balancing my university and work. ive withdrawn my investments and the money i made online to scrape up the funds for his medicines and vet appointments. ive also bought a lot of new things online such as new uvb lights, vitamins, electrolyte baths etc that i never had the chance to find here locally before because ive been thinking that maybe theres something wrong, maybe because i lacked taking care of them, especially during the peak of covid where i was struggling with stopping with my depression doing a relapse from not using antidepressants.. i just feel so horrible and the anxiety is eating me away... this bearded dragon had helped me through when i was recovering from depression and when it helped me going back to university, he was my first and i genuinely feel like i failed as an owner..

im also incredibly frustrated that i coulnt find any articles about mouthrot, its only prevention but never have i seen any documentation of people going through it and their bearded dragon surviving, especially in my case. ive tried contacting some professors from different universities and still nothing. im also asking my veterinarian and weve decided on surgery but he too has to contact his colleagues from university who are reptile specialists (for him to know if theres still a chance and if there are still other alternatives). not to doubt my vet, he is also an exotic specialist but he has never operated on a bearded dragon before..... it doesnt sound reassuring but he handles reptiles like sea turtles etc.. also i have no other vet to go over with... its very copium

i probably spend a thousand dollars from this already... i couldnt ask money from my family because they would have already freaked out if they knew how much ive actually spent on.. they would probably tell me to buy a new healthier dragon instead of spending so much money.. and it really makes me angry hearing it because .. from what i know... thats usually what others have done....

so yeah... surgery soon... gonna try and scrape up some more money from my job while being a student... still dont know when the possible schedule to be.. ive mentally prepared handfeeding him for the rest of his life because theres a high possibility that he would loose his senses on the mouth if the surgery is successfull... but the vet told me not to be too optimistic about it... honestly am im also sad if what im doing is futile and im just.... extending his pain?

i hope my experience also helps to those searching for situations like this. honestly mouthrot (stomatitis) articles, videos, blogs and forums never show anything on the current state. its usually about them being dead (usually in research articles) or in care guides for prevention. i cant even find anything about bearded dragon surgery for mouthrot when thats the last resort in these cases

yeah sorry for the long post. love your beardies and never down play small mouth injuries
heres a pic of him and me when he was very healthy
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Oh my gosh! I so sorry you & your poor beardie have to go through this. I can’t imagine how stressful this is for you. You have done everything humanly possible to try and help. Please don’t beat yourself up. My prayers for you and your baby.