Sick

[Shimmy_Dragon]

Helloo, just wondered if anyone can help me please! We have a female bearded dragon whose just turned 1 years old and she hasn’t eaten for the last 4 weeks. We have owned bearded dragons for the last 10 years and we’ve never experienced anything like this before. During the months of December-February she went through her first brumation and although she hardly ate, she still ate locusts occasionally. We knew she had come out of brumation as her appetite began to spike again and she came out to bask during the day. She seems really happy in herself, but just won’t eat! We offer her greens daily and she’s never even touched these, even after we’ve tried different varieties. We took her to a reptile vet as she’d lost about 15g and they run an ultrasound to see if she had a clutch of eggs that she couldn’t pass, but nothing. They ran blood tests, but all these came back clear. No parasites, no problem with her liver/kidneys. They did confirm that she was slightly dehydrated and advised we syringe feed water daily and they also said her white blood cell count was low, so prescribed antibiotics to build her immune system back up. The vet seemed really happy with her weight and said she seemed happy in herself, but her stomach seemed slightly tender. 2 weeks later and she’s passed a green poo with a normal white urate and we’re pinning this down to the antibiotics, but we’re unsure. The vets have advised that the next steps would be to do an x-ray as she’s lost another 5g. I just wanted to know if anyone has ever experienced anything like this before?? Oh- and also we have syringe fed pureed butternut squash, which she does lick for a while. Thanks!

 

[Tomoe]

We dont know much about bearded dragons but I am surprised your vet did not give her critical care food unless your vet isn't too worried yet about the weight loss. We made a paste from bearded dragon pellets and unsweetened applesauce via 10 mg plunger. Likely better than just butternut squash. Or not. As I said not a great deal of experience other than it worked and brought her back from what looked like near death.

Took in a sick bearded dragon lady week and was doing her care based on online research. The video we used was on youtube: search how I saved my dying bearded dragon. Good luck.

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

We dont know much about bearded dragons but I am surprised your vet did not give her critical care food unless your vet isn't too worried yet about the weight loss. We made a paste from bearded dragon pellets and unsweetened applesauce via 10 mg plunger. Likely better than just butternut squash. Or not. As I said not a great deal of experience other than it worked and brought her back from what looked like near death. View attachment 22297Took in a sick bearded dragon lady week and was doing her care based on online research. The video we used was on youtube: search how I saved my dying bearded dragon. Good luck.

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

thank you! Will try syringe feeding her that and hope it helps her to regain some weight!

 

[Tomoe]

If you have calcium powder, add a bit of that too to the mix. When you go to the vet ask if she feels critical care food would be appropriate for her. That is what the vet has our girl on now but she is a mess. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will also reply but yes, that mixture definitely saved her. The guy in the video blended in bugs and other things but the pieces kept getting stuck in our syringes. Maybe your blender is better. I hope it helps!

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

If you have calcium powder, add a bit of that too to the mix. When you go to the vet ask if she feels critical care food would be appropriate for her. That is what the vet has our girl on now but she is a mess. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will also reply but yes, that mixture definitely saved her. The guy in the video blended in bugs and other things but the pieces kept getting stuck in our syringes. Maybe your blender is better. I hope it helps!

Thank you for all of your advice. The Vet Recommended that we give her liquid calcium through a syringe alongside her antibiotics, but we may put it inside the mashed up food syringe now and see if that helps. After 2 weeks on the antibiotics and still not eating we think it’s time for an x-ray. Fingers crossed they find something so we can understand what treatments to proceed with!

 

[Tomoe]

Fingers crossed! We have had Ruby for a couple of weeks and I would have never realized how sweet and loving a reptile could be! I truly pray your dragon gets better asap.

 

[Tomoe]

Thank you for all of your advice. The Vet Recommended that we give her liquid calcium through a syringe alongside her antibiotics, but we may put it inside the mashed up food syringe now and see if that helps. After 2 weeks on the antibiotics and still not eating we think it’s time for an x-ray. Fingers crossed they find something so we can understand what treatments to proceed with!

How is your beardie doing? I have been hoping she is doing better!!

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

How is your beardie doing? I have been hoping she is doing better!!

hello, we took her for an emergency x-ray as we noticed she had done a jelly-like green poop. We spoke to the same vet, who had been so kind and helpful, and we explained that she’d lost some more weight and the poo and the fact she opened her mouth when being stroked on the head. An x-ray confirmed bad peritonitis she had tried to ovulate after brumation and unfortunately the eggs didn’t develop properly and filled her abdomen with yolk. This was pressing on her liver and caused severe damage. All of the loose yolk would have made her feel bloated and thus explains why she wasn’t eating. After careful consideration with the vet we all came to the agreement that the kindest thing to do was to let her go. Our sweet 1 year old baby went over the rainbow bridge to beardie heaven yesterday we are devastated, but would hate to think of her in pain. Thank you for all your help and advice

 

[Tomoe]

I am so sorry to hear this! Terribly sorry for your loss. The girl we found has a mass from that and will need surgery to get her out of the woods. Right now we need to wait and see if she has yellow fungus in her eye first. That would end much the same way for us. Our vet told us this is common with female dragons and that it is important to get them spayed but not many people know that. May I suggest you get a boy when you are ready to love again to avoid that cost and possibility it happens again. I am so sorry again and wishing you peace.

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

Thank you for your kind words Fingers crossed for your girl, I really do pray that you get a very long happy life with her. And no I didn’t know that you could get female bearded dragons spayed, so thank you for that! We’re going to take some time to grieve for now and focus on our 4 month old house rabbit, but hopefully one day in the future we’ll be able to give some love to another beardie. I’d love to keep updated with your beardie, so if you wanted to could post an update on this feed?

 

[Tomoe]

Ok sure! We also have a rabbit! Ruby is doing a lot better! We took her to the lake yesterday and got a picture with some possible ancestors! She still is not eating on her own but we have added some freeze dried bugs and going to the store to get some fresh fruit and veggies just for her. Her next vet appt is Thursday and praying she will be able to tell Ruby doesn't have the dreaded yellow fungus. Otherwise she is so much stronger and active! Fingers crossed for some good news.

 

[GojiraMama]

Our sweet 1 year old baby went over the rainbow bridge to beardie heaven yesterday we are devastated, but would hate to think of her in pain. Thank you for all your help and advice

I am SO SORRY you lost your baby girl. I lost a 2-year-old male to unexplained kidney failure last year, he held on for 8 weeks but we couldn't get him eating again & we still don't know (probably never will) what happened but we suspect some kind of chemical exposure & the ADV virus were involved.

They never get to stay long enough. I hope your hearts will have room for another beardie when you're ready, they're the best. I loved Stevie Ray enough to survive massive PTSD so I could keep taking care of him, but I made it less than a month without a heap of spiky lizard joy in my life before finding a slightly oder boy to adopt.

 

[Tomoe]

Vet said Ruby does not have the dreaded yellow fungus and she continues to get better. She definitely was neglected and abused in her old life and she will always be special needs but she has hope of a happy rest of her life. She still needs surgery for the same reason as your girl. Hoping you are doing better with each day. Here is a recent picture. She is finally showing her true happy beardie colors.

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

I am SO SORRY you lost your baby girl. I lost a 2-year-old male to unexplained kidney failure last year, he held on for 8 weeks but we couldn't get him eating again & we still don't know (probably never will) what happened but we suspect some kind of chemical exposure & the ADV virus were involved.

They never get to stay long enough. I hope your hearts will have room for another beardie when you're ready, they're the best. I loved Stevie Ray enough to survive massive PTSD so I could keep taking care of him, but I made it less than a month without a heap of spiky lizard joy in my life before finding a slightly oder boy to adopt.

thank you so much it’s been just over a week since we lost her and we’ve buried her in a lovely large pot in the garden with some lilies and we got upset as the lilies opened this morning with orange and yellow, like our shimmy! I’m sorry to hear about your little beardie too, it’s horrid when there’s nothing you can do to help them. But I’m very glad to hear that you now have another spiky friend to love and cherish!!

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

Vet said Ruby does not have the dreaded yellow fungus and she continues to get better. She definitely was neglected and abused in her old life and she will always be special needs but she has hope of a happy rest of her life. She still needs surgery for the same reason as your girl. Hoping you are doing better with each day. Here is a recent picture. She is finally showing her true happy beardie colors.

So glad to hear that ruby doesn’t have yellow fungus and that her health is improving! She has some beautiful colouring and I wish her all the best for her surgery Thank you - it is getting easier each day, she is dearly missed but I know she’s not in pain anymore!

 

[GojiraMama]

thank you so much it’s been just over a week since we lost her and we’ve buried her in a lovely large pot in the garden with some lilies and we got upset as the lilies opened this morning with orange and yellow, like our shimmy! I’m sorry to hear about your little beardie too, it’s horrid when there’s nothing you can do to help them. But I’m very glad to hear that you now have another spiky friend to love and cherish!!☺

I went out of my way to get a male bc of egg-related problems exactly like these (my mom has chickens, egg binding terrifies me) & wanted an adult over 3 after finding out about some cancer-prone bloodlines in commercial stock. I knew I wasn't going to be able to afford an adult from a breeder, so I went the rescue route & found Gojira an entire time zone away from me.

My late great Stevie Ray (already named when I got him around 9 months old) fought so long & was so very good at every vet visit for those 8 weeks that they paid for his cremation and the lovely carved, brass-inlaid box to hold his ashes--now a centerpiece displayed in my living room next to his favorite lounging rock & a glass paperweight I bought bc it was all his favorite colors. The vet's office also made a feet & tail impression bejeweled with his name, which I gave to the lady I adopted him from when her people-kid got too sick for her to have other little lives in her care.

Gojira has been a wonderful adventure & I hope to have many more years with him as his 6th birthday (I don't know the date) approaches. His 6-month update to the rescue was EPIC, a photo of the essentially wild animal I adopted in April 2019 lounging in his harness at one of the viewpoints in Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is over 1,000 miles from where I live & had been on my lifetime wish list since the 1970s, it was a GLORIOUS day. One of the best moments was a lady approaching me at the park, looking at my pet carrier with a very specific expression of curiosity. Turns out she was from central Australia & said she sees wild beardies daily in the parking area where she works, had never seen one travel as a pet, & mine looked handsome & well fed. (I'm still glowing & that was in October).

Losing the tiny lives that trust us is always hard, and they never do get to stay long enough. I will, however, never be without a beardie again if I can help it; I'm not a mammals-as-pets person & beardies are just the perfect companion in my case. The best perk is that all a beardie has to do for me in order to earn their Certified Therapy Animal letter as required by the state I live in is to be a beardie.

I love that the flowers bloomed in her colors. I planted irises on a snake's grave for that reason once but never got to see them bloom.

 

[Shimmy_Dragon]

I went out of my way to get a male bc of egg-related problems exactly like these (my mom has chickens, egg binding terrifies me) & wanted an adult over 3 after finding out about some cancer-prone bloodlines in commercial stock. I knew I wasn't going to be able to afford an adult from a breeder, so I went the rescue route & found Gojira an entire time zone away from me.

My late great Stevie Ray (already named when I got him around 9 months old) fought so long & was so very good at every vet visit for those 8 weeks that they paid for his cremation and the lovely carved, brass-inlaid box to hold his ashes--now a centerpiece displayed in my living room next to his favorite lounging rock & a glass paperweight I bought bc it was all his favorite colors. The vet's office also made a feet & tail impression bejeweled with his name, which I gave to the lady I adopted him from when her people-kid got too sick for her to have other little lives in her care.

Gojira has been a wonderful adventure & I hope to have many more years with him as his 6th birthday (I don't know the date) approaches. His 6-month update to the rescue was EPIC, a photo of the essentially wild animal I adopted in April 2019 lounging in his harness at one of the viewpoints in Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is over 1,000 miles from where I live & had been on my lifetime wish list since the 1970s, it was a GLORIOUS day. One of the best moments was a lady approaching me at the park, looking at my pet carrier with a very specific expression of curiosity. Turns out she was from central Australia & said she sees wild beardies daily in the parking area where she works, had never seen one travel as a pet, & mine looked handsome & well fed. (I'm still glowing & that was in October).

Losing the tiny lives that trust us is always hard, and they never do get to stay long enough. I will, however, never be without a beardie again if I can help it; I'm not a mammals-as-pets person & beardies are just the perfect companion in my case. The best perk is that all a beardie has to do for me in order to earn their Certified Therapy Animal letter as required by the state I live in is to be a beardie.

I love that the flowers bloomed in her colors. I planted irises on a snake's grave for that reason once but never got to see them bloom.

oh wow, do you live in America?? Hello from over the pond here in England! And I think that’s lovely that you got your friend from a rescue, where he can spend the rest of his life happy with you. Here’s to many more lovey years together for you and Gojira!