URGENT- seizure? Stroke? Please read.

[Jazmatazxo]

Please tell me how to attach videos, I need someone to see this as I've never seen a beardie do this along all my research online over the past 4 weeks.

Firstly, im well educated in set up and I know everything is on point, his strip UV bulb is 6-8inchs from him and a reptisun 10.0, his basking bulb is 100w and Basking temp sits at around 37-40c most of the day, and cooler end around 28-30c, we were using tile as flooring but I switched to kitchen roll as he didn't seem to like it. I have recently taken the kitchen roll out just for time being as he has been unwell and not moving around much or pooing.

4 weeks ago I thought he had a seizure, which was later suggested a possibly stroke and I fear he has suffered long term neurological damage. He didn't eat "right" for a few days beforehand but I put it down to mid shed mardiness. There was no obvious trigger, I actually woke up to it happening, approx 30-60mins after his light would have turned on, his beard and half his body went blacker than ever, he was arching his head/spine back and kind of trying to move around but not getting anywhere, he kept flicking his head back and his eyes looked different, he looked so scared and in pain, I tried to pick him up to comfort him but he tried to get away, this is when I realised his limbs were pretty much paralysed, the whole thing didn't last very long and I set about finding an exotic specialist vet.

I found one around 15 miles away who agreed for me to get him seen right away, at this point he couldn't walk. They did tests and kept him in overnight, they gave him morphine as he still looked in pain, very hunched, and this relaxed him by the evening of the first day he could move his back legs but not his arms, but the next morning they bathed him (which he's always hated) and this gave him the push to use the front legs and paralysis has not been an issue since. They did blood tests, all normal, fecal tests, no parasites, full body x-ray showed healthy bones and no sign of MBD, full physical examination and they couldn't find anything wrong. They prescribed injection antibiotics for a possible infection which they believe could have caused pain and seizuring, as well as vitamin booster and pain relief too orally. I had much much trouble administering the oral meds, he is not like another dragon! He will not lick water or food off his nose, he would not let me force his mouth open, I tried all sorts of tricks and methods and I really did not want to hurt him, he didn't appear in pain when I got him home and they vet said he had no deficiencies so I figured the pain relief and vitamins were not worth the extra stress for him. I administered the antibiotics as stated and it took 15 days to complete the course, there was no real change. He didn't eat for nearly 4 weeks, we tried force feeding baby food/ homemade smoothie slurries, no interest, lots of different types of salad and veggies, which he usually loves, no interest, live food, absolutely no interest. He also spent a lot of time in his cool side and I actually had to keep moving him to his basking spot in order for him to perk up a bit, and weirdly, kept facing the corner, he would stay there all day if I let him, which he's never done (possibly due to neurological damage?), He tolerated me getting him out to handle everyday but before all this he would run to my hands when I opened the door, and he would run around the house happily and snuggle on sofa with me to watch TV, nonenof this anymore he would just sit on me with eyes closed. He's lost weight so is not brumating and on Sunday morning I actually said to my partner I think we need to call the vets tomorrow and think about his quality of life..

Well he must of heard that cuz Sunday morning he pooped out of nowhere, was more alert, and actually ate loads of food!! I was. Over the moon, he went to basking spot himself, Monday was much the same but not hungry, Tuesday very hungry again no issues, pooped again in bath, Wednesday and Thursday ate a small amount, but today (Friday) he's had another episode much the same as 4 weeks ago!! I managed to catch some of it on camera, and I feel this one was not as severe (but definitely still painful and scary for him) I wanted to hold him but again he tried to get away as best he could when I opened his doors and I didn't want to cause extra stress. He's finally stopped with the twitching, it's not like an MBD twitch it's like every 5_10 seconds he would tense his whole body for a second then relax again.. he isn't black anymore and I have moved him to the warm end on a little towel, I think he is still able to move his legs, but he doesn't want to, looks tired as you would expect even a human to be after a seizure. But I'm not convinced it was a seizure?!
I really want people to watch the videos and see if anyone else has experienced this and lend some advice. I'm more concerned now that it is not a one off

I have called my vet again this morning and I'm waiting for the exotic specialist to call back but I really can't afford another £400, and I don't even think any of the treatment helped him last time...

I feel it's unfair to keep him alive if this is his life now, seizuring then not eating for 3.5 weeks then being great for 3-4 days then repeating the cycle.. what is going wrong here?

Also he is not old, he is around 4.5 years.

 

[Emilia Thuet]

If anything you can email it to me. How is he doing now?

 

[Julee1971]

Please tell me how to attach videos, I need someone to see this as I've never seen a beardie do this along all my research online over the past 4 weeks.

Firstly, im well educated in set up and I know everything is on point, his strip UV bulb is 6-8inchs from him and a reptisun 10.0, his basking bulb is 100w and Basking temp sits at around 37-40c most of the day, and cooler end around 28-30c, we were using tile as flooring but I switched to kitchen roll as he didn't seem to like it. I have recently taken the kitchen roll out just for time being as he has been unwell and not moving around much or pooing.

4 weeks ago I thought he had a seizure, which was later suggested a possibly stroke and I fear he has suffered long term neurological damage. He didn't eat "right" for a few days beforehand but I put it down to mid shed mardiness. There was no obvious trigger, I actually woke up to it happening, approx 30-60mins after his light would have turned on, his beard and half his body went blacker than ever, he was arching his head/spine back and kind of trying to move around but not getting anywhere, he kept flicking his head back and his eyes looked different, he looked so scared and in pain, I tried to pick him up to comfort him but he tried to get away, this is when I realised his limbs were pretty much paralysed, the whole thing didn't last very long and I set about finding an exotic specialist vet.

I found one around 15 miles away who agreed for me to get him seen right away, at this point he couldn't walk. They did tests and kept him in overnight, they gave him morphine as he still looked in pain, very hunched, and this relaxed him by the evening of the first day he could move his back legs but not his arms, but the next morning they bathed him (which he's always hated) and this gave him the push to use the front legs and paralysis has not been an issue since. They did blood tests, all normal, fecal tests, no parasites, full body x-ray showed healthy bones and no sign of MBD, full physical examination and they couldn't find anything wrong. They prescribed injection antibiotics for a possible infection which they believe could have caused pain and seizuring, as well as vitamin booster and pain relief too orally. I had much much trouble administering the oral meds, he is not like another dragon! He will not lick water or food off his nose, he would not let me force his mouth open, I tried all sorts of tricks and methods and I really did not want to hurt him, he didn't appear in pain when I got him home and they vet said he had no deficiencies so I figured the pain relief and vitamins were not worth the extra stress for him. I administered the antibiotics as stated and it took 15 days to complete the course, there was no real change. He didn't eat for nearly 4 weeks, we tried force feeding baby food/ homemade smoothie slurries, no interest, lots of different types of salad and veggies, which he usually loves, no interest, live food, absolutely no interest. He also spent a lot of time in his cool side and I actually had to keep moving him to his basking spot in order for him to perk up a bit, and weirdly, kept facing the corner, he would stay there all day if I let him, which he's never done (possibly due to neurological damage?), He tolerated me getting him out to handle everyday but before all this he would run to my hands when I opened the door, and he would run around the house happily and snuggle on sofa with me to watch TV, nonenof this anymore he would just sit on me with eyes closed. He's lost weight so is not brumating and on Sunday morning I actually said to my partner I think we need to call the vets tomorrow and think about his quality of life..

Well he must of heard that cuz Sunday morning he pooped out of nowhere, was more alert, and actually ate loads of food!! I was. Over the moon, he went to basking spot himself, Monday was much the same but not hungry, Tuesday very hungry again no issues, pooped again in bath, Wednesday and Thursday ate a small amount, but today (Friday) he's had another episode much the same as 4 weeks ago!! I managed to catch some of it on camera, and I feel this one was not as severe (but definitely still painful and scary for him) I wanted to hold him but again he tried to get away as best he could when I opened his doors and I didn't want to cause extra stress. He's finally stopped with the twitching, it's not like an MBD twitch it's like every 5_10 seconds he would tense his whole body for a second then relax again.. he isn't black anymore and I have moved him to the warm end on a little towel, I think he is still able to move his legs, but he doesn't want to, looks tired as you would expect even a human to be after a seizure. But I'm not convinced it was a seizure?!
I really want people to watch the videos and see if anyone else has experienced this and lend some advice. I'm more concerned now that it is not a one off

I have called my vet again this morning and I'm waiting for the exotic specialist to call back but I really can't afford another £400, and I don't even think any of the treatment helped him last time...

I feel it's unfair to keep him alive if this is his life now, seizuring then not eating for 3.5 weeks then being great for 3-4 days then repeating the cycle.. what is going wrong here?

Also he is not old, he is around 4.5 years.

1st of all ; he is way to close to the UVB he has to be 12 inches away and u say u have a Uvb strip? And a Reptisun 10.0? A Reptisun is UVb; it should be the 10.0 T5 only to cove r70 percent of the tank and a 100 watt basking bulb. Remove the asdtl Uvb strip ASAP; prolly over UVB’d Him. Lastly were u giving him spinach? That’s a big No; it binds to calcium. Lastly did u give him calcium powder lightly dusted in his crickets or sprinkled over his veggies? Only once per day/5 times a week? Very important tondo so and use the RepCal brand calcium and jo spinach or carrots ever. It’s prolly MBD; tremors and seizures isbalways MBD. U can reverse it but u need a new vet and he needs calcium shots cuz he’s in super bad shape. UVB lots of it; 12-14 hours per day for heat and uvb for all dragons in the summer & 8-10 Hours in the winter. And only the Reptisun 10.0 T5 it gives the most & best UVB. Also; all uvb bulbs need replacing after 6Months religiously. And NO meal worms or wax worms ever; crickets & Dubai Roaches are he best protein with greens and veggies everyday. He needs lots of calcium, lots of UVb and tons of protein asap crickets and Dubai Roaches u cans o a few super or hornworms to as treats and to get him healthy but they are high in fat. Please do this ASAP and google ans call for the best vet that deals with reptiles.

 

[Julee1971]

1st of all ; he is way to close to the UVB he has to be 12 inches away and u say u have a Uvb strip? And a Reptisun 10.0? A Reptisun is UVb; it should be the 10.0 T5 only to cove r70 percent of the tank and a 100 watt basking bulb. Remove the asdtl Uvb strip ASAP; prolly over UVB’d Him. Lastly were u giving him spinach? That’s a big No; it binds to calcium. Lastly did u give him calcium powder lightly dusted in his crickets or sprinkled over his veggies? Only once per day/5 times a week? Very important tondo so and use the RepCal brand calcium and jo spinach or carrots ever. It’s prolly MBD; tremors and seizures isbalways MBD. U can reverse it but u need a new vet and he needs calcium shots cuz he’s in super bad shape. UVB lots of it; 12-14 hours per day for heat and uvb for all dragons in the summer & 8-10 Hours in the winter. And only the Reptisun 10.0 T5 it gives the most & best UVB. Also; all uvb bulbs need replacing after 6Months religiously. And NO meal worms or wax worms ever; crickets & Dubai Roaches are he best protein with greens and veggies everyday. He needs lots of calcium, lots of UVb and tons of protein asap crickets and Dubai Roaches u cans o a few super or hornworms to as treats and to get him healthy but they are high in fat. Please do this ASAP and google ans call for the best vet that deals with reptiles.

Here you go so you now what I posted is acacurate and true. We rescue and rehome & those who don’t give calcium or the right UVB can kill a dragon overnite. So prosper UVB and calcium he need a New vet ASAP to give him calcium shots because he is in severe severe deadly shape. The UVB is suppose to be replaced every 6mnths & calcium 5times a week u will have tondo wverydya now to make up for lost time and orde the Reptisun 10.0’T5 to cover 70 prcnt of the tank ASAp. And lots of protein Dubias and crickets u can do super and hornworms afte the uvb and calcium so he can get some energy they are high in fat but he will eat the Horn they are delicious. Here is the info off the internet:
Bearded Dragon seizures are most commonly related to calcium problems. If you don’t have a full-spectrum light that emits the UVB portion of light, if you don’t change that light at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals, if you have the light too far from the bearded dragon or it is filtered through glass or plastic, if you are not keeping the bearded dragon at the correct temperature range, or if you are not feeding the bearded dragon an appropriate diet – any one of those things could be involved with why she is having a seizure.

 

[Jazmatazxo]

Hi Julee,

You started by saying that I'd over UVB'd him and in the same message are telling me he has MBD.. sorry but I'm struggling to trust what you are saying. His x-ray came back normal with no signs of MBD from looking at his bones, his bloods and fecal results came back normal, with no deficiencies, and he has had no other symptoms of MBD so I'm quite sure it's not this. They did give him a calcium shot and a vitamin shot despite no deficiencies just to make sure and this had no positive effect. His seizures have also not fit with typical MBD seizures which I why I wanted to post the videos, I posted in beardeddragon.org ER and they suggested it's not full seizures, more multiple full body muscle spasms, so I'm feeling very confused.

His uvb is a t8 and I know it's in the right place/right one for his tank. The lighting and temps is all good and I'm sure of that.
He eats mainly morioworms and dubia roaches, dusted with calcium and vitamin supplement, also dust his fruit and salad often and he never has spinach or carrots. He usually has pea shoots, spring greens, cabbage leaves, I never give him spinach, kale or lettuce, for regular treats I give butternut squash, pear, strawberries, grapes. He does have wax worms for treats too as I'm trying to fatten him up more and they are softer and easier for him to catch as he's a bit slow right now, please tell me why I shouldn't be giving these as I will defo stop if there is a legitimate reason.

Thankyou!

 

[Julee1971]

Hi Julee,

You started by saying that I'd over UVB'd him and in the same message are telling me he has MBD.. sorry but I'm struggling to trust what you are saying. His x-ray came back normal with no signs of MBD from looking at his bones, his bloods and fecal results came back normal, with no deficiencies, and he has had no other symptoms of MBD so I'm quite sure it's not this. They did give him a calcium shot and a vitamin shot despite no deficiencies just to make sure and this had no positive effect. His seizures have also not fit with typical MBD seizures which I why I wanted to post the videos, I posted in beardeddragon.org ER and they suggested it's not full seizures, more multiple full body muscle spasms, so I'm feeling very confused.

His uvb is a t8 and I know it's in the right place/right one for his tank. The lighting and temps is all good and I'm sure of that.
He eats mainly morioworms and dubia roaches, dusted with calcium and vitamin supplement, also dust his fruit and salad often and he never has spinach or carrots. He usually has pea shoots, spring greens, cabbage leaves, I never give him spinach, kale or lettuce, for regular treats I give butternut squash, pear, strawberries, grapes. He does have wax worms for treats too as I'm trying to fatten him up more and they are softer and easier for him to catch as he's a bit slow right now, please tell me why I shouldn't be giving these as I will defo stop if there is a legitimate reason.

Thankyou!

We rescue and rehome the seizures or tremors or spasms are MBD however he could also be overdosed on calcium which causes liver issues and several other problems. Are u in California? I can refer u to some great vets call around and explain symptoms and get a better vet. I can give u lots of advice and referrals to many that I have helped and Beardies have an 80 prcnt improvement. NO wax or meal worms ever it impacts them and destroys their digestive system. Dubia roaches and crickets u lightly dust the calcium once per day sprinkle it in a big ziplock with h Dubias and or crickets and shake the bag then feed him it slows the crickets down. But calcium once per day some people Pour it in their feeding dish like a bowl of sugar which is wrong. Also try and STOP the sugar; bad for Beardies u can do some mangoes, papaya or blueberries once a week as a treat but sugar is not good for them. Morioworms; that’s not a Beardie item nor is peas, or cabbage this are NOT staple greens and veggies; dandelions, collard, mustard greens, endives, snap peas, green beans, butternut sqaush are the best everyday greens/veggies. Google Beardie 101 staple greens they have a list ans those are the everyday ones. Please for the Beardies sake follow what I’m suggesting and u will see results. Stop the weird worms and do Dubias and crickets and little to NO sugar especially the fruits u r giving and remove the extra UVB strip. U can harm them with too much; rite now th Beardie is sick whether it’s MBD which thaienaee the signs or liver damage Etc from too much calcium if u have been doing calcium make sure it’s litghhky dusting and only once a day and since he is an adult go down to 3times a week. And a long Reptisun uvb it should be the T5; T8 is ok if it’s mounted inside but the best is 10.0 T5. Is yours a 5.0 or 10.0? 5.0 barely emits any uvb and have u been replacing this every 6months? Hi he bulb doesn’t die it still turns on but will won’t no uvb. If the dragon can’t get Vitamin D or breakdown the calcium he will have brittle broken bones won’t be able to walk Etc all th symptoms he is experiencing. So, one long Reptisun covering 70 percent do the tank; 10.0 T5 and no other UVb strip. Also the only other lamp should be the ZooMed 100watt basking bulb that’s it. Remove any other heat and extra uvb strips and no sugar and change the diet and water and baths in dechlorinated water and monitor then find another vet please

 

[Julee1971]

We rescue and rehome the seizures or tremors or spasms are MBD however he could also be overdosed on calcium which causes liver issues and several other problems. Are u in California? I can refer u to some great vets call around and explain symptoms and get a better vet. I can give u lots of advice and referrals to many that I have helped and Beardies have an 80 prcnt improvement. NO wax or meal worms ever it impacts them and destroys their digestive system. Dubia roaches and crickets u lightly dust the calcium once per day sprinkle it in a big ziplock with h Dubias and or crickets and shake the bag then feed him it slows the crickets down. But calcium once per day some people Pour it in their feeding dish like a bowl of sugar which is wrong. Also try and STOP the sugar; bad for Beardies u can do some mangoes, papaya or blueberries once a week as a treat but sugar is not good for them. Morioworms; that’s not a Beardie item nor is peas, or cabbage this are NOT staple greens and veggies; dandelions, collard, mustard greens, endives, snap peas, green beans, butternut sqaush are the best everyday greens/veggies. Google Beardie 101 staple greens they have a list ans those are the everyday ones. Please for the Beardies sake follow what I’m suggesting and u will see results. Stop the weird worms and do Dubias and crickets and little to NO sugar especially the fruits u r giving and remove the extra UVB strip. U can harm them with too much; rite now th Beardie is sick whether it’s MBD which thaienaee the signs or liver damage Etc from too much calcium if u have been doing calcium make sure it’s litghhky dusting and only once a day and since he is an adult go down to 3times a week. And a long Reptisun uvb it should be the T5; T8 is ok if it’s mounted inside but the best is 10.0 T5. Is yours a 5.0 or 10.0? 5.0 barely emits any uvb and have u been replacing this every 6months? Hi he bulb doesn’t die it still turns on but will won’t no uvb. If the dragon can’t get Vitamin D or breakdown the calcium he will have brittle broken bones won’t be able to walk Etc all th symptoms he is experiencing. So, one long Reptisun covering 70 percent do the tank; 10.0 T5 and no other UVb strip. Also the only other lamp should be the ZooMed 100watt basking bulb that’s it. Remove any other heat and extra uvb strips and no sugar and change the diet and water and baths in dechlorinated water and monitor then find another vet please

Also hers he link for staple Foods and NoNo’s:
https://www.beardeddragoncare101.com/best-foods-bearded-dragon/

 

[Jazmatazxo]

We rescue and rehome the seizures or tremors or spasms are MBD however he could also be overdosed on calcium which causes liver issues and several other problems. Are u in California? I can refer u to some great vets call around and explain symptoms and get a better vet. I can give u lots of advice and referrals to many that I have helped and Beardies have an 80 prcnt improvement. NO wax or meal worms ever it impacts them and destroys their digestive system. Dubia roaches and crickets u lightly dust the calcium once per day sprinkle it in a big ziplock with h Dubias and or crickets and shake the bag then feed him it slows the crickets down. But calcium once per day some people Pour it in their feeding dish like a bowl of sugar which is wrong. Also try and STOP the sugar; bad for Beardies u can do some mangoes, papaya or blueberries once a week as a treat but sugar is not good for them. Morioworms; that’s not a Beardie item nor is peas, or cabbage this are NOT staple greens and veggies; dandelions, collard, mustard greens, endives, snap peas, green beans, butternut sqaush are the best everyday greens/veggies. Google Beardie 101 staple greens they have a list ans those are the everyday ones. Please for the Beardies sake follow what I’m suggesting and u will see results. Stop the weird worms and do Dubias and crickets and little to NO sugar especially the fruits u r giving and remove the extra UVB strip. U can harm them with too much; rite now th Beardie is sick whether it’s MBD which thaienaee the signs or liver damage Etc from too much calcium if u have been doing calcium make sure it’s litghhky dusting and only once a day and since he is an adult go down to 3times a week. And a long Reptisun uvb it should be the T5; T8 is ok if it’s mounted inside but the best is 10.0 T5. Is yours a 5.0 or 10.0? 5.0 barely emits any uvb and have u been replacing this every 6months? Hi he bulb doesn’t die it still turns on but will won’t no uvb. If the dragon can’t get Vitamin D or breakdown the calcium he will have brittle broken bones won’t be able to walk Etc all th symptoms he is experiencing. So, one long Reptisun covering 70 percent do the tank; 10.0 T5 and no other UVb strip. Also the only other lamp should be the ZooMed 100watt basking bulb that’s it. Remove any other heat and extra uvb strips and no sugar and change the diet and water and baths in dechlorinated water and monitor then find another vet please

I'm in the UK, he's had all tests done as I was worried about something I have been doing wrong but everything come back normal. This cost me over £500 so trust me I have done all the research and I care about my beardie. I will stop the wax worms, and cut down the sugar but it is mainly pea shoots (leaves not peas), fruit is only given as treats and only has been more frequent lately due to him being poorly and me wanting him to eat anything he would take. I don't have an extra uvb, I have one tube bulb, it's the reptisun 10.0 t8 and it is mounted inside at the correct place. I do replace bulbs every 6 months, current one was bought beginning of may. And it is a 100w basking bulb I have also which is mounted above the tank so he cannot burn himself, I will try post a photo of set up. He only couldn't walk after his first seizure for less than one day, he is okay now, but I want to get to the bottom of his seizures as they are not normal tremors or seizures.