Very sick dragon

[Dinosoarez]

I purchased my first bearded dragon, Chica, in April when she was about 3 months old. I decided to get her off Craigslist which now that I look back on might have been a big mistake. She grew, shed, and ate normally but she seemed to never want to walk around her tank. At first I just thought she was a little lazy since her health always seemed great. After I finished moving, I took Chica to the vet thinking that they could help fix her up and make sure she could live a long healthy life. I knew her condition was more serious when the vet kept her overnight because of her condition. When I got her back they diagnosed her with parasites and MBD and I was given prescriptions for both. She was also given a feeding syringe in case she didn’t have the energy to eat. Now it has been 2 months since going to the vet and Chica’s health has gone drastically down hill. She has had 2/3 round of her parasite medicine and finished taking her calcium already. I thought she would be getting better but now she hasn’t shed in 2 months, hasn’t grown at all, and most concerning to me she has no interest in food at all. It’s been so long and she will not even look at a mealworm (which used to be her favorite). At this point I have contacted the vet to let them know her condition and I will be taking fecal samples to see if the parasites have begun to leave. The vet also mentioned that she might have a virus and after looking up ADV I noticed that Chica does have some of the traits. She does not “stargaze” to the point that her head is backwards but she will often lift her head up and drop it back down (which is the closest thing to standing she has done in months) and she will also have spasms where she violently shakes her body for a few seconds (typically when feeding or in a bath). I am so concerned for the health of my baby girl and if anyone here has any info that could help please send it my way.

 

[Dinosoarez]

Just for background info Chica lives in a 50 gallon tank with a 150 watt heating lamp and a mega ray MVB 100 watt. Her staple protein was mealworms (I know it should be something like crickets or dubia but Chica liked mealworms too much) and she would normally have collard greens and kale for her greens. She has been on the powdered food the vet gave me for 2 months though so she hasn’t had any of those in a while.

 

[Emilia Thuet]

How far away is she from heat and uvb lamp? Would you mind sending a pic of her enclosure and her basking temperatures, hope she's feeling better today

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Awww, poor girl. Hope she feels better. Make sure you wash everything in her tank thoroughly. That will help along with medicine to get the parasites gone. Yes, as Emilia said send pics. Experts here can help get things just right for her if they see whats going on. They were great at helping me get Dexter's tank just right.

Also, be aware that some medicines upset their tummy's and it sounds like she's been on them off and on for a while. Could be one of the reasons she's not eating much. Have you tried maybe giving her some baby food (organic no additives) via a syringe? Vege ones and maybe one with chicken? Add a little water so it's a little watery. Make sure it's slightly warm not hot. Might get enough in her tummy to offset the medicine and might give her a little more umpf to go along with the powered food the vet gave.?. Just a thought.