LIVER FAILURE????

[angiethegreat]

gib just came back from the vet this afternoon, and the vet is concerned that she has liver failure..... can't draw blood until tuesday of next week..... she is tinted yellow and her mouth is BRIGHT YELLOW!!!!!!

she isn't eating, just sleeping.... i have been making her a apple sauce and baby food mix for the last few days..... all she does is hide, I have posted some other others a few months ago about the same problem but that was due to a pimworm issue (which is now resolved)

her temps are bang on, she use to eat super worms (about 5 or 6 a day) fresh mixed greens, uva/b light, and baths at least 3 times a week.... i have no idea why this is happening. Or if I can reverse the effects..... **sigh**

 

[jortiz9758]

Really? I'm sorry. I too had a dragon with liver failure. I had to put him down. In my case the vet said there was nothing that could be done for him and the cost to just keep him going ( with no cure ) was not within my budget.

I made a video of what he looked like a few days before. He was really pale yellow from the liver failure.
I hope it turns out much better for you . Good luck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkuwDHNgCcE

 

[jortiz9758]

Edited** Sorry double Post

 

[angiethegreat]

Gib looks just like the dragon in the video.... except she doesn't have the black beard...... I am doing the same as you were, baby food, bathes and trying to keep her warm..... **sigh**

 

[angiethegreat]

help? ideas? please?!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

So, the vet is going to do a blood test then next week? That will help determine the severity of things, if indeed, it is liver problems. There are fairly good treatment plans to help the liver replenish & regenerate. Lactulose has been used to help the liver mobilize fat & excrete it more efficiently. Milk thistle has been shown to be effective in treating liver disease, & Serrapeptase has liver cleansing properties as well.
How long has this been going on for now?
How old is she?

Tracie

 

[angiethegreat]

the vet is doing blood work tomorrow... she isn't quite a year old yet and I have made sure her diet and viv were as close to perfect as possible..... the liver issue is just a recent thing.... maybe 3 or 4 weeks she has been feeling off and not really herself..... the vet just noticed her yellow color and her mouth on tuesday of last week....

for now we are bathing her and trying to get her to eat some baby food.... its a slow process!

 

[angiethegreat]

this there anything I can for her to make her more comfortable and happy until the results of the blood work come back??? I was reading on the net about fatty liver disease but thats usually caused by the BD eating pinkies or not having a good diet..... although she gets treats we try to feed her a balanced diet and take good care of her.......I wish I knew where we made the mistakes in her husbandry so it wont happen again.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, I can't say that she doesn't have fatty liver disease, but, she sure it young to actually have fatty liver disease if you have been feeding a good diet.
How many superworms on average has she been eating & for how long has she been eating them? What other feeders was she getting as well?
If it is not diet related, it would be a genetic predisposition for liver disease. Liver disease has been linked with Adeno virus as well. I would wait to start worrying quite yet, until we see the blood test results. Would you mind sending me a copy of them when you get them, I would appreciate it!
As far as the coloring of her mouth, had it ever had any yellowing at all, before just recently? That can be an indication of liver disease but it can also be a genetic trait/characteristic of the pogona species from early stock. In the wild, a lot of the dragons have yellow inside of their mouths & gums as a self defense mechanism. Though, her overall general paleness is not a good sign if she has not been feeling well.
Just try to keep her comfortable, & hydrated as much as you can until you can get some tests run on her. Will she eat any greens or veggies right now? Maybe some pureed baby food or greens for her might be good. How do her fat pads look? You can keep her tank around 80 at night right now, to help keep her immune system boosted.

Tracie

 

[angiethegreat]

Thank you so much Tracie for all your help!!!!

she usually eats 5 or 6 superworms every day or every other day. All fresh mixed greens twice a day. She use to eat crickets but then she decided she didn't like them! When she was eating crickets she usually ate 30 a day. They have always been dusted in 5x a week with calcium and 2x week with vitamins. She has a reptisun 10.0 and its only 4 months old.... we were having some issues ( others threads) with pinworms and her hiding out but thats been resolved for a couple months.

I have been giving her a bath everyday and eating her veggies and chicken baby food..... I also have been offering her greens and supers that have shed their shell.... you know the white soft ones?? We have a huge container, so there are several that are white, I was thinking it would be easier for her to digest them..... but she also won't bask, just going into her hid so i'm sure she isn't digesting them very well.....

should I take here hid out and force her to bask??

the vet has ruled out egg binding, and brumation.....

as for her mouth color, to tell the truth, I never looked... Gib doesn't bite but I didnt ever mess with her mouth, she is hand fed worms and stuff but I just never thought to look guess I should have....... and as for knowing her origins, she is a pet store baby. We got her the day she came into the store. She was the only one that looked alert and happy..... she has always had an orange tint to her scales but now its more yellow then orange.......

we will be sparing no cost to make Gib well... we just need to know how to make that happen......

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is Gib doing today, any improvements? How did the blood test go today, & when do they expect the results back in?
Yes, I recommend for now, at least taking her hide out during the daytime so she will bask a little bit more. You can put it back in towards late afternoon after she has gotten some heat for the day.
Well, that amount of superworms doesn't sound like an overload to me, or crickets for that matter for her age. I am sure that she has cut down a little bit since she is a little older now though, but the greens daily are good for her. The supplementation should not be affecting her liver either, as that is the normal amount of the calcium & vitamins given on average. Is she liking her slurry?
Did the vet do an x-ray to take a look for eggs & to asses bone density?

Continue to keep her comfortable & well hydrated with the oral fluids & slurries daily. We will do the best we can. I wouldn't worry "too" much yet, until we can see the results on the test. If caught early, if it is liver failure, the liver can regenerate with treatments.
Do you have any pictures of her?
Is her beard still black today?

Tracie

 

[angiethegreat]

they are expecting the results monday...... the vet didn't do x-rays to check for bone density or eggs. She did check her tummy for lumps and didn't feel anything. *sigh* should I get the vet to x-ray her??

OH! sorry, the post was wrong.... her beard isn't black... it never was..... it that a good sign?? She does have some stress lines on her underside and her tail tip is black too......

I am gonna keep up the baby food and the baths... her fat pockets don't look to deflated.....

she is moving around abit today... i blocked her on her basking spot (the viv is 2 levels) for about 2 hours today.

thanks again for all your help....

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Hm, well, just wait until the blood test results come back. Sometimes you can tell by some of the readings as to whether or not she might be developing follicles or not. I hope you get them soon.
Palpating for lumps in the belly is pretty accurate, but, not as much so if the eggs are soft & undeveloped.
So how is she doing today?
Good that her beard is not black then, so hopefully she is not in too much distress right now. Has she eaten anything today?
Definitely continue with her baths & with some feedings of the baby food, as well. That is good to hear her fat pads are not deflated right now. So she had to bask today that is good! Did she enjoy it a little bit?

Keep me posted on her. I hope she is feeling better soon.

Tracie

 

[angiethegreat]

I think she wants to bask but it doesn't seem like she can for long.... she raises her head to the heat and seems to like it but then after 10-20 mins she just turns and walks down the ramp to her cave..... it really weird......

I called the vet today and they said tho expect the results early monday morning, so I will be waiting......

no black beard and she doesn't seem to be losing any energy, she still can hop out of the sink. And she is still scrambling when she spots the cat.

her tail looks funny though and I am alittle concerned but the vet said to focus on hte liver and hopefully the tail plumps up. it looks sunken in down the middle.....

we are still doing the baby food and baths but now I am getting worried because there is no poop.

thanks again

 

[Drache613]

Hello Angie,

Well, hang in there until monday & once we get the results, we will go from there. Don't forget to try to get a copy for me. Thanks!
If it is liver trouble, hopefully it is early enough that it can be treated.
Keep her hydrated & basking for a little while each day to boost her immune system. At least her beard isn't dark so for the moment, she seems relatively stable right now.
If you want, you can supplement her eating with the baby food for a little while, if her appetite isn't what it needs to be right now.

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie