Trouble is coughing...

[jscott]

hey everyone, sorry i havent posted in a while.

i was sitting in my room watching tv when i heard a noise coming from Troubles tank.

hes coughing or something, and it has me pretty worried. he looks uncomfortable; hes holding his head up with his mouth slightly open and he puffs out his beard and coughs. his beard is slightly black, but no more than usual. when he coughs he tenses up and fidgets around...




hes doing it alot, and ive onl recently noticed it within the last hour.

hes coughing alot; he coughs just once but every 15-20 sec or so :| ...

can someone please help me? im really worried...

 

[jscott]

his coughing is becoming more labored... im getting worried. is this a respiritory thing or is he trying to throw up.

anyone?

 

[jscott]

hes still coughing. it seems like its getting worse.

i dont see any mucus around his nose or mouth but now when he coughs he licks his lips... i think hes licking his lips because hes coughing something up... i dont like the looks of this. im going to try to find a proper reptile vet around my area tommorrow.


if ANYONE has any advice that would be great :| ...

 

[jscott]

im putting a ceramic heat emmiter on his tank tonight. im going to try to use a rheostat to dial the temps in to around 80 degrees for the time being.

hes coughing abunch and i dont know why... he really didnt eat much today, hes been going into a semi-brumation. all i gave hime was some finely chopped squash and he really didnt want any; he didnt ingest anything big enough to get stuck i dont think...

LAST MINUTE UPDATE,

i have the 100watt CHE and a 75watt basking bulb over him and he is totally loving it. however, it is 1:37 in the morning and he should have any lights on... the 100watt heat emmiter should get pretty hot so im going to turn off his light for the night.

i put a probe thermometer in. im watching the temps and am trying to keep them in the safe range, below 100 at least. hes really liking this hot spot so i think i might keep it rathr warm tonight.

well thats it i guess... i guess ill be on in the morning to see if i have any suggestions.

 

[Harley's Mom]

I have no answers but was wondering how your little guy is doing?

Also, did you PM Tracie? The one time I needed assistance, I recieved a quicker response when I PM'ed her and she walked me through everything and was an incredible help to me.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Jason,

What are the temps getting down to at night? What is your humidity?
They sometimes do that type of behavior just with their regular bearding activity. Though always holding his head up is not normal though.
Have you looked inside of his mouth to see if his saliva is extra thickened or off color perhaps or stringy? If you hold your ear up to his chest do you hear any wheezing or crackling type of noises like if he had a cold, etc?
Could he have ingested any water or fluids down the wrong way recently?
His beard is not darkened anymore than usual?
If you suspect a respiratory infection, taking him in is good to get an x-ray to determine if it is a respiratory issue. Also, as you are currently doing, using the ceramic heat emitter continue to do that. However, don't use the light & the heater he wont get any sleep. Also, you don't really want to keep the nighttime temps like basking temps, it stresses them too much. If you can keep the tank around 80 that is fine.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[jscott]

hey everyone, he seems ok for now. the CHE kept the nighttime temps pretty high, around 98 degrees. he usually goes down into his cave to sleep but because i never turned off the CHE he decided to stay up there.

he didnt drink any water recently, his last bath was a couple days ago. i odnt know what he could be choking on. i fear it must be respiritory...

i really dont have a proper humidity gauge, just one of those stick on ones fom along time ago(i dont even use it). it has been rainy and cold the last few days, i suppose the humidity could be up in my room. i will invest in an accurite therm/hydrometer today.


LAST MINUTE UPDATE:

as i was typing this, he woke up and started doing it again . not as loud as before, but probably because he just woke up. hes not constantly holding his chin up and i cant hear any crackeling. i dont even see any labored breathing. he just puffs his beard up and and sticks his tounge out ,either swallowing or coughing. this morning he seems to be doing the swallowing and licking his lips thing alot more.

NOW hes doing that thing where he holds his head high. i dont know if its any higher than normal, i never thought to look at it when he was ok...

well, im already late for work because i typed this... i gotta go now before i get in trouble(or worse).

ill be back on around 8 PST, thanks everyone.

 

[sunkist]

Ohhhh I hope he's doing okay! I hate you had to go through that while everyone was sleeping.

 

[vickson420]

Hi Jason
I am sorry to hear Trouble isnt feeling well.I think Tracie is correct he needs an XRay and most likely antibiotics.I do think he has some sort of RI.Between the coughing and the way he is holding his head up in that manner are some cause for concern.Any luck getting him to the vet yet?How is he doing tonight?You are doing the right thing by keeping him warm but as Tracie said you dont want the temps to be too high overnight and I would avoid bathing him too often while this is happening as well.I am sorry I couldnt give you better advice but I really think what he needs most is an Xray,bloodwork and meds.Keep us posted.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Jason,

How is Trouble this evening, any updates for us?
Definitely as Vicky says, no baths right now.

Tracie

 

[jscott]

hey everyone, i just got home...

i brought home a 100watt(UVA) tight beam light today. thats up from the 60watt that was over him.

the 60watt was able to keep the temps up during the summer, but its clear im going to need to move up in wattage for the winter on ALL 4 of my tanks :| ...

ive only been home for 30 minutes, but so far no coughing. he looks pretty good right now, hes not holding up his head like we feared last night; hes laying right under the heat lamp with his head resting on the slate and his eyes closed. no labored breathing, no puffy throat.

i think i may have caught it early; the cold nights may have started getting to him. that CHE was a real life-saver(thanks barbara), i set it at medium heat and he stayed under it all night instead of going into his cave like he usually does.

i havent ruled out a vet visit, i just need to be carefull with my money. i have just recieved word that my boss will be closing the doors for good in a couple weeks... he cant afford to leave the doors open, let alone pay me minimum wage. i knew it was coming soon, just not this soon. i need to find a job quick; i am on such a small budget that if i cant find work within a week of losing my job i will be completely broke. ive already applied for work at all the fast food places around my house, as well as a few gas stations(i have no higher education, if you havent figured that out yet )...

so basically, i will keep a close eye on him. we sleep in the same room so it shouldnt be hard :roll: . if he starts coughing again or if i see any mucus i will take him to the vet for x-rays, blood and fecal tests.

"i will take him to the vet for x-rays, blood and fecal tests. "

man, those 13 words sure sound expensive :| ...


thanks again for everyones support. it sure is scary when something like that happens and you dont know what to do...

 

[vickson420]

I am sorry to hear about you losing your job thats terrible news.I am sure something will come your way soon.I am happy to hear that Trouble seems to be doing better tonight hopefully you caught it in time but you are going to have to watch this very carefully because RI's do not generally go away on their own.Hopefully it didnt progress to that yet.

 

[jscott]

he just started doing it again, only this time he jumps alittle like a hiccup. when he opens his mouth, i think i see a little glisten. i think he needs to go to the vet tommorow...

will any vet do for now, or do i have to find a reptile specialist?

 

[ChamNW]

Jason
Maybe I can help you with Trouble. Have you read the thread abour Reptaid? You can find it under "For Sale" on this forum. Lots of members of this forum have been ordering Reptaid and using it on their dragons for various health issues. It works wonders on infections, including RI. I would encourage you to try it, you will not be disappointed. And you don't need a vet visit to use it. Read the posts from HowlinGaleDragons. She had a dragon with a bad RI, and Reptaid cleared it up right away! If you have any questions about its use, read that thread, check our website, and call me anytime.
Elliot
http://www.chameleonsnorthwest.com

 

[vickson420]

Oh gee Jason I am sorry.I think you definately have to get to the vet for antibiotics.If you are going to a general vet I would PM Tracie and see what antibiotic would be best for him so you can request it.I hope it all works out for you.Is there any way the vet might work out a payment plan with you?