BUMP STICKING OUT UNDER CHIN/JAW

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Hi,
my beardies name is spike. He is 6 months old.. I noticed a couple weeks ago a bump on his chin/under jaw. Last week he was very lethargic, not eating or basking. I took him to the vet on Mon., and when I told him about the bump he asked me to show him where it was, and he had spike flipped on his back side and I couldn't see it or feel it. He said he has a severe respiratory infection and gave me antibiotics. Spikes been eating better and more active, however as soon as I got him home from the vet I saw and felt the bump!

Does anyone know what this is?!

Tank
- 50 gal.
- uvb: reptisun 10.0 T8
- Basking temp: 105
- Cool Side temp: 75-80
- Night time temp: 70-75
- Humidity: 38% I have it set, however right now it's at 41% which I'm not sure why.

Feeding:
Phoenix worms
Crickets - dusted with calcium 7x a wk, vitamins 4-5x a wk
Collard Greens or mustard greens daily

I've attached pictures of the bump, and my tank.
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EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Hi, welcome to the forum! Your setup looks really good, temps are good, lighting is good, and spike looks healthy and a good size for 6 months old. Don't worry at all about the humidity being over 40%, a lot of people get very worried about the humidity in their beardie's enclosure, but it has to be very high and consistently so to actually cause a respiratory infection or any other health issues, my enclosures will sometimes spike into the 60% range on very humid days, it's not an issue. 41% is perfectly acceptable for a beardie. I do want to ask though, what is the purpose of the PVC pipe on/around his enclosure? I have the same size EXO Terra for my rescue beardie, it's a great size tank and I love the front doors, but I couldn't figure out what the purpose of the PVC is?

So how is Spike's breathing now? How long has he been on the antibiotics now for the upper respiratory infection? I'm glad he's starting to eat more, not only was he sick with the infection, but in addition the antibiotics are always hard on beardies, so something to always think about any time they're on any meds or even the moment they start acting like they may be sick and they stop eating, is to get them on a once daily dose of probiotics, they work wonders in settling their stomachs, getting their bowel movements normalized, and replacing the normal, healthy bacteria that lives in their gastrointestinal tracts which is killed off by the antibiotics. Yeast infections often arise after a course of antibiotics because the antibiotics kill off the normal, healthy bacteria in their gastrointestinal tracts that normally keeps the yeast at bay. So whether by giving him a reptile-specific probiotic supplement, a non-dairy lacto acidophilus supplement you can find at health food stores or in the organic and vegan foods section of higher end grocery stores, or by simply buying a container of non-dairy soy yogurt with live and active cultures and feeding him as much as he'll eat throughout the antibiotic course, it will help him get back on track quickly.

I definitely see the lump that you're taking about, but the question is going to be can you see it from inside his mouth, if you look down under his lip and tongue? Is it always there (when he's sitting upright of course, if turned on his back you probably wouldn't see it)? It looks like it's down in his jaw, not a growth that is in his outer skin or on his face...When did this first appear? Before or after he started having symptoms of the upper respiratory infection?

Take a look if you can inside his lower left mouth, under his lip, and see if you can see any wounds, blood, growths, discolorations, or swelling. Beardies have lymph nodes just like we do, though I'll admit I don't know where their lymph nodes all are, but they work just like ours, so it could be a swollen glands in reaction to the upper respiratory infection. Does it seem to be sore or cause him pain if you press on it? When you do press on it, is it hard or soft?

Beardies also hold food and water in their beards all the time, I've actually thought my big girl's neck or mouth was swollen in one area before, only to see her holding her greens in her mouth/beard for later. So if it comes and goes (especially if it shows up right after he eats) it may be him holding something in there as well.
 

Beardienewbie8792

Member
Original Poster
Hi,

Thanks for your response. The PVC is connected to a humidifier which is hooked up to a hygrotherm and is set at 38%. If the humidity goes under that percentage it blows into the tank (the pvc has holes cut into it going across the top of the tank) I've had it for a couple of months now, but before I got it, I was struggling daily to keep the humidity up. It was dropping into the 20s or lower.

My question is, if the temps are good, and humidity is good what could have caused the respiratory infection?

He didn't seem to have any breathing issues before I took him to the vet, and he did that thing where their beard goes in and out and they look like they're going to throw up once and it was on sunday, I took him to the vet this past Monday. I started his antibiotics on Tuesday so hes been on them for 5 days now. He didn't eat anything on Tuesday, and barely anything on Wednesday. Yesterday he ate 20 worms, and most of his veggies. Today he ate well too he's been more active, and more alert the past 2 days. He hasn't had any side effects so far from the antibiotics. He hasn't pooped since sunday, however he just started eating yesterday. Do you still think I should look into a probiotic? and do you have any brands that you recommend?

I tried taking a look, but he's not having it. I will try it again in a little bit and let you know if I see anything. I did press on it and it is hard and he didn't seem to have a reaction. Yes it is always there, and no if turned on his back you probably wouldn't see it, but you would think you would feel it right? when the vet had him on his back and was feeling his beard, he asked me to show him where the bumb was and i felt around and didn't even feel it. and when he was upright the vet didn't notice anything, and I wasn't really able to see spike to point it out because he was standing in front of me. He did put a camera in his mouth and looked at his throat. I'm not sure if he looked around his jaw or tongue though.

I noticed the bumb about 4 weeks ago. But there were no symptoms of the respiratory infection besides the day before when he did the hacking and beard thing. I had to travel for work, and the week prior is when I noticed it. He was eating, but not the normal amount and seemed very lethargic before I left. While I was gone my dad took care of him and said he was eating but not the normal amount. I got back the 14th. He wouldn't eat at all the entire week I was back, and was very lethargic and not basking. I couldn't take him to the vet because being out of the office I needed to catch up. So I took him this past Monday. When this all started I did not think he had a respiratory infection because he was not showing signs of trouble breathing, or the looking like he was going to throw up thing. He was just very lethargic and laid with his head down. What I did notice prior to the bump was that he kept doing this thing with his tongue (this is going to be hard to explain lol) like he kept sticking it in and out multiple times at a time in the air, it sorta seemed like he was doing it because something was on it or something. but there was nothing on it so I have no idea why he was doing that.. do you know what I mean?

Thank you for help!
 

Beardienewbie8792

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":295u9svs said:
Hi, welcome to the forum! Your setup looks really good, temps are good, lighting is good, and spike looks healthy and a good size for 6 months old. Don't worry at all about the humidity being over 40%, a lot of people get very worried about the humidity in their beardie's enclosure, but it has to be very high and consistently so to actually cause a respiratory infection or any other health issues, my enclosures will sometimes spike into the 60% range on very humid days, it's not an issue. 41% is perfectly acceptable for a beardie. I do want to ask though, what is the purpose of the PVC pipe on/around his enclosure? I have the same size EXO Terra for my rescue beardie, it's a great size tank and I love the front doors, but I couldn't figure out what the purpose of the PVC is?

So how is Spike's breathing now? How long has he been on the antibiotics now for the upper respiratory infection? I'm glad he's starting to eat more, not only was he sick with the infection, but in addition the antibiotics are always hard on beardies, so something to always think about any time they're on any meds or even the moment they start acting like they may be sick and they stop eating, is to get them on a once daily dose of probiotics, they work wonders in settling their stomachs, getting their bowel movements normalized, and replacing the normal, healthy bacteria that lives in their gastrointestinal tracts which is killed off by the antibiotics. Yeast infections often arise after a course of antibiotics because the antibiotics kill off the normal, healthy bacteria in their gastrointestinal tracts that normally keeps the yeast at bay. So whether by giving him a reptile-specific probiotic supplement, a non-dairy lacto acidophilus supplement you can find at health food stores or in the organic and vegan foods section of higher end grocery stores, or by simply buying a container of non-dairy soy yogurt with live and active cultures and feeding him as much as he'll eat throughout the antibiotic course, it will help him get back on track quickly.

I definitely see the lump that you're taking about, but the question is going to be can you see it from inside his mouth, if you look down under his lip and tongue? Is it always there (when he's sitting upright of course, if turned on his back you probably wouldn't see it)? It looks like it's down in his jaw, not a growth that is in his outer skin or on his face...When did this first appear? Before or after he started having symptoms of the upper respiratory infection?

Take a look if you can inside his lower left mouth, under his lip, and see if you can see any wounds, blood, growths, discolorations, or swelling. Beardies have lymph nodes just like we do, though I'll admit I don't know where their lymph nodes all are, but they work just like ours, so it could be a swollen glands in reaction to the upper respiratory infection. Does it seem to be sore or cause him pain if you press on it? When you do press on it, is it hard or soft?

Beardies also hold food and water in their beards all the time, I've actually thought my big girl's neck or mouth was swollen in one area before, only to see her holding her greens in her mouth/beard for later. So if it comes and goes (especially if it shows up right after he eats) it may be him holding something in there as well.

Hi,

Thanks for your response. The PVC is connected to a humidifier which is hooked up to a hygrotherm and is set at 38%. If the humidity goes under that percentage it blows into the tank (the pvc has holes cut into it going across the top of the tank) I've had it for a couple of months now, but before I got it, I was struggling daily to keep the humidity up. It was dropping into the 20s or lower.

My question is, if the temps are good, and humidity is good what could have caused the respiratory infection?

He didn't seem to have any breathing issues before I took him to the vet, and he did that thing where their beard goes in and out and they look like they're going to throw up once and it was on sunday, I took him to the vet this past Monday. I started his antibiotics on Tuesday so hes been on them for 5 days now. He didn't eat anything on Tuesday, and barely anything on Wednesday. Yesterday he ate 20 worms, and most of his veggies. Today he ate well too he's been more active, and more alert the past 2 days. He hasn't had any side effects so far from the antibiotics. He hasn't pooped since sunday, however he just started eating yesterday. Do you still think I should look into a probiotic? and do you have any brands that you recommend?

I tried taking a look, but he's not having it. I will try it again in a little bit and let you know if I see anything. I did press on it and it is hard and he didn't seem to have a reaction. Yes it is always there, and no if turned on his back you probably wouldn't see it, but you would think you would feel it right? when the vet had him on his back and was feeling his beard, he asked me to show him where the bumb was and i felt around and didn't even feel it. and when he was upright the vet didn't notice anything, and I wasn't really able to see spike to point it out because he was standing in front of me. He did put a camera in his mouth and looked at his throat. I'm not sure if he looked around his jaw or tongue though.

I noticed the bumb about 4 weeks ago. But there were no symptoms of the respiratory infection besides the day before when he did the hacking and beard thing. I had to travel for work, and the week prior is when I noticed it. He was eating, but not the normal amount and seemed very lethargic before I left. While I was gone my dad took care of him and said he was eating but not the normal amount. I got back the 14th. He wouldn't eat at all the entire week I was back, and was very lethargic and not basking. I couldn't take him to the vet because being out of the office I needed to catch up. So I took him this past Monday. When this all started I did not think he had a respiratory infection because he was not showing signs of trouble breathing, or the looking like he was going to throw up thing. He was just very lethargic and laid with his head down. What I did notice prior to the bump was that he kept doing this thing with his tongue (this is going to be hard to explain lol) like he kept sticking it in and out multiple times at a time in the air, it sorta seemed like he was doing it because something was on it or something. but there was nothing on it so I have no idea why he was doing that.. do you know what I mean?

Thank you for help!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, how did the vet determine that he has an R.I. ? Sometimes just being too cool is what causes it. It looks like there may be just one hot area there in his tank so if he spent much time on the floor then he could become sick from the constant cooler temps.

Another way they get sick is that some owners bathe their beardie in the evening like you would a child, then either let them out in the room to run around [ where it's not hot enough to properly dry off ] or they put them back in the tank + turn lights out before the dragon can dry off completely.

The bump looks like a small cyst of some sort but may be connected to his strange tongue movements....like he feels something that he wants to dislodge.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Your setup sounds fine, so I don't think it's something with your setup.
A small, hard bump like that is probably a cyst, not likely an abscess.
You could take him in to see the vet so that they could x-ray it to determine what
it could be.
See if you can keep his tank around 80 overnight to help boost his system, in case
he possibly has any respiratory issues developing.
Is he doing well otherwise?

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Beardienewbie8792":3pixs8m1 said:
Hi,

Thanks for your response. The PVC is connected to a humidifier which is hooked up to a hygrotherm and is set at 38%. If the humidity goes under that percentage it blows into the tank (the pvc has holes cut into it going across the top of the tank) I've had it for a couple of months now, but before I got it, I was struggling daily to keep the humidity up. It was dropping into the 20s or lower.

<<<< unnecessary .... if the humidity falls to low levels this is NOT an issue as ultralow humidities are common in the dry season in their natural range.
I dare say many here will be envying your low relative humidities.


When I saw the PVC piping I thought it was to hold the power cables and I thought , this person has small kids and wants to make sure the cables are away for their fingers ....

My question is, if the temps are good, and humidity is good what could have caused the respiratory infection?

<<< aspirating water while drinking or bathing will do it.

He didn't seem to have any breathing issues before I took him to the vet, and he did that thing where their beard goes in and out and they look like they're going to throw up once and it was on sunday, I took him to the vet this past Monday. I started his antibiotics on Tuesday so hes been on them for 5 days now. He didn't eat anything on Tuesday, and barely anything on Wednesday. Yesterday he ate 20 worms, and most of his veggies. Today he ate well too he's been more active, and more alert the past 2 days. He hasn't had any side effects so far from the antibiotics. He hasn't pooped since sunday, however he just started eating yesterday. Do you still think I should look into a probiotic? and do you have any brands that you recommend?

>>> only a week no poo ? no great drama , see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=232446

I tried taking a look, but he's not having it. I will try it again in a little bit and let you know if I see anything. I did press on it and it is hard and he didn't seem to have a reaction. Yes it is always there, and no if turned on his back you probably wouldn't see it, but you would think you would feel it right? when the vet had him on his back and was feeling his beard, he asked me to show him where the bumb was and i felt around and didn't even feel it. and when he was upright the vet didn't notice anything, and I wasn't really able to see spike to point it out because he was standing in front of me. He did put a camera in his mouth and looked at his throat. I'm not sure if he looked around his jaw or tongue though.

I noticed the bumb about 4 weeks ago. But there were no symptoms of the respiratory infection besides the day before when he did the hacking and beard thing. I had to travel for work, and the week prior is when I noticed it. He was eating, but not the normal amount and seemed very lethargic before I left. While I was gone my dad took care of him and said he was eating but not the normal amount. I got back the 14th. He wouldn't eat at all the entire week I was back, and was very lethargic and not basking. I couldn't take him to the vet because being out of the office I needed to catch up. So I took him this past Monday. When this all started I did not think he had a respiratory infection because he was not showing signs of trouble breathing, or the looking like he was going to throw up thing. He was just very lethargic and laid with his head down. What I did notice prior to the bump was that he kept doing this thing with his tongue (this is going to be hard to explain lol) like he kept sticking it in and out multiple times at a time in the air, it sorta seemed like he was doing it because something was on it or something. but there was nothing on it so I have no idea why he was doing that.. do you know what I mean?

Thank you for help!
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Drache613":2bwb8id0 said:
Hello,

Your setup sounds fine, so I don't think it's something with your setup.
A small, hard bump like that is probably a cyst, not likely an abscess.
You could take him in to see the vet so that they could x-ray it to determine what
it could be.
See if you can keep his tank around 80 overnight to help boost his system, in case
he possibly has any respiratory issues developing.
Is he doing well otherwise?

Tracie

He may have bad tooth / infected tooth root .... and this will be making him feel off as well as being really painful and tasting nasty if it's weeping puss into his mouth.
Did the vet take a look inside his mouth , if you have been giving too much sugary veg and fruit , this will cause tooth decay for reptiles.
A reason why it's good to give some insects daily , the chewing helps clean their teeth.

I've seen this dealt with on Bondi Vet with a esterine croc ( the vet had to extract the broken infected tooth , this was shown on TV in Bondi Vet https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/bondi-vet/extra/season-8/riley-s-missing-tooth ). Here's another example of lizard with a tooth ache https://vetpracticemag.com.au/crocodile-dentist-snappy/
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Probably not a bad tooth...he would not eat if he had an infected/abcessed tooth and the swelling would be puffier + include more area than the little bump.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Clever way of monitoring and controlling the humidity in his enclosure, though as I and others have said, humidity is not a big issue at all with beardies. They can deal with a very wide range of humidity levels, and honestly the range that is acceptable is from very, very low (below 20%) to up into the 60's+. Just as with some reptiles UVB light exposure is not terribly important yet it is vital to a beardie, humidity is crucial to most tropical reptiles, but not to desert ones.

So basically you have no idea if he actually ever had a respiratory infection at all? The only way to diagnose a respiratory infection is by doing a culture, and often times they are caused by a bacterial infection, a fungal infection, or both. But if Spike was not wheezing, coughing, clicking, etc. he most likely never had a respiratory infection to begin with. Basically your vet based that diagnosis on the tongue thing he was doing as either you described to him, or maybe he actually saw it. This is not a sign or symptom of an upper respiratory infection at all, but rather of a problem with a tooth, of the inside of the mouth, or with the tongue itself. If you had come in and describe the tongue thing he was doing to me along with the hard lump in his lower jaw, I would ask about any noises while breathing, and coughing, or any trouble breathing. When you said he was having none of those issues I'd most likely think that his entire issue had to do with the lump in his jaw, not with his respiratory system.

As already stated, I think its most likely a cyst of some kind. It could be causing him pain, especially when he eats, which could very well be the explanation for his recent behavior. If the vet did blood work (I don't recall if he did or not) and his white cells were elevated, then it very well could be an abscess, I doubt it but you never know. Has it gotten any larger since you first saw it?

It may just get folded up in his beard when he's on his back, it definitely is if it's in his cheek or lip and not on his gums or jaw, as it would be able to move with the excess skin. I would call your vet again and explain the mass to him, and tell him your concerns. Tell him he has to examine it while he is upright, he should be able to explore the inside of his mouth a lot easier than you can. The fear is that it's an abscess or could be the start of mouth rot or some other type of infection that could not only make him very sick, but could also effect his teeth. He should be able to try and draw fluid from it with a syringe, or if it is fibrous, which it probably is if it's hard, he can take a sample for biopsy to rule out a malignancy and possibly determine what it is. I'm almost certain that's what he's doing with his tongue, I've seen them do that when they have mouth rot too, it's just a reaction to something being wrong inside their mouth.
 

Beardienewbie8792

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3rv3qy85 said:
Hi there, how did the vet determine that he has an R.I. ? Sometimes just being too cool is what causes it. It looks like there may be just one hot area there in his tank so if he spent much time on the floor then he could become sick from the constant cooler temps.

Another way they get sick is that some owners bathe their beardie in the evening like you would a child, then either let them out in the room to run around [ where it's not hot enough to properly dry off ] or they put them back in the tank + turn lights out before the dragon can dry off completely.

The bump looks like a small cyst of some sort but may be connected to his strange tongue movements....like he feels something that he wants to dislodge.

He used a camera and looked in his mouth. He said his throat was extremely swollen.

He's always sitting on the top thing when I see him, however I'm at work 8 hours a day mon - fri so it's a possibility.

I usually bathe him in the evening when I get home from work, and my lights are on a timer so if it's late to where his lights are turning off soon, I will override the timer to let him warm up first. Is it normal to have more than one hot spot in the tank? Should I add one?
 

Beardienewbie8792

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":2srietli said:
Hello,

Your setup sounds fine, so I don't think it's something with your setup.
A small, hard bump like that is probably a cyst, not likely an abscess.
You could take him in to see the vet so that they could x-ray it to determine what
it could be.
See if you can keep his tank around 80 overnight to help boost his system, in case
he possibly has any respiratory issues developing.
Is he doing well otherwise?

Tracie

How expensive do you think it is to remove a cyst? His tanks been around 75, do you think that's okay? I have to take him back to the vet the first week of september for a follow up, so I was going to wait until then for him to look at. It hasn't gotten any bigger

Since he's been on the antibiotics he's been doing better. The past week he is just about back to eating his normal amount, and has been more active
 

Beardienewbie8792

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":1kw9r94w said:
Clever way of monitoring and controlling the humidity in his enclosure, though as I and others have said, humidity is not a big issue at all with beardies. They can deal with a very wide range of humidity levels, and honestly the range that is acceptable is from very, very low (below 20%) to up into the 60's+. Just as with some reptiles UVB light exposure is not terribly important yet it is vital to a beardie, humidity is crucial to most tropical reptiles, but not to desert ones.

So basically you have no idea if he actually ever had a respiratory infection at all? The only way to diagnose a respiratory infection is by doing a culture, and often times they are caused by a bacterial infection, a fungal infection, or both. But if Spike was not wheezing, coughing, clicking, etc. he most likely never had a respiratory infection to begin with. Basically your vet based that diagnosis on the tongue thing he was doing as either you described to him, or maybe he actually saw it. This is not a sign or symptom of an upper respiratory infection at all, but rather of a problem with a tooth, of the inside of the mouth, or with the tongue itself. If you had come in and describe the tongue thing he was doing to me along with the hard lump in his lower jaw, I would ask about any noises while breathing, and coughing, or any trouble breathing. When you said he was having none of those issues I'd most likely think that his entire issue had to do with the lump in his jaw, not with his respiratory system.

As already stated, I think its most likely a cyst of some kind. It could be causing him pain, especially when he eats, which could very well be the explanation for his recent behavior. If the vet did blood work (I don't recall if he did or not) and his white cells were elevated, then it very well could be an abscess, I doubt it but you never know. Has it gotten any larger since you first saw it?

It may just get folded up in his beard when he's on his back, it definitely is if it's in his cheek or lip and not on his gums or jaw, as it would be able to move with the excess skin. I would call your vet again and explain the mass to him, and tell him your concerns. Tell him he has to examine it while he is upright, he should be able to explore the inside of his mouth a lot easier than you can. The fear is that it's an abscess or could be the start of mouth rot or some other type of infection that could not only make him very sick, but could also effect his teeth. He should be able to try and draw fluid from it with a syringe, or if it is fibrous, which it probably is if it's hard, he can take a sample for biopsy to rule out a malignancy and possibly determine what it is. I'm almost certain that's what he's doing with his tongue, I've seen them do that when they have mouth rot too, it's just a reaction to something being wrong inside their mouth.

I was not aware that he humidity was not crucial to bearded dragons. I have read on this site that the humidity being too high or low could be the reason for R.I's.

The vet did open his mouth, and looked into with a camera. He said his throat was extremely swollen. I didn't tell the vet about the tongue thing, which now I wish I would have because when I told him about the bumb and he told me to show him where it was I did not see it or feel it and the vet did not do blood work.

No the bump is still the same size, and I have to take him back the first week of September. I was thinking of taking him back then. How can they get mouth rot?
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Okay, so he has a hard growth in his mouth and an extremely swollen throat, but no coughing, wheezing, or clicking when he breathes....So I'm going to go out on a limb and say he has some type of infection, either bacterial or fungal, but not an upper respiratory infection at all. It's quite possible that the antibiotics he gave him did help with whatever he's got going on, especially if it was a broad-spectrum antibiotic, like Baytril, but it doesn't sound at all like a respiratory infection. Upper respiratory infections are very common in bearded dragons, and usually occur due to beardies being to cold or too wet and cold for an extended period of time, or from them aspirating water into their lungs. The symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in a bearded dragon are coughing, wheezing and clicking when they breathe, and a build up of thick mucous in their mouths that appears as thick strings of saliva when they open their mouths. So it doesn't appear that Spike ever had a respiratory infection at all, but rather some kind of infection in mouth and throat, based on his symptoms of the growth in his mouth, his extremely swollen throat, and his constant tongue motions due to irritation in his mouth.

"Mouth Rot" is a general term, much like "Tail Rot", for an infection in the mouth that causes necrosis of the surrounding tissue, and it slowly spreads throughout the mouth, killing off all of the tissue along it's path, until the infection eventually becomes systemic, and they eventually die from sepsis if left untreated. Spike doesn't appear to have Mouth Rot, as the growth in his mouth is seems to be encapsulated, like a cyst, and he doesn't have any obvious infection in his mouth or that is spreading. I don't know what your vet meant by "his throat looked extremely swollen" when he looked at it with the camera though. He could have meant that his throat itself, internally, like the type of swelling that can cause trouble breathing and usually comes from an allergic reaction, or he could have meant that the back of his throat was actually red and swollen, and could have possibly had white patches, blisters, or other open areas of tissue, which would be consistent with a localized infection (but not a respiratory infection). In that case he should have done taken a swab from the back of his throat and done a culture to determine if it was being caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. This is why I think it's possible that the antibiotics did actually help him by clearing up a bacterial infection he had in the back of his throat.

The reason I asked you to try to look in his mouth was to see if you could see any redness, swelling, oozing, or signs of infection around the lump that could be indicative of a localized infection in his mouth that could turn into Mouth Rot. It could be that the lump in his mouth is an abscess that is related to the swelling in his throat and he has an infection of some kind that has spread throughout his mouth and throat, or the two might not be related at all, it's just a coincidence, and the lump in his mouth is a cyst or other type of growth that is completely unrelated to the infection in his throat. There's no way to know until a vet takes a very good look at his entire mouth and throat, examines the lump in his mouth very closely, and takes a culture from his throat and from his mouth around the lump, or more specifically from the lump itself, to try to determine if it contains fluid or is fibrous, and then tests the fluid or cell same to determine what's going on.

Is the vet that you took him to a reptile specialist, or is he just an "exotics" vet that sees reptiles? The reason I'm asking is because I really think at this point he needs to see a certified or very experienced reptile vet that will run the correct tests and figure out what's going on in both his mouth and his throat, as I'm convinced that this is not at all a respiratory issue at all. From what you've said he hasn't had any symptoms of a respiratory infection at all, but rather an obvious problem going on in his mouth with the presence of the lump and the tongue motions, and then he found that he had a swollen throat, which may or may not be related. Either way you need to find an experienced reptile vet to figure this out before either of the issues get any worse or start spreading, because these are issues that can eventually really cause a lot of problems with them eating properly, and maybe even problems with his breathing if his throat continues to swell. And if the lump is an abscess, it can turn into Mouth Rot pretty quickly.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Which antibiotic did the vet prescribe for him? At least it appears to have worked for him since
he seems to be feeling better. You said the bump wasn't really any smaller though? It is hard to
the touch & not soft?
Is he still on the antibiotics now?
I would still say that it is most likely a cyst but, definitely watch to be sure the bump doesn't get
any bigger or grow. If for some reason it is a pocket of infection that is localized, then the antibiotic should help to knock it out. It could take weeks to months for the bump to recede & go down.
Maybe you can keep his nighttime temperatures around 80 overnight to help boost up his immune
system, that usually helps them out.
I'm glad to hear he has a great appetite & is active, also!

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie
 
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