Matang613
Member
So, I haven't been posting as much as I was here lately, and it's mostly because Oscar has been keeping me very preoccupied. I work night shift, so on days that I'm scheduled to go in at night, I sleep during the day. My usual routine is to feed Oscar before I go to bed (around 7-8am), and then again before I leave for work (around 4pm). His lights are on until 8pm after that. At any rate, a few weeks ago I woke up in the afternoon as I usually do to find Oscar hunkered down in the corner with a black beard, and a swollen jaw. I figured the worst, of course, and thought he somehow broke his jaw, and I promptly set up an appointment with a nearby vet that took in reptiles (btw, kudos to whoever it is that shares that list of reptile vets in the US, because that's what I used and this guy was fantastic). Unfortunately, reptile vets seem to be in high demand around here, and it took a couple of weeks for a day to be available to get Oscar in. With that in mind, I got some carnivore care and soft tipped syringes and began feeding Oscar a mix of carnivore care and his usual calcium supplement. It's worth mentioning that this was not just prompted by the potential injury, but he was clearly in pain, and had gone from eating about 30 dubias in one setting to around 5-8 on a good day.
Those few weeks eventually passed, he kept his weight up thanks to the syringe feedings, and then I was finally able to get him into his appointment just yesterday. X-rays didn't show any jaw fractures, which was the best news of this visit. The vet seemed to think that the worst case scenario was that Oscar tore the cartilage that holds the tip of the bottom jaw together, somehow, but he could not definitively confirm that and had to give an open diagnosis. Furthermore, he also stated that Oscars bone density was excellent, he had no reason to believe MBD to be the cause of the injury, and everything he said about a proper setup was almost verbatim the information I've received on this website. All in all, he doesn't believe there to be any care related issues.
The bad news of the trip, however, is a little more difficult to take care of. The vet believes that Oscar has some congenital issues related to neurological and renal status. He seemed to have less of an issue as far as renal status is concerned, but x-rays did show a decent sized mineral deposit around the right kidney. He didn't seem particularly concerned with this at the moment, but did suggest that I watch for any signs of potential gout. The neurological issues, however, are where things get a little more complicated. Just to give a little bit of background that I wouldn't usually share, I am a registered nurse. I know what to look for in humans when it comes to neurological concerns, and I don't know why I never thought to look for those things with a bearded dragon.
The vet was concerned with Oscar's posturing however. When he pointed it out it seemed so obvious to me, but I guess I never thought to look for a point of reference regarding normal neurological behavior in bearded dragons (this is my first reptile ever, after all). When he pointed it out I immediately thought "decorticate posturing" which is something we look for in people when assessing neurological changes. It's basically where an individual sort of "bunches up" towards the center of their body, inadvertently. The vet didn't use that exact word, but he described it that way, and I began to notice it myself when it brought it up. He also mentioned that there definitely seems to be some issues with Oscar's hind legs. He tends to stretch them out forward towards his head when he's at rest, and he has some issues with ambulation. Again, I've never had a point of reference in this regard, and I had been operating under the assumption that Oscar was just kind of clumsy. As he's gotten bigger, however, I've definitely noticed that clumsiness to be more prolific.
At any rate, the ultimate conclusion I was given by the vet was to continue to provide supportive care, administer anti-inflammatory medication for the jaw (which is already looking better, fyi), and return to offering normal diet which providing the carnivore care as a supplement if needed. In the long term, the vet ultimately told me that if Oscar declines or fails to exhibit improvement in appetite that he would suggest the possibility of euthanasia. I was pretty taken aback by the suggestion at first. By all right, Oscar is bright, alert, and still likes to snuggle up at night as always. I thought the suggestion was a little presumptuous, but now that I've had some time to mull it over, I can better understand why he brought it up. If it's a congenital problem, it is very unlikely to actually improve. While I could continue to provide syringe feedings for the rest of Oscar's life, what kind of life would that really be? Where is the enrichment in that? At any rate, I'll be waiting to see if the jaw heals up completely, and hope that Oscar's appetite returns as the pain subsides. I'll also be monitoring a lot more closely for any neurological changes.
I thought, at the very least, his progress was worth sharing here for the sake of contributing some information to this forum. I also wanted to mention (again) that I got Oscar from Petco. I really didn't know better at the time, but I can only ascribe those congenital problems to the breeding practices of the reptile sources that they utilize to stock their stores. In hindsight, I wish I had known to seek out a reputable breeder. I do care for this little guy, though, and I hope that I see some sort of improvement. I have no intention of giving up on him.
Those few weeks eventually passed, he kept his weight up thanks to the syringe feedings, and then I was finally able to get him into his appointment just yesterday. X-rays didn't show any jaw fractures, which was the best news of this visit. The vet seemed to think that the worst case scenario was that Oscar tore the cartilage that holds the tip of the bottom jaw together, somehow, but he could not definitively confirm that and had to give an open diagnosis. Furthermore, he also stated that Oscars bone density was excellent, he had no reason to believe MBD to be the cause of the injury, and everything he said about a proper setup was almost verbatim the information I've received on this website. All in all, he doesn't believe there to be any care related issues.
The bad news of the trip, however, is a little more difficult to take care of. The vet believes that Oscar has some congenital issues related to neurological and renal status. He seemed to have less of an issue as far as renal status is concerned, but x-rays did show a decent sized mineral deposit around the right kidney. He didn't seem particularly concerned with this at the moment, but did suggest that I watch for any signs of potential gout. The neurological issues, however, are where things get a little more complicated. Just to give a little bit of background that I wouldn't usually share, I am a registered nurse. I know what to look for in humans when it comes to neurological concerns, and I don't know why I never thought to look for those things with a bearded dragon.
The vet was concerned with Oscar's posturing however. When he pointed it out it seemed so obvious to me, but I guess I never thought to look for a point of reference regarding normal neurological behavior in bearded dragons (this is my first reptile ever, after all). When he pointed it out I immediately thought "decorticate posturing" which is something we look for in people when assessing neurological changes. It's basically where an individual sort of "bunches up" towards the center of their body, inadvertently. The vet didn't use that exact word, but he described it that way, and I began to notice it myself when it brought it up. He also mentioned that there definitely seems to be some issues with Oscar's hind legs. He tends to stretch them out forward towards his head when he's at rest, and he has some issues with ambulation. Again, I've never had a point of reference in this regard, and I had been operating under the assumption that Oscar was just kind of clumsy. As he's gotten bigger, however, I've definitely noticed that clumsiness to be more prolific.
At any rate, the ultimate conclusion I was given by the vet was to continue to provide supportive care, administer anti-inflammatory medication for the jaw (which is already looking better, fyi), and return to offering normal diet which providing the carnivore care as a supplement if needed. In the long term, the vet ultimately told me that if Oscar declines or fails to exhibit improvement in appetite that he would suggest the possibility of euthanasia. I was pretty taken aback by the suggestion at first. By all right, Oscar is bright, alert, and still likes to snuggle up at night as always. I thought the suggestion was a little presumptuous, but now that I've had some time to mull it over, I can better understand why he brought it up. If it's a congenital problem, it is very unlikely to actually improve. While I could continue to provide syringe feedings for the rest of Oscar's life, what kind of life would that really be? Where is the enrichment in that? At any rate, I'll be waiting to see if the jaw heals up completely, and hope that Oscar's appetite returns as the pain subsides. I'll also be monitoring a lot more closely for any neurological changes.
I thought, at the very least, his progress was worth sharing here for the sake of contributing some information to this forum. I also wanted to mention (again) that I got Oscar from Petco. I really didn't know better at the time, but I can only ascribe those congenital problems to the breeding practices of the reptile sources that they utilize to stock their stores. In hindsight, I wish I had known to seek out a reputable breeder. I do care for this little guy, though, and I hope that I see some sort of improvement. I have no intention of giving up on him.