PLEASE HELP !! Baby Beardie Syringe Feeding

I took my month old baby bearded dragon to the vet yesterday because he was breathing really deep thinking it was an RI. Sure enough i was correct. They prescribed him medication and told me to give him 0.02 ml in a plastic small syringe, giving that small of a dosage doesnt come out of the tip of the syringe but thats not my concern, i gave him his dosage this morning orally and now hes sleeping and not eating so i called the vet to see if it was a side effect of the medication and was told it is not and to syringe feed him. I have never syringe fed, what do i put in the syringe and how much? And is there anything you guys recommend to help get my baby better?? ?

Hi. Do not give any more antibiotics. Do they know for sure that he has a RI? I've noticed younger dragons breath heavier then older ones. What medicine did they prescribe? Also was this a reptile vet? Antibiotics are very hard on their systems especially the little ones. I would give him some probiotics to help his good gut flora to help him get his appetite back.

He seems so young to be sick already. Did you see mucous coming out of his mouth or nose? Sometimes these vets are quick to medicate without being absolutely sure of what is wrong.

Can you go over your setup? What are the temps and what uvb are you using? Anything obstructing the uvb like a screen or lens? How close can he get to the uvb?

I take it he's not eating? You can buy turkey or chicken baby food mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with baby food squash or green beans (add a little calcium). Squirt some on the snout, if he doesn't eat it try putting a little in the side of his mouth so he gets a taste. That usually gets them going. He will stop when he's full.

If you can post pics of him and his setup that would be very helpful. https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/

Im currently not home. But will get all other specs needed when i do get home. The breathing is not normal, he will puff him chin out also while breathing. They weren't an only reptile vet but they do have an exotic specialist that i did see and diagnosed him. His basking ranges from 95-110 cool side is 70-76 and the "warm" side is 80-95. I have two UVBs on top of his screen top, will have to get brands when i get home. He's not completely lathargic but i can tell he just doesnt feel well due to the breathing and lack of activity. He was being fed Crickets and dubias 2 times a day and Kale, Carrots, and Yellow Squash 2-3 times a week and has not eaten anything today and way told by the vet to syringe feed but i feel like theres more to the issue. The medication is Enrofloxacin 0.02 ml a day for 14 days.

Also, Probiotics? Where can i get these and do you recommend any brands? No i do not see any discharge from anything. His poops are not runny but do look wet and urate is completely white

Maybe you can try to post a video of this as well.

Here are some probiotics
http://www.bug-de-lite.com/ccp8/Item/Avibios

kyleena29":1432wbyn said:

Here are some probiotics
http://www.bug-de-lite.com/ccp8/Item/Avibios

Click to expand...

this one is better i think http://www.bug-de-lite.com/ccp8/Item/Reptophilus also if the vet prescribe antibiotics i would give to him until he starts breathing normaly when mucus starts coming out thats when they start getting real sick is just like when you have a cold don't take care of it it can lead to bronchitis.don;t give the probiotics at the same time if you can give the probiotics 2 hours before bed timefor the baby you have 0.5ml of that liquid be fine,i have a sick dragon for over a month now they seem they won't eat when not feeling well and just like kyleena said antibiotics are hard on them so been so young it don't surprise me i been syringe feeding my beardie the easiest way i find it i bought repta-aid made by flukers i mixed that with a bit of baby food
bit of water and some calcium chances are your beardie won't eat the full dose if you have the time you can put it on the beak or slowly put it on the mouth.if you noticed your beardie sleeping a lot then i would stop the antibiotics for a couple days then try again also lot of people used reptaid and got good results https://www.amazon.com/Reptaid-Supplement-parasitic-bacterial-infections/dp/B006X3YHO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1532470826&sr=1-1&keywords=reptaid
and people also used f10 sc as a neubilizer to treat RI i only have used it to disenfect but you can try those https://www.amazon.com/F10SC-Veterinary-Disinfectant-F10-SC/dp/B00DR25TSG/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532470897&sr=sr-1&keywords=f10.
good luck i hope you beardie is up and kicking soon.

Just a little update, Baby Zues is doing great.. but i am furious with the first vet i visited. Took to get a second opinion on him because im a worry wart and it was his shed in his nostrils, not a RI. I had given him medication he did not need and it could have harmed him so i will not be returning there. Thank you guys so much for your help.

Glad to hear you beardie is doing good join the club the 1st vet I took my beardie didn't do a proper fecal he gave me the wrong meds I lost 2 weeks I found a good vet though my beardie is on the right meds now.

I'm glad you got a second opinion. From what I've learned, antibiotics are sometimes necessary, but are always hard on beardies and should obviously not be given without a careful diagnosis. If he's had some antibiotics, even if he's off them now, probiotics are still a good idea because antibiotics wipe out gut flora, which affects appetite. My beardie stopped eating when she was on antibiotics as a juvenile, and probiotics brought her appetite back quickly. Acidophiliz+ and Reptophilus are two probiotics that are formulated for reptiles.

I have looots of experience syringe-feeding because my baby had various health and eating issues growing up. They way I've found most effective is to paint a little baby food onto her lips, then pull down on her lip a little so she tastes it, then she starts licking, and then I give a little more at time as she licks, and wipe her face when we're done (carefully avoiding getting any food in her nostrils). For a baby who is not eating, turkey baby food is best, because they need more protein in their diet than anything else. If you had to syringe-feed him for awhile, you could order something designed for serious assist-feeding like Carnivore Care or Critical Care, but baby food is fine in the short run. Hopefully now that he's off the unnecessary meds, he'll be back to normal quickly.

I agree I give my heardie acidophilus the day my beardie is not on antibiotics right now she is on septra for coccidia she hasn't been eating in 5 weeks I do syringe feed yesterday she ate 1 superworm once she is off I'm sure she will eat I'm glad you got a second opinion too.