When to put down my baby with Yellow Fungus PLEASE HELP

This will be a long one. Im a long time lurker first time poster so for starters thank everyone on this website for their help in educating the masses on taking care of beardies. Its the only reason my little guy has survived for so long and has quickly made me a beardie care educator to anyone who will listen and this is where I send anyone interested in learning more. Kylo-Ren is a male, 15in long, weight is a little chubby, and 3 years old. He's had yellow fungus pretty much his whole life and the vets in our area suck (read below) and I'm not sure at what point yellow fungus would cause him too much pain. Heres his whole history below. Feel free to skip to the end for why its so concerning now, but I have tried to get him proper medical treatment and yes I have follow all the beardie care provided on this wonderful website.

So I rescued Kylo-Ren 2.5 years ago as a juvenile (about 3mos) from a pet store that housed them all together and he had a big bite taken out of his lip (I'll find a way to post pics later). He was still super active and had clear eyes and the guy told me he had a high chance of yellow fungus, but if no one took him home they would just "throw him away"(yes he literally said that). Took him to the vet they said "nahhh no yellow fungus just normal color changing", but refused to do a test and sent me home with antibiotics for his lip (yeah totally normal to have rings of yellow on his tummy*rolls eyes*). Went to the only other reptile vet in my area when he was around 1yr (after antibiotics) and they said more than likely yes, but that a poop test that early wouldnt be worth the cost since they're "inaccurate". Both of them pretty much blew me off and literally copied a page about iguanas from a textbook and gave it to me for care. When i mentioned that skin test they both claimed that they only do that after their skin starts deteriorating. (Yes serioulsy, i know this is a load of BS) $600 and 2 rounds of antibiotics later I consultanted this website and an old housemate currently in exotic vet school specifically for the yellowing of skin as it was still spreading, though there was still hope it was just his colors changing she said it looked like yellow fungus too.

I took all the advice (new paper towels each day, bath every other day, super clean everything, baby food, ect.) and have been keeping up with it along with basic beardie care (uvb, uva, calcium, vitamins with a-d, ect.) Everything except the betadine baths because i didnt want to over precribe things like that and if it wasnt yellow fungus I didnt want it to hurt him.
We've had no behavior out of the ordinary and no problems since and he is a spunky little spaz with loads of attitude. (It still amazes he i swear he can read minds.)

Begining of this month he started behaving weird getting more agressive in general, not letting me pick him up or give him a bath. His depth perception is a little off when he goes for his food he hits the edge of his bowl and not eating as many greens (ive switched him to canned crickets so he gets more hydration). Ive just been letting him chill out thinking maybe it was just this shed or hormones as his spores are getting kinda big, but his shed hasnt been coming off at all even with misting. But his tail and back have getting more orangey than the lighter yellow it has been. I noticed he's getting lazy on his back legs too and will prop himself up for a little bit while eating, but then sit down. Last week I was prepping for a deep clean of his home, nail trim, ect. and was misting him and massaging his skin, one part on his left shoulder was very swollen and seemed to appear almost over night. As i looked closer and touched it he didnt flinch and it didnt hurt him, it was hard like his skin though so i started massaging it thinking it would be some skin build up. Then a big chunk just fell off to reveal what honestly looked like a chunk of poop under his skin (it was not) i kept cleaning off the black stuff since that wasnt hurting him, under that it was raw gray, yellow and red skin. That was what really hurt to touch so I stopped and just looked closer at it. Under his beard wrapping up around his left shoulder the skin peeling off is rimed with black and peeling up underneath it is black. I have since stopped all misting/baths/humidity (as that accelerates fungi growth) and have not tried to man handle him. Ive just been trying to make him comfy and happy with blueberries.
Usually I would say there's no debate take him in and put him out of pain. But his personality is exactly the same he still dominates the beardie toy, is responsive when we say his name, is a total spaz for crickets and blueberries, gets jealous of our cat, is walking and climbing around, and knows that we're talking about him and something is up. His poops are also the same just a little smaller since he wont eat as many greens. He's still so mentally there I cant bring myself to say we "need" to put him down, but I know this must be causing him pain.

So at what point is yellow fungus too much to put your beardie through that euthanization is the only option? Is there something else I can do at this point? Should I wait until more of his cognitive functions go?
Thanks for making it through this whole post and for any advice you have. I feel so bad for my baby, he's still so young and just wants to cuddle.

Thanks for the link here are some pics
Immediately after the piece fell off

Today after 2 days

His tail today. You can see where its turning orange. I wanted to help with his shed, but i dont think itd be a good idea at this point.

Lip injury from his first week vs after 1 round of antibiotics. Thought some reference might help.

Ps. Im currently switching his papertowels hence the green lining that goes under it to pad his litle feet

photos ….

Have you tried F10 barrier ointment on the infected areas of skin ? http://www.chemicalessentials.com.au/f10-skin-treatment.html

Wow it's really shameful that the vets just blew off what is a serious issue. I agree that photos will help determine his current condition. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.

Is there anywhere else you can bring him to do a skin test and confirm YF? Until then I would treat it as YF and put topical antifungal cream on the affected areas. If this is YF then it should also be treated internally. Voriconizole has been pretty effective at treating this but requires a long course. Compounding pharmacies like Diamondback Drugs and Wedgewood can put this together for you but it needs a prescription called in from a vet. I would give treatment a shot if he is still alert and seems to be fighting but it sounds like this may be pretty advanced already by this point.

Not sure how to reply to replies... i dont think its showing up on the mobile site. But I havent done the F10 just is case it wasnt yellow fungus I didnt want it to hurt him and since i dont have vet to suggest amounts and how often. Looking back i definitely shouldve just trusted my gut and done it in increments. Do you think that would that do anything now? Even just ease his pain in the bad spots?

Thanks for the link I just posted some.
Yes even the front desk people seem like they'd never seen a pet lizard before and asked me what he was....
I can try to see if the exotic vets in training at the University of Austin need lab subjects, but thats the only other place that would take anything other than cats and dogs around here. Ive called every vet clinic and only the 2 I've been too take reptiles. At this point I dont think any medicine is going to cure him, I dont have the money to keep doing rounds of medication, plus I really dont want him to live the rest of life being stressed out about shots and constantly on edge. But Im going to see if UT would even see him and see what they suggest.

Thank you both! Those were such fast responses and I'm so happy they were not telling me euthanize him ♡

I think the veterinary school is run by Texas A&M and their small animal clinic is in College Station. I'm not sure if they treat reptiles though. One of their avian vets may be able to help since their systems are somewhat similar.

It's interesting how much better his face looks after antibiotics. It is still a good idea to get a skin test done to try and figure out what is causing the problem and address it more directly. Especially good to know if you're fighting a bacterial or fungal infection. Very different beasts.

The F10 may be effective against both fungal and bacterial infection but is only topical (it has been used in nebulizer treatments against respiratory infections however)

http://www.walkaboutreptiles.com.au/documents/F10UseinReptiles.doc

A highly contagious disease occurring in bearded dragons, presenting itself with yellow crusty like sores. There is not a lot known about this disease, but there are possibly two different forms. These seem to either originate from lizards that have been previously treated with antibiotics or those lizards that have come directly in contact with soil.
An article appearing in the December 2006 VHS Monitor investigated this disease thoroughly. After much experimentation the author found that F10 SC at a rate of 8ml per litre sprayed directly on the lizards body between 5 – 15 times per day. Housing was also treated with F10. I n additions to this, lizards were provided regular access to direct sunlight.
The condition started to clear between 4 – 6 weeks later and the author continued oi treat them for an additional 2 weeks with no recurrence.

Click to expand...

i will definately give it a shot and not just that f10 is a great disenfectant as well i clean my snake glass terrariums and there is a big diference after it don't get rid of odors however.

What a dedicated owner you are, willing to take on a dragon that was possibly infected with Y.F. and doing a great job by giving him a happy life. It DOES make me sick to hear about vets charging top $$ for bottom of the barrel treatment + advice.

I think the F-10 is a good idea but I would also use raw, unpasteurized honey on any open wounds. It's a fantastic antimicrobial + keeps bacteria from growing. All the best to your special boy.

Hello,

You have really helped him come a long way, poor guy! That is absolutely horrible & insensitive
for vets to have such an uncaring attitude towards him, very sad.
I agree, since he is still so full of spirit I wouldn't give up on him. There are things that you
can do for him. I do think that if possible, a skin scraping would be a good idea, just to
diagnose him for sure on yellow fungus. The Voriconazole is excellent, even though it is hard
on the system. Itraconazole is also used with the same effects. He most likely would need one
of those.
You can start using a raw, unpasteurized honey directly on the affected area, daily, to help with
healing the lesions. To keep it clean & avoid getting the honey all over the place, you can wrap
gauze around him, using athletic tape & gauze. It will help it to stay on. You can also use it on
his mouth, too.
As you are already doing, avoid the baths & misting as must as possible, so it doesn't worsen
the spreading of it. You can also add some probiotics for him, to help balance out his system,
too.
I am in Texas, too. I can try to help find a vet if I possible. Have you looked online much?
The UT has a herpetology department that might be able to guide you to a better reptile vet.
ARAV had a woman listed, Dr. Kimberly Doll in Austin. Have you gone to her? It is listed at the
Pet & Bird hospital & she is a small animal/exotics vet. I can try to look up some more if you
need.

Tracie

Those ulcers look nasty. But I think this can treated and he can be saved , only it's going to take some time for the wounds to heal even after the infection has been cured. It could take 4 - 6 months for those open ulcers to heal and close up completely.

A little more information about F10 Barrier Ointment : https://www.f10products.co.za/f10sa/admin_uploads/files/Germicidal%20Barrier%20Ointment%20leaflet.pdf

I would take him to the vet and ask them to test for CANV around the trouble areas.
The problem with YF is that it does not stay on the skin, it attacks muscle and organ tissue internally.
So treating just the skin topically will not get rid of the underlying infection.
There are some good anti fungal drugs now though that are getting great results with YF, clearing it in as little as a few weeks , a good reptile vet will know how to treat this effectively and will prescribe the most effective anti-fungal / antibacterial mixture for the pathogens present.