Squishy swollen beard- advice?

Hello! I've been coming to this site for years now, and I love how everyone is so helpful. I've read other posts about swollen beards/necks, but none quite look like the one on my big guy. I was hoping someone could give me some info on my rescue beardie, Otis.

Otis is 7 years old, and I've had him for 4 years now. I picked him up after he was abandoned at a reptile store by his owner. He definitely wasn't properly fed or heated as he grew. He has long curled nails, kinked toes, a crooked tail, and doesn't prop himself up very well. He is sluggish and always has been, but eats healthy (dark greens, squash, beardie bites, beardie pellets, dubia roaches, super worms, occasional canned grasshoppers that are cut up, occasional mixed veggies). I had a prior rescue that did the same thing but was in much worse condition when I got him, so I'm used to those issues.

The main problem currently is a sudden swollen beard. He isn't acting any different, just a large swollen beard that popped up this morning. Temps haven't changed (cool side is 83, warm side by the basking area is high 80s to low 90s, basking spot is about 100), I have a new Reptisun 10.0 tube light that was installed a few months ago (is the correct distance and length of the tank). Substrate is shelf liner, the tank is always kept very clean (tank is 48x24x18).

I just noticed the swelling this morning, so I haven't been able to see if he's going to eat today. He hasn't eaten for a day or two, which is common for him. But since I haven't seen his beard swell like this, I thought I'd see if others have seen this kind of swelling before. There are no hard parts in the beard, it feels squishy, like a water balloon. When I touch it or move it, it doesn't seem to hurt him, he just lets me do whatever to him :lol: Here are some pictures:


He's my big handsome boy, I'm hoping someone can take a look and see if maybe it's nothing to worry about, or if it could be a bigger issue. I plan on making a vet appointment in the next few days if it doesn't go down on it's own. Thanks for reading!

*EDIT* My husband tried offering him a small/medium dubia this morning and he didn't seem interested. He watched it, wouldn't take his eyes off of it, but didn't go for it. I've made an appointment with the vet but he won't be able to be seen until Monday.

Hello,

That is a pretty large beard. It just suddenly cropped up to that size?
That's good you are taking him to a vet on Monday. Sometimes it turns out to be nothing, but
it can also be caused by a possible kidney issue. It could also be fluid retention from a soft
tissue injury, but if he hasn't hurt himself that isn't too likely. Other possibilities would be a
hematoma, but those aren't real common.
Has he eaten lately?

Tracie

Hi Tracie! I hoped you'd weigh in

He hasn't eaten in the past few days, but when he did, it was some yellow squash and collard greens. Softer foods, so I'd be surprised if he scratched his throat or something. It just popped up out of nowhere- my husband noticed his beard sort of large two days ago but it wasn't alarming, it just looked like he was puffing his beard out like they do with sheds. Then today it was this large! He doesn't have sharp edges or high platforms that he could have hurt himself on, and there's been no change to diet or the enclosure...it's so strange!

We gave him a bath to see if he'd drink, and he did a bit. I scooped up water and dropped small drops on his nose so he'd lap it up- that large beard was more like a pool floaty lol He took a very small poo (we saved it in case it's helpful for the doc, Otis doesn't poo every day but we'll try again Monday before the vet appointment) then wanted to get out, and I put him under the basking area, and he stayed there until bedtime. He's been staying under the light all day, never really moving from under it, but still very alert.

I had read other posts about this and it seems like it could really be anything, or nothing! I just want my little guy to be happy, and he looks pretty uncomfortable lol

Hey there! For anyone that may have this issue but don't know what it might be, it really is best to go to the vet. They can even tell you if you've been calling your girl a boy for 4 years! haha! Yup, Otis turns out is a girl! I had an assumption it was a girl, but my husband had been told Otis was a boy when we got him, but he was in such bad shape, I don't think they could tell. So Otis is now Lotis :lol:

I took her to the vet yesterday and was told a swollen beard could be anything! Tumor, cyst, swollen saliva glands, a bite from live prey, infection, kidney issues, and the list goes on. The vet wanted to do a full xray, blood and stool tests, the whole shabang, but it was highly expensive (like $850!). I said I couldn't afford all of it, so the vet gave me some anti-inflammatory/pain meds and an anti-biotic. Then Lotis was given some fluids and a dewormer, so now we just wait to see if this fixes the problem. Her beard has gone down a bunch since Thursday, still puffy but more saggy now instead of bulbous! They did say that if it WAS a kidney problem, the meds would make it worse, but they gave me only 2 weeks worth and said to contact them if things got worse. They didn't seem to think it was a kidney problem though. And we were told we could come back and do just the blood test in 2 weeks if we wanted, and we wouldn't have to pay for another exam.

So yeah, the vet is always the place to go if you're worried. Just make sure to know it might be expensive if they want to do a bunch of tests! I'll update this post as the days go on, in case others are worried about a similar issue!

Hello,

That's great her beard volume has gone down. I am thinking that an insect may have
irritated the lining of her beard or bitten her to cause the swelling. It has happened somewhat
frequently here on the boards.
True, it could be an array of issues & if it is the kidneys she would get worse since the meds
are hard on the kidneys.
I hope Otis hasn't gotten his feelings hurt since he is female instead. LOL
Lab tests are very expensive, that is for sure! Hopefully she does get better all on her own. Keep
us posted on how she is doing.

Tracie

Thanks Tracie!

I'm sure something bit her, or scratched her when it went down. Sounds painful, the poor thing!

Today is day 3 on her meds. The swelling is going down a lot and she's still very bright and alert, so that's all good news!

Learning Otis is a girl was quite a shock! It was always sorta hinted in the back of my mind, but having a solid answer is nice, just trying to get used to calling her "Lotis/Lotus" instead, she/her, little girl, etc....it's so WEIRD!

I'll post an update picture later today

She still has a little bit of swelling in her beard, and her eyes are a little swollen too (they were puffy when we took her to the vet too), but here's a picture:


She definitely looks sad in this picture, but she is much more active than she has been Do her eyes look too swollen? They're about as swollen as before when we took her to the vet, but more swollen than the previous pictures. We've been giving her baths every day.

Here are some pictures of this morning AFTER I gave her her medicine. Before the medicine, her eyes were wide open and her beard wasn't as poofy. I think she was just angry at me for taking her out of her house and forcing her to drink some meds


Today is day 4 on the meds, and I can definitely see the beard going down, it's just really saggy now. She's still alert and eating when we place the food in front of her, so I would assume it wasn't a kidney problem, otherwise she would be acting and looking worse (the vet said if it was a kidney problem, the meds would make it worse).

So...that's my update lol Reptiles are amazing, though when they're not feeling well, things can go from great to terrible within 24 hours. So I'm on guard every day :!:

Oh and I wanted to tell you what meds she's on, and the doses:

Metacam (Meloxicam 1.5 mg/ml). 0.07ml once a day for 5 days
TMS (Bactrim 400 mh/ml). 0.04 ml once a day for 2 days, then once every other day for 21 days.

Is there anything you recommend I give her to help being on these? I know it can mess up the gut flora, and I still want her to eat more and have more energy. I have some Carnivore Care power I could give her, as well as some Jump-Start Caloric Supplement & Appetite Stimulant. Right now, she knows that my red tweezers I use for roaches mean food, so we've been tricking her into eating squash and greens that way :lol: But she's not eating as much as she usually does- I don't want her to lose weight!

Thanks again Tracie, so glad I have an expert to talk to about this! :mrgreen:

Hello,

Sorry I missed your last update. She is looking better, is she more active now?
Her beard has definitely gone down & her eyes look brighter. The meds do seem to be helping
her out. You can get her on some probiotics like a non dairy soy yogurt, or a non dairy acidophiliz
to help with her appetite.
The doses look pretty conservative, based on the amount listed. Has she had any black beard at
all since starting on the meds?
You could try small amounts of the jump start to help on her eating along with some carnivore
care a few times per week. Is she maintaining her weight right now?
I'll check in with you tomorrow. Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

Hiya!

She is looking much better, yes! She is more active for sure: she goes to her house at night, comes out and gets up on the basking spot in the morning, and does a few laps a day.


She's still not interested in food though, so I ordered some Repashy Grub Pie and Veggie Burger to mix together and trick her into thinking it's a bug. Maybe I'll get one of those Jello mold trays that has insects on them to trick her :lol: I will look into a probiotic for her like you said, to help her appetite.

No full-on black bearding from her at all! She's overall darker in the morning (I took my pictures of her this morning, so she's darker than usual) since she's not warmed up yet but she doesn't black beard from the meds. Her eyes do puff up after I give it to her, not sure if that's because she fights me taking her meds, or if the meds are making them puffy. It goes away after a few hours, but do you think that's the meds? She doesn't act any different other than the puffy eyes, so I'm thinking it's just because she's angry at me :? I'll ask the Vet when she calls on Monday too.

Before:

After:

Her weight is the same, but I'm making sure to get her to eat some carnivore care so she doesn't loose weight. Her beard is MUCH better, I can actually poke it and it indents like it should! (I'm not pushing very hard but believe me it's waaaaaay less squishy)


It's not completely gone yet, there's still a tiny TINY bit of swelling left that I can feel, but dang, it looks so much better. It doesn't feel like a squishy balloon anymore. As soon as she starts eating regularly again, I will be able to breathe

Thanks so much for helping me out, I really appreciate it! It's always so scary when you're little scaly baby doesn't feel good, especially since reptiles hide their sickness for so long before it's an emergency. I'll update you again in a few days, hopefully she'll be back to eating on her own again by then!

HOORAY! Lotus ate!!! She didn't eat a bunch, but she had a few Beardie Bites (which she loves). I'm hoping this bumps up her energy even more and she'll eat more later. I'll update you more as things progress!

Hello,

She is looking much better now!☺ Bless her!
Well her eyes do get more puffy after you give her
meds. She probably just gets upset with the ordeal.
How much longer is she on the meds for? The Baytril
is a little harsh on the kidneys, so be sure to keep her
hydrated.
I am happy to hear that she ate some beard bites, yeah
Lotus!❤

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie

Hello!

Yes, she looks much better! I agree she is probably puffy because of how much she fights me when I give it to her. She really REALLY hates it! But I guess it's a good sign that she has so much energy that she CAN fight me :lol:

The med says for 21 days, a dose every other day. She's on day 11, I've been giving it to her on even number days. Do you think that's too long? I thought it was longer because of how minimal the doses are. She's getting baths every day, so she's staying hydrated

My Repashy Grub Pie and Veggie Burger came last night, so I'm gonna make those for her tomorrow! Hopefully she likes it <3

More updates coming this weekend!

SUCCESS!!!

Lotus ate a TON of both Veggie Burger AND Grub Pie this weekend! She's back to her normal self: basking, getting into her favorite hammock at night, very alert, and her beard isn't huge anymore! So so happy!

Thanks for all your help! So so glad this whole thing had a happy ending!