Bearded Dragon Getting More Sick After Eye Problems?

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beardiegerald

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To start, I'm kind of a newbie with bearded dragons. I thought I was doing a good job with her, but I don't think I am anymore and I feel terrible. We've had her for almost two and a half years and no problems up until now.

I noticed a few days ago that her eyes were crusty and decided to see if she could work it out herself while I did some research before panicking. Eventually her eyes became swollen and goopy and she couldn't open them well. From the googling I did, I found I could gently wipe her eyes to try and get rid of it. This would help, but only for a little bit and then they would get bad again. I've been doing this for a few days now. I heard it could be the lighting/heating causing irritation, so we've tried different methods of trying to fix the problem. I don't think it's working well though. Then we thought maybe she is dehydrated, so we gave her a bath and she even drank some water. After this she was able to open her eyes and much like herself (energetic and friendly). I just checked up on her and now she has a jet black beard and I can see her visibly breathing (ot sure if being able to see her breathe is normal or not, but I never noticed it before). She also keeps leaving behind these very, very tiny poops and nearly only the urate, but she hasn't eaten much since this all started.

We use a ceramic heating bulb at night, but turn it off during the day.

I'm very worried, if you have any suggestions or ideas please respond. I don't know what to do and getting her to the vet may be difficult.

Here are pics of her and the lighting/heating we use?
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Foxxy76

Member
Those "curly" UVB bulbs are un-reliable and can cause eye issues due to shortened UV rays. This also means the ability to absorb calcium correctly is hindered. A T5 reptisun 10.0 tube UVB may be a place to start. Also double check your heat temps when you change your lights. Hope your baby feels better!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

So sorry your girl is having some issues. Did this come on quite suddenly?
How long have you been using the compact/coil light?
For now, please go ahead & turn off the Reptiglo compact/coil light & just leave the basking
light on over her. What are her basking temperatures in her tank?
This may be issues due to the UVB coil but not positive. You can get some sterile saline
solution to use twice daily to flush out her eyes. That is usually pretty effective. They don't
look too swollen in the picture, maybe just slightly.
I would also consider trying to get some antibiotic eye ointment. Terramycin is a very commonly
used one for reptiles. You can order it online, or you may be able to find it at a local tractor supply
store or Ag mart, etc.
Is she eating anything at all right now?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Is she blackbearding for long periods ?

You can of cause turn off her UVB150 for a few days and see if her eye issues improve or go away , this will tell you if that compact was faulty (unlikely) or the issue is not the lights at all.
Is that 75W basking globe a Neodynium coated globe ? or a just a spot globe ?
>>>
checking Exo Terra's site : http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/intense_basking_spot.php
these "intense basking lampglobes" are indeed neodymium coated and emit UVA.
<<<

If no improvement - it's not the lighting (even though you have a compact UVB , it's a very good brand and I've reared all my bearded dragons under the 26W UVB200 version will zero eye problems.

I'd exchange the UVB150 (which is only rated at 5% UVB) for a 26W UVB200 , she needs to be able to basking 8 inches from it if it's in a nano-hood or a reflector dome and NOT sitting on top a mesh lid.
Of cause this the easiest and quickest upgrade you give her. If the issue goes away with the UVB150 turned off for a few days to a week and no other treatment or changes ==> it's the UVB150 at fault.
If there is no change , and no other treatment or changes ==> NOT the UVB150 causing this.

If this is conjunctivitis , there are several types :
>> photo-kerato-conjunctivitis caused by a bad UV source
>> bacterial conjunctivitis , . << pus is generated >> Terramycin can help this
>> viral conjunctivitis , << pus is generated >> need a different antiviral eye drop
>> fungal conjunctivitis. << pus is generated.>> need a different antiviral eye drop and using Terramycin will make this worse , 1:1 pure manuka honey in saline may help.

Some info : https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=3846182&pid=11147&print=1
and
Eyelid diseases may include viral, bacterial and fungal infections. These may reach epidemic proportions in both wild and captive animals. Predisposing cause are the stresses of shipping and poor environmental hygiene.
Not infrequently bacterial and fungal ocular lesions may reflect other more insidious systemic infections.
Surgical debridement and use of both systemic and topical anti-biotic and antifungal therapy is required.
from http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/ocular-diseases-nontraditional-and-exotic-pets-proceedings
conjunctivitis-viral-bacterial-differences.png

different pathogens ==> different meds needed (ie anti bacterial vs anti viral vs antifungal )
meds-for-conjuctivitis-types.png


A swab taken of the discharge taken and cultured will tell the vet the most effective antibiotic to use and is going to be the quickest and cheapest path to a cure.

If the dragon is on sand or something that has a propensity to create grit and sharp fine particles , these can get between the eye ball and the eyelid or eye socket and irritate even abrade them (scratch sensitive tissues there) and make it very uncomfortable to open the eyes.
Bathing the eyes with sterile saline can help alleviate this. But beware if this is fungal conjunctivitis the relief will be short lived and the symptoms will return and be worsened - fungal conditions love moisture . I found this out in person the hard way (painful way) when I had fungal conjunctivitis that was misdiagnosed as hay fever and medicated eye drops were used.

The eye issue can also indicate an other underlying health condition , especially if she's doing a bit of blackbearding or constantly blackbearding , this needs to be investigated though xrays and bloodtests to work out what is causing this , job for a reptile vet.
 

beardiegerald

New member
Original Poster
I'm new to this site, so I'm not sure if this is how to reply/give updates but we'll see if I did it correctly.

Anyways, an update on my beardie... She did not make it. On the way to the vet, she passed a bloody stool. The vet looked inside her mouth when we got there and there was blood inside of it. He said this indicated some type of blockage and they normally don't survive that. We asked if we did something wrong and if it was a parasite, but they said it was extremely unlikely. They went on to tell us that was most likely happened was that she had eggs that did not fertilize, which led to them becoming toxic or that they created a blockage inside of her. Long story short, she did not make it...

I'm personally very confused, is this common? Was the vet telling the truth? I had no clue that unfertilized eggs could lead to a blockage or become toxic? I feel like this would put every female beardie at risk. If anyone knows anything and can help my confusion, please respond.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
:(

It happens sometimes with bearded dragons.

The eye issues were due to a compromised immune system resulting from the advanced systemic infection.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
:( I am sorry to hear-- it is so sad when things like this happen---
Karrie
 
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