I know this is long so... TL;DR: Suspected MBD, found impaction; light sedation and enema, passed most of impaction; been lethargic with strange behavior since vet two days ago.
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Hi, I’ve looked for other discussions on this topic but I can’t find any. Joanna had some impaction due to loose substrate. (PLEASE REMOVE LOOSE SUBSTRATE FROM YOUR ENCLOSURES!!) I brought him into the vet because I suspected MBD due to a crawling behavior he had taken on. But when the vet did an exam, she found impaction and that his bone density was good. We ran bloodwork and a fecal sample and all else is normal, healthy and good according to those tests. So supposedly no MBD, just major discomfort from impaction.
We did a saline injection on Monday and a second one on Wednesday. I’ve been soaking him twice daily in warm water to help him pass this impaction but he hadn’t gone for me. On Wednesday, she recommended an enema to remove them. She also suggested sedation to make him more comfortable. I agreed and came back 6 hours later to pick Jo back up. She was excited and said the procedure went better than expected and that he had passed most of them. He was pretty drowsy on the car ride home, keeping his eyes closed and not lifting his head up, but had just come out of the procedure, so I wasn’t concerned.
It’s been a day and a half now (Friday morning) and Joanna is still pretty lethargic. I was giving him a bath yesterday in shallow water and he kept dropping his head. He let his nose go underwater. I waited just a moment and he never picked it up out of the water, so I gently shook him awake and pulled his head up. He let it slip under again after that. I figured that he was tired from all the chaos of the vet and the sedation, but now I’m worried, as he’s still showing these signs. He’s been inactive for a while, but wouldn’t even hold his head up yesterday or this morning.
I’ve had Joanna ever since he was a baby. He’s going to be 7 years old in August. His basking temp is about 105° and his cold side is 85°. We live in an attic of an old home, so it stays warm up here (80-90°s lately). I’m using a 160W UVB bulb (new in February) and a 125W ceramic heating coil. He has a slate tile and reptile carpet in his tank. His humidity over the past few days has ranged from 50-70%, the vet requested I purchase an automatic mister and keep the humidity around 70% until he passes what’s left of this impaction. I’m still adjusting the settings to maintain the right humidity.
Lately, he’s been refusing more and more food. He’s always had a slight distain for greens unless I take half a blackberry and crush it over them (his favorite), but he’s been rejecting food even more so lately. When I suspected MBD, I began feeding natural sweet potato baby food with calcium mixed in. It was always hit or miss if he’d be interested, but generally would eat some off a spoon. Until he passes these, the vet recommends leaving the calcium out. He likes these Fluker’s brand “adult reptile diet” meal that I call Cheetos; I’ve tossed them on his salad to trick him into eating some collard greens. But he refused them today, even after I soaked them in water. He’ll eat lazy feeders like meal worms but doesn’t want to run to catch the faster ones. All the local pet stores have been out of hornworms, but I’m going to call around again today to see if they have them, since meal worms are harder and not very nutritional. He ate a couple dubias Wednesday morning, but I really had to help. I don’t want an accidental cockroach infestation in my apartment.
Has anyone ever had their beardie sedated before? What is the recovery time? Can he still be resting from all the chaos of the vets? In addition to not holding his head up and keeping his eyes closed, he’s had his mouth open most of the time that he’s awake, but it’s not too hot. He’s laying on my chest right now with his mouth open and it’s maybe only 75° in my room. He’s also begun doing a slight “gulping,” he’ll barely puff his beard out and then quickly pull it back in. It sounds like some sort of breathing, but no harsh sounds.
Any advice? I’m nervous he’s going downhill.
- Mama Mic
EDIT: 160W UVB bulb, not 125W
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Hi, I’ve looked for other discussions on this topic but I can’t find any. Joanna had some impaction due to loose substrate. (PLEASE REMOVE LOOSE SUBSTRATE FROM YOUR ENCLOSURES!!) I brought him into the vet because I suspected MBD due to a crawling behavior he had taken on. But when the vet did an exam, she found impaction and that his bone density was good. We ran bloodwork and a fecal sample and all else is normal, healthy and good according to those tests. So supposedly no MBD, just major discomfort from impaction.
We did a saline injection on Monday and a second one on Wednesday. I’ve been soaking him twice daily in warm water to help him pass this impaction but he hadn’t gone for me. On Wednesday, she recommended an enema to remove them. She also suggested sedation to make him more comfortable. I agreed and came back 6 hours later to pick Jo back up. She was excited and said the procedure went better than expected and that he had passed most of them. He was pretty drowsy on the car ride home, keeping his eyes closed and not lifting his head up, but had just come out of the procedure, so I wasn’t concerned.
It’s been a day and a half now (Friday morning) and Joanna is still pretty lethargic. I was giving him a bath yesterday in shallow water and he kept dropping his head. He let his nose go underwater. I waited just a moment and he never picked it up out of the water, so I gently shook him awake and pulled his head up. He let it slip under again after that. I figured that he was tired from all the chaos of the vet and the sedation, but now I’m worried, as he’s still showing these signs. He’s been inactive for a while, but wouldn’t even hold his head up yesterday or this morning.
I’ve had Joanna ever since he was a baby. He’s going to be 7 years old in August. His basking temp is about 105° and his cold side is 85°. We live in an attic of an old home, so it stays warm up here (80-90°s lately). I’m using a 160W UVB bulb (new in February) and a 125W ceramic heating coil. He has a slate tile and reptile carpet in his tank. His humidity over the past few days has ranged from 50-70%, the vet requested I purchase an automatic mister and keep the humidity around 70% until he passes what’s left of this impaction. I’m still adjusting the settings to maintain the right humidity.
Lately, he’s been refusing more and more food. He’s always had a slight distain for greens unless I take half a blackberry and crush it over them (his favorite), but he’s been rejecting food even more so lately. When I suspected MBD, I began feeding natural sweet potato baby food with calcium mixed in. It was always hit or miss if he’d be interested, but generally would eat some off a spoon. Until he passes these, the vet recommends leaving the calcium out. He likes these Fluker’s brand “adult reptile diet” meal that I call Cheetos; I’ve tossed them on his salad to trick him into eating some collard greens. But he refused them today, even after I soaked them in water. He’ll eat lazy feeders like meal worms but doesn’t want to run to catch the faster ones. All the local pet stores have been out of hornworms, but I’m going to call around again today to see if they have them, since meal worms are harder and not very nutritional. He ate a couple dubias Wednesday morning, but I really had to help. I don’t want an accidental cockroach infestation in my apartment.
Has anyone ever had their beardie sedated before? What is the recovery time? Can he still be resting from all the chaos of the vets? In addition to not holding his head up and keeping his eyes closed, he’s had his mouth open most of the time that he’s awake, but it’s not too hot. He’s laying on my chest right now with his mouth open and it’s maybe only 75° in my room. He’s also begun doing a slight “gulping,” he’ll barely puff his beard out and then quickly pull it back in. It sounds like some sort of breathing, but no harsh sounds.
Any advice? I’m nervous he’s going downhill.
- Mama Mic
EDIT: 160W UVB bulb, not 125W