Swollen Eye Stuck Open, Tail Rapidly Getting Thin, Legs Limp

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Hello Beardie Lovers,
My bearded dragon's name is Boku. She is now eight years old and we have been having a problem with her eye being swollen. We have taken her to the Vet several times. One Vet gave us an antibiotic with anti inflammatory but both medications didn't work. So we took her to a second Vet for a second opinion. They told us that we should give her shots at home, which we were not comfortable with doing. But we did it anyway because we had no choice. The shots were also antibiotics and a anti inflammatory. A month after the Vet visit, the swelling stayed the same but just recently got worse than it's ever been. It's so swollen that her eye will not fully shut. This seems to be a very rare condition. Her eye is stuck open and it appears to be due to pressure building up. After doing numerous google searches I could not find any results matching this symptom. (Her eye is stuck open not shut!) So I've come here as a last resort hoping there is experts or knowledgeable answers regarding this rare issue.

Now that her light is off I've gone back to check on her by shining a light on her randomly. Her swollen eye is still open while shes laying in the dark and her good eye is shut. Today, her tail looked alarmingly thinner in combination with the swollen eye not being able to shut which is also a recent development.

All of her legs have been weak and limp for a couple of months now. She is still eating crickets and horn worms, (mostly horn worms). She is so inactive, it's hard to tell if she eats her greens but she is offered her greens daily. The only way to get her to eat is by feeding her with big bug tweezers from the Reptile store.

She seems to be suffering from neurological issues from the pressure that's building up in her eye in close proximity to her brain. This pressure makes her walk in circles in the direction of the hurt eye. When she eats she bangs her she bangs her head back and forth, sometimes hitting it against her glass cage, (if she is close to it while eating). :banghead:

:?: Can the bearded dragon community please help Boku? We are desperate and we need helpful advice and we are looking for potential remedies (to flush the eye and relieve pressure, if it exists) that could be life saving and safe to try. :?:
Thank you for reading this. Boku shows her love.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Photos of the dragon showing it's eyes and general state.
and the tank
and the lighting ( and details of exactly what lights you have ).

Vet's diagnosis .
What meds did the vet prescribe for the dragon .
Was the vet a REPTILE VET ?

I think you need to find a good local REPTILE VET ( urgently as this dragon is only going downhill and from you say this has been going on and deteriorating for a long time ), the dragon needs to be reassessed and a battery of thorough blood tests and imaging done to determine exactly what is going on and it's cause and treatment plan developed and discussion of it's prognosis.

Without even seeing images of the dragon no one here offer even an educate guess , let alone give useful advise , anyone who does is likely to send you off on a wild goose chase.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Aw, poor Boku, this must be so hard on you as well as Boku. :( There may be some type of growth in her head that is causing this. Since these vets don't know what it is see if you can possibly find another highly experienced reptile vet or if your vet can consult with a reptile specialist. Until then you can try raw unpasteurized honey on the eye. It has natural antimicrobial + anti inflammatory properties. Get it from a beekeeeper or health store [ not the whipped kind ] Raw + unpasteurized. Mix it with a tiny bit of warm water to make it pliable and drop some in the eye 2-3 X a day. That worked very well in a beardie of mine although mine just had an infection and yours is more than that. Hopefully that can help in some way + at least keep the eye from totally drying out. Best wishes to you + Boku !

Here's how to post pics if you want to :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them
 

bokuthedragon

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":1kbys3bg said:
Aw, poor Boku, this must be so hard on you as well as Boku. :( There may be some type of growth in her head that is causing this. Since these vets don't know what it is see if you can possibly find another highly experienced reptile vet or if your vet can consult with a reptile specialist. Until then you can try raw unpasteurized honey on the eye. It has natural antimicrobial + anti inflammatory properties. Get it from a beekeeeper or health store [ not the whipped kind ] Raw + unpasteurized. Mix it with a tiny bit of warm water to make it pliable and drop some in the eye 2-3 X a day. That worked very well in a beardie of mine although mine just had an infection and yours is more than that. Hopefully that can help in some way + at least keep the eye from totally drying out. Best wishes to you + Boku !

Here's how to post pics if you want to :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

How do I apply the honey with a liquid dropper? Or a cotton swab? Is there any youtube video you could recommend of the method?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
When you mix it with water you should be able to use a dropper. I dis use a Q-tip with my dragon's eye, just soak the tip in the solution enough + gently apply it but make sure none of the fiber comes loose in the eye. The dropper is probably better but either will work.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
You could even get a drop at a time on your finger if you wanted. The goal is to just get the mixture on the eye.

-Brandon
 

bokuthedragon

Member
Original Poster
Looks like she may have passed away it's hard to tell but I just checked on her in the dark with a flashlight just to check her eye. I was trying to see if her eye was shutting at night. When I shined the light on her face both her eyes were open. I turned on the dining room light and tapped on the glass and talked to her for 15 minutes. If she died it looks like it just happened very recently I lifted her leg it was limp there is no rigor mortis. I did not see her breath not once but sometimes that would be normal when shes sleeping. But after having the light on and tapping the glass and touching her she normally would have at least moved her eyes. Her coloring is almost the same but the bottom of her tail is brown. But I was told that it's different for Lizards than for cats or dogs. How can I tell if she is dead or alive? :cry:
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Oh no!

I'm sorry, if eyes are open and no movement at all for 15 minutes she most likely has passed. If she remains the same by morning time you will know for sure. Can you get her to react to anything at all? You can try opening her mouth. If shes alive she would at least move a little bit as you try.

Im sorry :(

-Brandon
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Goodness, I am so sorry to hear about Boku, how terrible for you both. :cry:
It sounds like there was an abscess possibly, since there was so much swelling going
on.
It seems that she has passed, if you haven't seen any signs of breathing from her.
This is a very difficult time, I am sorry for your loss.

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
photo of her.

I'd leave her in her tank til tomorrow , if she is dead
> she'll start to stiffen up
> blood will pool at her lowest areas ( you'll see a change in colour )
> liquid is likely to start to dribble from her cloaca and mouth.

She might not be dead , they can slide off into a very floppy unresponsive state and still be alive ( but breathing very shallowly and slowly and have only a few heart beats per minute ).
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I'm so sorry to hear this about Boku. :( She is most likely gone. If you want to wait just a few hours you can set her in a box with newspaper because you don't want any fluids leaked in to the tank. I doubt there will be any change though and I'm so sorry about your sweet girl.
 

bokuthedragon

Member
Original Poster
She hadn't moved on her own all day yesterday but still communicated with her eyes. In the evening I put her under her piece of wood to see if she'd like that. She moved for the first time and last time on her own after that. She struggled and slowly walked out from underneath her piece of wood and put her face up against the glass. It was like she was trying to say something and wanted attention. She was taken out and honey was applied to her bad eye with a dropper. It was just 2 small drops of honey mixed with 1 to 1 ratio with honey and water and stirred until it was fully dissolved into the water. Also gave her a little bit of water with the syringe to try and combat her shrinking Tail that looked very dehydrated compared to normal. She was placed back in her terrarium. After about 2 hours I checked on her she was gone with both eyes open in the dark. It felt unreal to see really wanted her to pull through I wish I could have had that undiagnosed eye injury diagnosed but vets wanted to do an MRI and it was too expensive. I just wish they'd do it for free you know? If they really care can't they bend the rules a bit? It's too late now but in retrospect I feel Vets should still do what they can in emergencies. Thanks for trying to help everyone.
 
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