Bearded dragon dying?

One of my beardies was fine yesterday and this morning, but this afternoon when I went in, her beard was black, her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were very sunken. There was fresh poop in her tank, with yellow urate.

We tried to coax her to drink but we noticed she was paralysed- she felt almost like a rubber lizard when we were moving her around. We rushed her to the vets and I was squeezing her chest gently and blowing into her mouth to help her breathe. Every now and again she’d open her mouth a few times and lick her lips but then fall back into the same thing. I checked her mouth and she wasn’t choking on anything, but her tongue was very pale. Her pupils were almost white and her eyes were half shut.

The vet asked if she’d eaten anything she shouldn’t have, or if she’d been doing anything differently recently, but she hasn’t. Because of corona, my mum had to take her in instead of me (she’s my mum’s dragon), and she was a bit upset when she came out so she didn’t explain everything clearly, but she basically said the vet has put Mazikeen on a drip because she’s very weak, and they thinks she’s got eggs.

My other beardie laid eggs a few months ago and had to get a painkiller from the vet because she wasn’t herself for a while afterwards. But Mazikeen hasn’t shown any signs of needing to lay recently- she doesn’t dig around in her tank, she was eating perfectly fine, she was due a bath today for her to have a drink. Her stomach did feel very bloated when I held her.

Just a side note: we’ve had the both of them for a year to two years now and neither one of them has ever brumated.

Can someone explain what the vet means? Has she held onto her eggs or retained them somehow? I literally don’t understand how she was running around her tank last night and was fine when my mum stroked her this morning, then suddenly she goes massively downhill. Will she get better?

Update: the vet called and said they’ve lost her twice already. Apparently she’s so full of eggs that her lungs can’t fully inflate, he says he’s never seen anything like it before. He said he can transfer her to the hospital and see how she goes overnight, or he can do an emergency surgery to remove as many eggs as possible and see if she improves. There’s a 50/50 chance that the surgery will work. I’m trying to convince my mum to go for it despite the cost.

I wish you luck I am glad you found a vet that is experienced ---
Karrie

Update: unfortunately, she passed away. The vet said the surgery was the best idea because she was under anaesthetic when she went. He removed over half of her follicles, which were twisted, but she was so full of blood that they didn’t have time to do a transfusion. I still don’t understand how it all happened so fast, but there we go.

I am sorry you lost her --- that happens all the time --- one minute they are fine the next they are gone --- you did your best --- I am sorry
Karrie

Hello,

Oh my, I am so sorry that you lost your girl so suddenly like that.
Poor girl, unfortunately they hide health issues very well & will appear fine one day &
sick the next day.
My condolences to you & your family.

Tracie

Sadly eggbinding is common in egg layers. At least she was under anesthesia so she didn’t have to feel anything anymore.

loljelloclowdz":13uy6alp said:

Sadly eggbinding is common in egg layers. At least she was under anesthesia so she didn’t have to feel anything anymore.

Click to expand...

Does it sound like egg binding? I’m a bit concerned because the insurance company covers up to £1000 of her treatment but for some reason some reproductive issues aren’t covered, and egg binding is one of them.

Hello,

Oh really, egg binding isn't covered by the insurance? That is too bad. Are you going
to have a necropsy done to determine cause of death?

Tracie

Drache613":3lxiop18 said:

Hello,

Oh really, egg binding isn't covered by the insurance? That is too bad. Are you going
to have a necropsy done to determine cause of death?

Tracie

Click to expand...

Well we called up the insurance company to notify them of her death and to ask about make a claim for the money, and they let us know as a heads up that certain reproductive issues aren’t covered by the policy, including egg binding.

The vet said Mazikeen was so full of eggs that they were crushing her lungs, and during surgery they removed over half of her follicles which were twisted. He said after her removed the follicles it looked like she was going to pull through, but then she had a massive bleed and she died before they could do a transfusion. So I’m not sure whether the clinical notes will say she died from the bleed or because of the eggs. I know insurance companies are good at finding loopholes though.

I don’t think my mum would agree to a necropsy anyway because it would upset her, but especially if it’s going to cost more money. My mum’s paid what she can towards the surgery and I’m paying for the rest with my student loan, so we’re hoping that the insurance pays out. It’s also going to cost another two hundred for us to get her cremated and sent home to us. We thought about just asking for her body back so we can bury her at home, but we’re not allowed to. We decided it’d be better to have her ashes anyway.