Does Gus have an RI? Update:It’s Pneumonia

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So for the past few days Gus has been making these weird chirping/wheezing noises. He did this before when he was preparing to shed and stopped after he shed his head. This time he’s been doing it much more and I’ve seen him open mouth breathing a fair amount. Every few minutes I hear him coughing. His appetite has gone down to the point where he’s eaten 4 roaches and a superworms in the past two days. He usually eats double this in one meal. He’s been growing pretty quickly and he’s around 2.5-3 months old and weighs 43g and is 9.5 inches. I’m worried about him and I’m going to see if I can get him into the vet tomorrow.

His current setup is a Zen Habitat 120 gal with basking temps of 105-110. His humidity is usually 25-35%. His UVB is a 34in T5 10.0 that’s mounted inside his tank around 14 inches from his basking rock.

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This is his current setup except for the tree in the middle which has been moved to the back right corner.

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This is what he looks like when he is coughing/wheezing. I can also post a video of his open mouth breathing if necessary.
 

Drache613

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Hello,

Based on the information, it sounds like Gus may be having some respiratory issues, if his
nose isn't plugged up due to shedding. It looks like you are using a digital probe to measure
the temperatures possibly?
His tank setup looks very nice, so I don't think that is the trouble. This seems to happen quite
often during the wintertime. The humidity sounds like it should be fine, as well. Are you able
to keep him a little warmer overnight, with a ceramic heat emitter? Usually around 75-80 is a
good temperature for overnight.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

Shadowablaze

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Original Poster
I took Gus to the vet this morning and they did some X-rays of his lungs. They said that during the X-rays he was wheezing and they said he has pneumonia. I’m really at a loss here. I thought I had a good setup for him and was giving him the right feeders and care. The vet gave me Ceftazidime (.02mL) for him to be injected into a front forearm every three days for the next 30. They also suggested I set up a nebulizer for him. I just feel lost right now as to how his could have happened and I’m not even sure where to start with setting up a nebulizer.
 

CooperDragon

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He doesn't look distressed in the video, and has a nice bright beard which is a good sign. Hopefully the ceftazidime helps. A nebulizer treatment may be useful if you don't see improvement after the injections, but I suggest being careful about administering too much at once. Meds can do more harm than good in some cases.
 

Shadowablaze

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Original Poster
Today I saw a good amount of improvement from Gus. I didn’t hear him cough at all which was a huge relief. He also ate a dubia this morning with calcium on it. (He’s out of practice eating from my hand and bit my finger and the roach) I was also able to give him some more Reptaboost. He had two poops and I believe he’s getting better. He hasn’t lost much if any weight but his appetite is still not great and his legs are turning pretty dark (maybe they’re going to shed soon).

I did notice that while his basking spot is 105-110 the hot side of the tanks ambient temperature was still in the high 80’s. I turned his CHE on to try and fix this. He’s also been going over to the cool side to sit on his tree witch is like 6 inches directly under the UVB( a T5 10.0). I also got him new tile for substrate to replace the reptile carpet.

Is there anything I can be doing to specifically help not only his appetite, but also making sure he stays hydrated? I’m worried about giving him baths too often or leaving a water bowl in his tank while he’s dealing with the pneumonia.

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How Gus looks currently.

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The tree that he likes to climb onto.
 

CooperDragon

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It's good to hear he is improving! Ambient temps will be lower, that's perfectly fine. For lighting adjustment you want the surface temperature reading. Increasing the temps beyond that may make him uncomfortably hot and send him to the cool side or into hiding.

For hydration, try using a plastic syringe or dropper to drip water on the top of his nose. If he is thirsty, he will lick at it. In the wild they lick dew off of plants and will tilt their head downward to catch/funnel rain so that is a good natural way to offer them water.
 

Drache613

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Staff member
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Hello,

That is great to hear that Gus is starting to do a little better!
I agree, you really don't want the ambient temperatures to be much higher than 82 or so.
Otherwise, he runs the risk of overheating which is dangerous.
I hope he continues to improve for you. It sounds like he may be getting ready to shed also,
which can affect the appetite as well.
Keep us posted on him!

Tracie
 

Shadowablaze

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Original Poster
Today was a great day for Gus. He ate 6 or 7 roaches and some raspberries from his salad. He also appeared to have more energy today. He also drank from his bath today which is the first time I’ve ever even seen him lower his head towards the water let alone drink from it. He didn’t drink that much so I’m not worried that he’s dehydrated. And exactly like you said Tracie he began to shed around his mouth today. He’s also shedding his nose which probably isn’t too fun for him.

Since he seems to be doing much better do you believe I should consult the vet about continuing his antibiotics? We are supposed to have a check up after Thanksgiving to see how he’s doing, but I’m wondering if the medication is necessary for another 8 doses if he’s seems to be doing better.

109547-6250432986.jpg
Gus sitting with me and my wife watching some TV.
 

Faith331

Member
Shadowablaze":380hgwuo said:
Today was a great day for Gus. He ate 6 or 7 roaches and some raspberries from his salad. He also appeared to have more energy today. He also drank from his bath today which is the first time I’ve ever even seen him lower his head towards the water let alone drink from it. He didn’t drink that much so I’m not worried that he’s dehydrated. And exactly like you said Tracie he began to shed around his mouth today. He’s also shedding his nose which probably isn’t too fun for him.

Since he seems to be doing much better do you believe I should consult the vet about continuing his antibiotics? We are supposed to have a check up after Thanksgiving to see how he’s doing, but I’m wondering if the medication is necessary for another 8 doses if he’s seems to be doing better.

109547-6250432986.jpg
Gus sitting with me and my wife watching some TV.
Not from beardie knowledge, but from irl knowledge. You should always complete antibiotics.. always. You run the risk of the infection coming back, but more drug resistant. It won't hurt to have them any more than it already has (the gut flora is likely already dead), and it could potentially hurt to not finish it.

There's a chance that it's different for beardies, but I doubt it
 

Shadowablaze

Member
Original Poster
Just a quick update on Gus. He’s doing much better. Saturday and Sunday he ate over 15 roaches each and began to go back to eating some of his salad. Yesterday he ate around 40 dubias and some superworms and today he ate almost 60 dubias. He’s not coughing at all anymore and seems to be back to normal/ravenous. He appears to be much happier now and has finished shedding all four of his legs so that probably helped as well. (Notice the past pictures they were darker)

He also had weighed around 41g for around a week or so before I took him the vet and then Sunday he still weighed 41g. I was a bit worried that he wasn’t growing much. Today I weighed him again and he was 49g. I’ll continue to update on his progress , but for now I think Gus is in the clear.

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Gus debating whether or not to eat his salad. His pose here looks almost human.

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Look at those legs!

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Gus cuddling up before trying to fall asleep. Notice he’s put on some weight.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

So sorry that I didn't check back in until now!
Did you go ahead & finish a few more days of the antibiotics? Gus looks terrific! His
colors are very nice. His breathing is back to normal?
I thought it looked like he was going to shed which complicates the breathing also but since
he was diagnosed with pneumonia, that can become serious. I am so glad that he is looking
so much better. How is his appetite now?

Keep us posted on him!

Tracie
 
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