Help!!! I fear that my beardy is about to DIE!!!!!!!

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Coltrain

Member
Ok so I am in desperite need of help but cant afford the vet.
I fed him a very small live mouse ( bigger than a pinky though) beacuase I have seen him eat the same size but dead.
Now its been just over 24hrs and the top of his body is very pale instantly and his beard is pitch black.
During this he has violently thrown up and pooped the semi- digested mouse.
He has hardly moved, only in small inches, doesnt eat anything. Ive been sprizting him with water and force feeding him little bits of water. Currently he is constantly seizing and from what it looks like, dry heaving.
I also put my hand under his belly and its as if theres nothing there(EMPTY)

Can anybody please help me, I fear he is close to death beacuse he looks so ill.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Is his beard still black?
Has he gone to the bathroom anymore, or has he vomited?
How big is your dragon? I don't normally recommend feeding pinkies most of the time, especially to smaller dragons.
You need to begin treatment for impaction right away. Start by getting some sugar free applesauce, sugar free canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin, cooked, & butternut squash babyfood. Mix all of that together, along with a couple of drops of olive oil or mineral oil. Use a plastic dropper to get some food into him.
Bathe him in warm water, massaging his belly from the armpit all of the way down to the vent area on the right side. Continue bathing, soaking & getting soft foods ONLY into him. Do NOT feed any solid foods at all right now.
He is most likely impacted & in some pain so you need to act very quickly if you are going to save him.
Do you have optimal lighting & heating for him?
At night, you should try to keep him a little warmer than normal to help his body metabolize the food. Use a ceramic heat emitter or a heating pad on low with a towel in between him & the heating pad.
Please let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

Coltrain

Member
Original Poster
I've moved him to water and started massaging him, but his stomach seems empty, he pooped the mouse out today.
He seems to be taking deep breaths only every soo often and tilting his head back taken deep breaths. He is very limp and appears to have knocked some of his teeth out during the violent seizures. He looks dead, but these breaths every soo often are the only signs of life.
 

Jasper's Mom

BD.org Addict
Oh dear. I wonder if the mouse injured him somehow. Does he have any blood around his nose, mouth, or vent? When he pooped the mouse out, was it digested?
 

Jasper's Mom

BD.org Addict
You know what, I really think he needs to go to the vet ASAP. A lot of places have something called Care Credit or something similar that will allow you to pay off your bill in installments over time. This sounds serious and I think he needs professional help.
 

Jasper's Mom

BD.org Addict
The mouse may have done some damage to his system as it went through. I don't think a beardie can safely pass an undigested or partially digested mouse through it's digestive tract without damage. If there is any way you can get him to the vet, I would strongly urge you to do that.
 

Jasper's Mom

BD.org Addict
OK. All I can do is suggest that you try to get to the vet. In the meantime, try to keep him warm and still. Don't feed him anything else solid for the time being, just in case something has ruptured or he's otherwise injured. I hope he makes it through the night. :(
 

Denise Bushnell (RIP)

Juvie Member
Retired Moderator
Hello,

One of our members contacted me via Private Message, and asked me to see if I could be of some help, since Tracie (drache613) is no longer online.

Your beardie apparently became impacted (had an intestinal blockage) due to your feeding him the mouse, which was too large for him to digest. You are very lucky that he was able to pass it at all....if he hadn't he would be dead by now.

You said that you had given him some warm soaks, and had been massaging his right side, but that his stomach feels empty now...is that correct? Can you feel any lumps at all on his right side now, even any small ones? If not, then he has no doubt passed the impaction itself, but there is no way of knowing how much damage may have been done to his insides when he expelled it. When he threw up, was there any blood in his vomit?
Was there any blood in his stool when he expelled the mouse? If so, then he may be bleeding internally, and if he is, there isn't much that you can do about it. He really should see an emergency vet, RIGHT NOW, if you want him to have the best chance for survival.

The fact that he is pale, and has an extremely black beard, is a sign that he is having pain somewhere, and has probably gone into shock. You need to keep him very warm during the overnight hours, and keep a very close eye on him. I would not give him any more soaks at this point, as you don't want him to get chilled. If you have some uncooked rice in the house, fill up an old sock with it and tie off the top of the sock.
Place the sock in the microwave, if you have one, and heat the rice inside, then place a thick handtowel over it and lay him on top of it. Make sure that the heat coming through the towel is not hot enough to burn him! Once you've made him comfortable, cover him lightly with a soft washcloth, to keep him warm during the night.

Since he seems to be having trouble breathing, there is a possibility that he could have inhaled fluid into his lungs when he threw up. When you lay him on the sock, try to position him so that his head is slightly lower than the rest of his body. This will help any fluid that comes up to drain out, rather than be re-inhaled by him. If you are able to get more fluids into him, that would be a good idea, but only give him a drop or two at a time. His body needs to be kept hydrated, but you don't want him throwing up again either, so only give him a few drops at a time, about every 20 minutes or so.

Since he did have a seizure, there is also a possibility that he may have brain damage as well, which may be affecting all of his bodily functions. Unfortunately there is nothing that you can do about that. He really does need to see a vet, if you want to have a chance of surviving this.

Doing the things that I've mentioned above, and keeping him as quiet and as comfortable as possible, so he can rest until morning, is about all that you can do for him at home. Your best bet would be to try and find an emergency vet close by who knows something about treating reptiles, and getting him there as quickly as possible. Sometimes, in an emergency such as this, a vet will work with you to arrange a payment plan, so that he can get the care that he needs. If you aren't aware of any nearby vets who treat reptiles, you can go to HerpVetConnection.com and find a listing of reptile vets by state. If you can find one close by, I would call them and try to work something out to have him seen as soon as possible.

I feel very badly for both you, and your beardie, but I won't sugercoat this and tell you that he's going to be okay. From what you've posted, he has a lot of things going on, due to what happened, and things do not look good for his survival. If you know any prayers, say them. Hopefully, if you can keep him alive until morning, you can find a way to have him seen by a vet, which will give him his best chance of coming through this.
Please keep us posted on his condition, and I will keep you both in my prayers.
 

Coltrain

Member
Original Poster
The vet said he was very sick from something prior to eating the mouse. The fact that he was able to pass the mouse she said was amazing. But sadly 12:02 Dennis was pronounced dead. :cry:
 
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