8 year old sick bearded dragon.

Hi,

I have an 8 year old female bearded dragon, Sunnie. For the past 4 months she has been acting strange. I thought she may be brumating until recently. She stopped eating, but she would drink water and sleep all the time. I started feeding her Jump start a few times a day, just in case. She wasn't losing any weight, and looked healthy. A few weeks ago, she took a very large poop. After that she stopped sleeping all the time...and runs around her cage alot...but she still will not eat. She drinks lots of water daily though. She keeps getting skinnier and weaker each day, I've noticed...still active and alert almost a crazed look about her. I am now feeding her baby food with some of the jump start mixed in with it through a syringe a few times a day. I know I need to take her to the vet as soon as possible.... and I am just waiting for my paycheck to come in to see if I can afford it. I am just afraid that it is because she is old and may not be alive much sooner. I am trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Does anyone have any advice other than what I am doing until I can get her to the vet. Any idea's on what it could be? It may be parasites, but with her age.. I am not so sure.

Thanks

Rebecca

Hello,

You mentioned that she is drinking alot of water? Alot more than usual? If so, then she could be having some renal issues perhaps.
I would try to give extra oral fluids & add some pedialyte or gatorade in with that water to help with electrolytes.
If she is losing weight it is either parasites or something more serious that should be checked out.
Do you have any babyfood that you can give to her in conjunction with the jumpstart for now? Squash & chicken are good choices & just mix the jumpstart in with that.
What type of lighting are you using? Do you have a UVB light? If so, what type & brand of UVB is it, a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? How old is it?
Her fatpads on top of her head, how do they look, are they raised or sunken in?

Tracie

Yes, she is drinking alot more water than usual. It's almost like she is trying to eat the water instead of just lick it up.
I have been feeding her some baby food mixed with the jumpstart since yesterday, 3 times a day.

I use the Repti Basking Spot Lamp 100 watt bulb and the Zoo med Repti sun 2.0. They are both about 6 months old.

As for her fat pads, they look normal. They are not sunken. Slightly raised, but not much.

Hello,

Ok. How long have you been using the Reptisun 2? That is a very weak UVB light & she is not receiving much if any UVB emissions from that light. I highly recommend that you look into getting an upgraded UVB such as the Zoomed Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. Look at this site for great prices:
http://www.petmountain.com

The basking light is fine, as long as the temps are fine. What do you use to measure your temps? A stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun? What are the temps?
If you can keep from buying it from the petstore, try to purchase it online as it will save you at least $25 dollars.
Also, do you supplement calcium on a regular basis? She may be in the early stages of metabolic bone disease so if you get this taken care of now she wont suffer too many adverse side effects with hypocalcemia. I think that the exessive thirst is a sign that something is going on, either a mixture of dehydration, hypocalcemia or something else. We will start with upgrading the UVB first to see how that helps her out.

Continue feeding her the jumpstart mixed with the babyfood & try to get some extra oral fluids into her as well.
Keep me posted on her & do try to get the upgraded UVB light too.

Tracie

I have been using the that type of bulb practically her whole life. The basking spot stays around 95 degrees and cooler in other areas.

Before she stopped eating, I did supplement her food with calcium I set up an appointment to take her to the vet this tuesday. So I'll let you know when I find out what's wrong

Hello,

So you have only been using the Reptisun 2 her whole life? Wow, has she ever had any other problems?
She most likely has been having some trouble that went unnoticed. Reptiles often are sick for a long time before it is ever seen. She most likely has metabolic bone disease.
That is great you are taking her to the vet next week. Do get a blood test to see what the calcium levels are.
Can she support herself on all fours? Does she have any bone deviations that you can see? Unfortunately, supplementing calcium without adequate UVB exposure does not allow for proper absorption of calcium.
The basking temp of 95 is ok, but it could be bumped up slightly to 100 since she is not feeling well it will help her immune system right now.

Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

She has been very healthy her whole life minus when she had parasites when she was a year old. From what I can tell her bones looks like they are in good condition. She runs around and usually has tons of energy. She is just not eating anything. I have a screen cage for her and on days that it is nice enough for her to be outside I set her in the sun light,except for this time of the year.. The only problem she has had a lot is constipation.

Hello,

Good that she gets sun on ocassion. I am glad you are getting her to the vet. Please get bloodtests though that will really help to determine what is going on.
They can "appear" healthy but have something going on sometimes. I hope it is absolutely nothing.
Hypocalcemia can cause constipation. The reason is the the GI tract operates off of smooth muscle contractions which need assistance from calcium ions to relax & contract. If the calcium levels are low, this can make it difficult for them to go to the bathroom.
As I had mentioned, if she has not been getting adequate UVB, then her ability to absorb calcium is hindered. I highly suggest getting a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb for her, I really think that it would help her out.
Try to get some oral fluids into her to help with hydration right now, too. We need to get that constipation fixed as it can cause prolapse & further complications.

Tracie