This is going to be a sad post so just a fair warning. It's just a story I want to tell
A friend of mine has had her bearded Dragon Herman for over 12 years, he was at least 2 years old when she bought him, thought she doesn't know his exact age. Within the last year, she has noticed his eyesight is going and has started using tongues to give him his food. To make sure that he can find his bugs and salad.
Herman doesn't like their dogs, but has always tolerated them. Yesterday, he just stopped eating and noticed that. Despite eatting his bugs a couple of which a week are hornworms. He was severely dehydrated, she is scared to take him to the vet, because he is so old; (over 14) and he got so weak almost overnight. That she didn't want to take him to the vet, just to risk him dying there. So is giving him extra warm baths, giving him straight water and extra juicy things.
When he ate a hornworm today, she called the emergency vets and they even admitted. Since there isn't really a reptile specific clinic in town, that if he really was so dehydrated. they couldn't even guarantee to be able to properly set up the IV for fluids and it wouldn't be worth stressing him out more.
She thinks, that he is going through liver failure, because he is just so old and when he took this last hornworm noticed his tongue was looking kind of yellow. So she is just trying to make him as comfortable as she can and spoiling him as much as he will allow her too. While he is still with her.
She is hurting and loves the boy, but at the same time can't believe he has made it to at least 14 (possibly older, depending on his actual age when he was getting adopted.) He has been sassy and bitten her a few times over the year, but he was still her scaley boy and loved him dearly.
Sorry again for this sadness. Herman is just a lizard, that loves being spoiled. Even when he is old as dirt and it is amazing. She loves him very much and I hope everyone lizards' get to live as old as this old man.
A friend of mine has had her bearded Dragon Herman for over 12 years, he was at least 2 years old when she bought him, thought she doesn't know his exact age. Within the last year, she has noticed his eyesight is going and has started using tongues to give him his food. To make sure that he can find his bugs and salad.
Herman doesn't like their dogs, but has always tolerated them. Yesterday, he just stopped eating and noticed that. Despite eatting his bugs a couple of which a week are hornworms. He was severely dehydrated, she is scared to take him to the vet, because he is so old; (over 14) and he got so weak almost overnight. That she didn't want to take him to the vet, just to risk him dying there. So is giving him extra warm baths, giving him straight water and extra juicy things.
When he ate a hornworm today, she called the emergency vets and they even admitted. Since there isn't really a reptile specific clinic in town, that if he really was so dehydrated. they couldn't even guarantee to be able to properly set up the IV for fluids and it wouldn't be worth stressing him out more.
She thinks, that he is going through liver failure, because he is just so old and when he took this last hornworm noticed his tongue was looking kind of yellow. So she is just trying to make him as comfortable as she can and spoiling him as much as he will allow her too. While he is still with her.
She is hurting and loves the boy, but at the same time can't believe he has made it to at least 14 (possibly older, depending on his actual age when he was getting adopted.) He has been sassy and bitten her a few times over the year, but he was still her scaley boy and loved him dearly.
Sorry again for this sadness. Herman is just a lizard, that loves being spoiled. Even when he is old as dirt and it is amazing. She loves him very much and I hope everyone lizards' get to live as old as this old man.