Abscess won't heal...

Hey guys. I haven't updated in a while. Stumpy is slowly declining. It has been about 2 months since he has eaten on his own. I've been syringe feeding.

He can't open the other eye at all. It's so swollen. I'm draining about 2 tablespoons of fluid a day from the enucleation site. It swells to the size of a very large grape. The fluid is clear.

His other eye is swollen with surrounding fluid, but I don't want to cut it yet for fear of it ending up like the last one.

I'm taking him next week to see another vet. I just want a second opinion and some blood work. It will run me another $300, but I have to do it. I'm so broke and poor stumpy is so tired, but I just can't give up.

Thanks for updating, I was going to inquire about him yesterday ! Poor sweet fella, I'm so sorry that he's in this condition but just maybe the new vet can figure something out. If the 2nd eye is swelling like the first eye did then maybe the new vet can figure out how to stop it without the drastic surgery. I've been thinking of him + will be thinking of him. Maybe you could revive his gofundme page to help out.

When I opened this thread I did so with great trepidation , expecting it to contain the worse news, not that it didn't contain bad news ....

Poor boy.....

I hope something can be done to help him, at the very least to make him more comfortable by way of anti-inflammatories and pain relief (and anti-biotics if these turn out being needed). But I really fear for his future and would not want to be in your shoes . If I were religious I'd be praying for him everyday.

Might be time to start another cloud funding gofundme account on his behalf.

https://www.gofundme.com/savethestump

That's his link. I may try to revive it. We are both so exhausted and worried. I hope he can hold out until next week so I can get him in.

Hello, guys. I've put off this post as long as I could, but you all have supported me so much, and you are Stumpy's family. SO...you deserve to know. This is the first time I am able to type this without sobbing to an embarrassing level. My sweet fighter decided it was time to stop the fight last Wednesday. Tuesday night he was tilting his head so much it made him roll over. He was stiff and almost non-responsive. I moved him into my bedroom beside my bed (in his smaller tank) and basically stared at him all night.

Wednesday morning I drove him to see another reptile vet for another opinion. This vet wanted to immediately put him down because his condition was so severe. I paid for that visit, left, and rushed him back to my primary vet.

My vet saw him and took him quickly to the back to hook him up to some machines measuring his heart rate and such. He was maintaining a "praying" position, which is where my vet places his nose down on the table lifting up his neck and shoulders, and he just stayed there. My vet said it was time.

I have never agreed with putting an animal down. I've always felt it wasn't my choice to make. But when I saw my sweet boy roll onto his side with his mouth open and just lay there lifeless, I had to consider. I cried and paced and asked every question I could think of. I asked for more surgery. I asked for medicine. But my vet thought it was too far into his brain. He was just so unresponsive.

I left the vet with my baby boy in a very different way than I hoped. He now rests under a tree in my back yard. I visit him all the time. I am heart broken. He fought so hard, and I refuse to say he lost the fight. He just decided he was finished.

I have been wondering and also worrying, thinking that it would come to this. I really became attached and didn't want to read this, and this has broken my heart, though nowhere near how yours is broken. You did everything possible and it was just too much of an illness . I can't say enough how sad I am for you....you deserve to shed every tear , you were the one beside him in all his struggle. My heart goes out, and when others see this there will be other tears for Stumpy and for you. You did a GREAT job with him and he's in no more pain, but you are. Please know how much others are thinking of you now.

I'm so sorry to hear this. You did a great job with him and he put up one heck of a fight. I'm proud of both of you but sad it had to end this way. At least now he is at rest and no longer suffering. We know how you feel and how rough this is. Please feel free to talk with us as much as you'd like. We're happy to be here for you and help any way we can.

Hello,

Oh no, I am so sorry about little Stumpy! I know you have a broken heart & soul & it is absolutely horrible to have to put them. You did so much for him & he knew you loved him with all of your heart. I am sorry that it ended this way, I was hoping for a better ending. I really feel for you, it will take time to start to feel normal again.
You will see him again though, I am sure of it. We are all here for you & thinking about you.

Tracie

Oh no .... so sorry .... I know you loved Stumpy so much and you will be terribly upset and heartbroken by his passing.

You did everything possible to help him and I'm sure Stumpy knew this and loved you for your for efforts and care. I too was hoping his health would improve and he'd still have years of life as your special needs beardie.

I know it will take you a long time to get over your grief (it's like loosing a child....least it was to me) , I still often think about my lovely little Wriggles and my big sweet boy Puff. You will too, believe me it's gonna bring tears to your eyes for months, but things will get better for you emotionally, and you do still have a little beardie to care for and love.

Thank you all for your support and love. I still haven't made it a day without at least tearing up. I miss my little Stumps like crazy.

You are right, though. I do have my little Rumplestiltskin to love and spoil. He's just...not Stumpy.

I'd like to pass on the enclosure I just built to him now. He's getting pretty big and I think he would love the ramps and such. Remember the dresser tank?


I have some large pieces of driftwood and things to decorate. I'd love to make it a fairytale themed tank, since he is the dark one (once upon a time reference). Any ideas for a cool enclosure and how to make it "enchanted forest" themed? I was thinking of using acrylic paint on the inside wood and sealing it, but I don't know if that's safe.

Maybe eventually I'll make a new board for this enclosure...but I can't make myself abandon this thread yet.

I'm sure you're still weepy, that's perfectly understandable.

That big " dresser tank " will be a cool project to work on....I'm not sure about whether acrylic paint is safe, you might pose that question in the DIY or enclosures forums. I had forgotten about Rumplestiltsin. Do you have a thread with pics of him or were his pics back on this one somewhere ?

I'm sure he would enjoy the extra space and Stumpy wouldn't mind sharing. Do you have a nice photo of Stumpy that you could frame and put on the top?

CooperDragon":m4ckto9c said:

I'm sure he would enjoy the extra space and Stumpy wouldn't mind sharing. Do you have a nice photo of Stumpy that you could frame and put on the top?

Click to expand...

I did a memorial photo montage for little Lucky a while after he died .... he was my first pet lizard as an adult and my very first rescue .... and everyone who met him including the vets thought he was a very special little water skink. I still have it on the wall in the lounge room.
I've not been able to bring myself to do the same for Puff or Wriggles yet.....
So I think a memorial photo or photo montage of Stumpy that shows his personality would be an excellent idea when you are emotionally able to do it.

I like the idea of little RSK inheriting Stumpy's penthouse.... only thing I'd suggest is obtaining some F10sc and a F10 Spray bottle and sterilising it before you move RSK in, just to be on the same side.
F10 (used in dilute form 1:150 or so will kill any germs that might present in there , and all you need do is spray it on in thin film and let airdry and you are done - all germs will be dead).

Oh I have a thousand pics of my boy, Stumpy. I could make a shrine if I wanted. Matter of fact...someone may want to keep an eye on me and make sure things don't get that sad/weird around here. :/

Here's Rumple. The day I got him vs today. I promise I'll make a new board one day for him...just not yet.

Just on the thumb.



[
Excuse his head shedding...



He's pretty cool. I'm trying really hard to let myself love him as much as stumpy. Part of me is angry at him and I can't figure out why. Poor guy. He's about 6 months old now. Spoiled, of course. But I'm distant with him.

Yeah I need to sanitize everything. I'm very paranoid with rumple. Every little mark on him makes me nervous.

Love him even more. He is different and also needs your love and care. He will show a different personality and give you different rewards. That's the thing I've found over the years that's tough to realize at first. Each one of them is a unique gift. They don't replace eachother, it's just a different adventure. Loving Rumple won't diminish your memory of Stumpy at all. If anything it will serve to honor his memory and make his life and the experience gained with him valuable. Use what he taught you to make life better for a dragon who needs you.

I had my whole tank covered in photos in a shrine for quite a while until I found someone new who needed a new home and some love. I still keep a framed photo of Coop and one of Dundee right by the tank so I see them looking back at me. They were sweet little guys and reassure me that it's OK to provide a good home to Darwin and get attached to him and give him a happy life because he had such a rough go in the beginning. I think the same is the case for Rumple. Stumpy is in good hands now. My Cooper and Dundee are taking good care of him as are all of the other dragons in the beyond.