Positive for ADV

Hello all,

I am a new poster to this site, but I am a long term viewer. I am the proud owner of a very handsome 1 year old beardie. As far as I can remember he was a healthy baby, but started having diarrhea around 5-6 months of age. I took him to the vet and treated for parasites (coccidia/flagellates) it took 2 rounds but it resolved. Fast forward a few months and I noticed my boy was starting to walk on his wrists ( I did look back through old pix and saw that he did stand on his wrist but never thought it was a health concern) I immediately took him back to the vet as I feared it was MBD. *He is in a 4 foot glass viv with a T5 reptisun 10.0 tube and 150 watt basking light, temps are 105 at basking, 85-90 on warm side, and 75-80 on cool side. Vet said his bones and jaw felt normal so did not feel it was MBD, she placed him on the floor to watch him walk and noticed he was not normal. I had been reading about ADV and it seemed to fit, so I asked her if that was what she thought it could be and she said yes. She started him on fortaz injections every 3 days (do not know doasge as they are administering for me) and just yesterday she put him on meloxicam. I do have the dosage but I am at work currently and can send that info to you later if needed. So, my question is...I know that my boy is already showing signs of neurological involvement as he can no longer hold his body weight up and walks on his wrists and ankles most of the time, but is there anything else I can be doing for my Tazer?? I do not want him to suffer and I am not sure how I can even tell if he is. His appetite has decreased slightly, and he has a hard time getting the crix...its like he undershoots when going after them and then gets frustrated and gives up...my poor baby :-(
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I just want to do what is best for my buddy.

Thank you in advance for all your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
A very worried beardie momma

So your vet has made this diagnosis without testing? Was any blood work done? Was an xray done to look at the bones. Fecal tested?

Hi DaisyDragon,

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I was trying to give all the background info and neglected to put that info. Yes, an ADV test was performed and it came back positive. No blood work done yet, and fecal was normal with no parasites present.

Hi there....sorry to hear that your dragon has ADV. Be sure to offer oral hydration daily [ mix it with Critical Care formula from the vet ] You can also get him out in the sun to strengthen him. Since he can't move too fast you can probably just sit right with him or put up a playpen/cage outdoor for him. Best wishes for your little guy.

Hi AHBD,

Thanks so much...I'm truly heartbroken ? That's great advice and as soon as the weather warms up I will definitely bring him out for some sun, and I do use a syringe to give him water as he will not drink when I bathe him.

Do you have any exoerience with ADV?

You're welcome. No experience with an ADV dragon, just general tips to help any sickly dragon to gain strength. Staying hydrated is very important with any illness as well as trying to get as much nutrition into them , and the sun is always good since it gives the best uvb for our reptiles and can perk them up.

Thanx again AHBD, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Do you happen to know any current members with an ADV positive dragon that I could contact? I'm so glad you have never had to deal with it because it's truly heartbreaking to watch :'(

Also, For the first time last night, his foot and leg started twitching
I know that is a sign of MBD, but is it also a sign that ADV is progressing?? Could it be a side effect of the Fortaz injections or the Meloxicam we just started giving him orally?
Any information from anyone on here is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for everyone's time in reading my post
-Mel

You're welcome. And actually, I THINK that Daisydragon has 2 dragons that have ADV and seems to be doing reasonably well. Here's a link to another thread below on this forum from another poster who's dragon has ADV and the suggestions given about care.
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=223054#p1727573

As for the leg twitches, it could be MBD + calcium deficiency related. But, are the Fortaz injections being give in the leg that twitches ? Ask your vet exactly what the Fortaz is being given for, I don't think that most dragons with ADV are given antibiotics but it could be that some are.

By the way, what are the outside temps. where you are ?

Hi, thanx again for responding. The injections are in the front arm, and it was his back leg/foot that was twitching.

The current temps where I live are in the 40's with no sun

Thanx for the link, i will be sure to check it out.

Do you know how I can get Tracie to read/respond to my post? I hav read online that she is very involved in ADV research and would love to hear what she thinks also.

You could p.m Tracie [ Drache613 ] but if you read the link I posted, she responds on that one about what to use to help boost the immune system .

Depending on what the blood test shows is how I gage what supplements to use. For instance if the blood test indicates an abnormal liver I would supplement with milk thistle. I could be wrong but I think a blood test would also show your dragon's calcium level.

A sickly dragon tends it to eat less or stop eating at all so I would get a good critical care formula appropriate for your dragon's age. If he is an adult you may want to get an omnivore formula mixed with a herbivore formula. Oxbow and Emeraid are professional care formulas. Oxbow can be ordered online. If relying solely on these formulas be careful with your calcium and multivitamin supplementation. These critical care formulas are marketed as complete so be careful not to over supplement.

I add in some bee pollen a couple times a week and give probiotics proactively.

When your dragon's appetite picks up, quality nutrition is very important. Good feeders properly gut loaded and good salad mixtures are a must. Don't feed fatty feeders such as Waxworms, butterworms or superworms since a high fat diet is not good for the liver. Do not buy crickets from out the bin at any petstore due to cross-contamination by employees and never recycle your own feeders. Trash what is not eaten and do not re-feed.

Use a broad spectrum disinfectant such as f10sc. Vinegar does kill the nasties but I'm not sure if it kills as many as f10sc veterinary disinfectant.

Clean poo up daily. If using reptile carpet replace after each poo. I'm not a fan of reptile carpet over the entire cage as a substrate. I prefer non-adhesive shelf liner or paper towels for easy cleaning.

If your dragon has active atadenovirus and is not just a carrier, anytime he shows signs of illness he will need to be taken to the vet. Think of it this way. Two people get the flu. The healthy person kicks it but the second person who has a tendency to get sick winds up in the hospital because his immune system is not as good.

Hope this helps.

Hello,

I am sorry your dragon has Adeno, I know how frustrating that can be after all of this time.
It sounds like you have done a tremendous amount of research already which is terrific!
At the moment, the best thing you can do is keep your dragon's stress levels at a minimum as best you can. That just means keeping the day's schedule very routine, just to keep everything on an even keel. Low stress will help keep the cortisol levels low & hopefully will result in less parasitic outbreaks, too.
The addition of bee pollen & probiotics should help quite a bit for him. What type of calcium do you use for him? A lot of them tend to have absorption issues of calcium & other vitamins or minerals due to intestinal issues. I think a little bit of balance is good so a few superworms weekly would be fine. Silkworms, hornworms, crickets & or roaches are the best feeders. Does he eat greens/veggies often?

Do you have pictures of your handsome boy?

Tracie

Hi DaisyDragon,

I haven't had a blood test yet, vet said since his ADV test was positive the bloodwork was'nt going to change the progression of the disease ?

As for the eating, he has definitemy slowed down...Some days he will eat 15-20 crix...on other days NOTHING! Hasn't touched a green in a long time. We were given Omnicare and he does pretty well eating that off a spoon ?

As for cleaning the poo....He has suffered from constipation for awhile. He used to go in the bath for me after a belly rub, but not as of late. I just biught undweetened applesauce and started giving that to him last night.

Thanks for all the great advice

Hi Tracie,

Thank you so much for responding to my post. It is both frustrating and heartbreaking. I have taken him to the cet multiple times for the diarrhea and not one vet thought it could hav been something more serious. After his 3rd round, I started researching further and found articles on ADV. As he didnt really show any of the typical signs as a youngster I wasnt too worried. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, i had him there cause of the weakness developing in his limbs as he can no longer lift his body weight ? I asked the dr. If it could be ADV and she said YES! So a test was done and it was positive.

As for greens, he eats NONE! He used to be pretty good at eating turnip greens n butternut squash but no so much anymore.

As for the calcium, we use Zoo Med repti cal with D3. Do you think he also has MBD, or is the weakness and inability to lift body weight a progression of the ADV.

Thanx so much for your dedication and hard work in trying to find a cure for this gut-wrenching disease. If I can answer any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Thank you all for being so kind and taking the time to respond and offer such great advice. It is truly appreciated.

Hello,

Be sure to update your thread from time to time & you can post more pictures too as you
feel the desire to also.
I hope he is doing better soon.

Tracie