Beardie comatose

woke up this morning to find one of my dragons in a comatose state. He seemed normal yesterday. Moving around, ate a few collard greens and then a few crickets (which he doesn't get fed daily). This morning he was laying flat on the bottom of his tank in the hot end, and there was evidence that he had a bowel movement. He's completely limp with his eyes shut, but breathing. His beard is black and his mouth is sagging open slightly on the sides. His body felt very warm, almost hot. I moved him to the cold side for a bit, then gave him a room temp soak in a mixture of roughly 70% water and 30% pedialyte. I had to hold his head up so it wouldn't submerge. He periodically opened his mouth to make huge gasps, as if one of his lungs was blocked. He has been laying in the 88F section of the tank for about 3 hours now. Still breathing, but his body is completely limp and lifeless, and his beard is still black with the mouth slightly sagging on the sides. Eyes are closed. Going to call the vet in the morning, because they are closed on Sunday, but I'm concerned that he may be already too far gone, and I don't want the stress of taking him to the vet to make him croak there or in my car. I'd rather he die at home with me. Not sure what is going on, does anyone have any insight or advice as to what might be happening? Thanks!

Basic info: He is around 3 and half years old, 18 inches long. Always eats well, never had a bad temperament. He's always had a strip UVB, a basking spot (100 watt bulb) between 95-100F. A cool side of 82-87F. Room temperature never drops below 70F at night. His tank is an exoterra 40-50 gallons, with front opening doors, and tile substrate.

I'm really sorry to hear that about your little buddy. They can really get into our hearts.

I really don't know what to tell you about what's happening with him.

Hello,

I am sorry to hear about your dragon, it is never easy when they fall ill & we can't figure out what is going on.
Which brand of tube bulb are you using & how old is it? Is it mounted on top of a screen or underneath of it?
How often do you give calcium supplementation & other vitamins for him?
Do you have any pictures of him & his tank setup too?
Could he have eaten something toxic possibly since this seemed to come on so suddenly?

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Hi! I honestly can't remember the brand, because it's been so long since I bought it. I know it was for desert animals, but it wasn't a reptisun. It is mounted on top of the screen. He gets reptivite calcium on his superworms at least twice a week.
We took him to the vet today. He was gasping for air worse than yesterday. They put him in an oxygen tank so breathing will be easier. They're giving him fluids and antibiotics. He's alive, but definitely critical and most likely on his way out ?
The vet said it looked like he may have septicemia. I've always done a good job of cleaning his tank and ornaments etc. I always clean fecal matter when I see it, and remove uneaten crickets. Nevertheless, it's always possible for parasites to develop in a beardie a tank, which is the lesson I am taking from this. Always disinfect and clean your beardie tanks regularly! Don't fall behind!

Hello,

Let us know how he is doing. How long were they going to keep him?
Maybe the round of antibiotics will help out. Did they say what they felt caused the septicemia?
It can be a number of things though, had he ever been ill before or had any wounds that got infected?
I hope he hangs in there, poor guy. The oxygen should help out, too.
The tube bulbs do need to be replaced every 6 or so months. We recommend the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube, either one.
I would get some plain calcium without any vitamins, etc mixed to ensure he is getting adequate calcium, several times per week.

Tracie