Help Bad Respiratory Infection?

Hi everyone,

One of my beardies has developed a really bad respiratory infection last year. I took her to the vet when it first started and after multiple x-rays, blood tests, and fecals, they couldn't find a cause but figured it would be best to leave it since it wasn't changing her behavior (didn't know what it was at the time). Recently she's gotten really bad and I'm positive it is a respiratory infection. She keeps coughing extremely hard and frequently. She is also breathing with her mouth open and when she breaths it sounds very congested (gargled breathing). She also is taking breaths much more frequently like she is struggling. Sometimes when she eats now she flinches away from her food as if she doesn't want it, but she's still eating. Just not as much as she used to. I've checked the forums and I hear baytril is a possible solution. I'm going to email my vet to see if she can prescribe baytril for her.

Any help on treating this? I have upped her temps with a ceramic heat emitter to help fight off the RI.

Tank set up is a 4'x2'x2' wooden enclosure
106F basking spot (112F upped temp) with 94-98F (98-101F upped temp) hot side and 78F (84F upped temp) cool side
Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb as well
Housed on carpet, feeding on dubias

Also I have treated her for pin worms unsuccessfully. She's also 6 years old. I have not weighed in in about a year but her weight a year ago I believe was 508 grams a few weeks after she laid eggs.

I'll link a video soon as well. I've looked in her mouth when she coughs and there's excess (mucus?) in the back of her throat that looks like is trying to come up.

Poor thing .... RIs are really nasty for lizards , since they are unable to cough to bring up the mucus from their lungs and throat.

I'd try a DIFFERENT REPTILE / HERP vet , seems the one you took her too was not so good.

and

I'd give F10 Nebulisation a try for a while to try to give her some relief from the symptoms (mucus build up in lungs) & keep her warm 24/7 & no brumation for her this winter if she's sick.

Info on F10 Nebulisation : viewtopic.php?f=45&t=232783

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwQkdPNUREM3FCUG8
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwcFlaY2xxV3JzbjA
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwbTBsVlNGVmxRclE

The nebuliser sounds like a really good idea to try. I'm going to look into it! Unfortunately the original herp vet she had (really good vet) stopped seeing herps years ago and her current vet is the only exotics within an hour drive. There is a university herp vet at the veterinary school who see's reptiles every Tuesday but from what people have told me it sounds like I'll likely get the same response. I'll keep looking for vets.

FatalFramer":1o7ubwoa said:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwQkdPNUREM3FCUG8
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwcFlaY2xxV3JzbjA
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_fIuy4v4lBwbTBsVlNGVmxRclE

Click to expand...

can't see much in the photos of her.

I can see she has one of those shadecloth mesh hammock things , I'd replace it with a solid cloth or woven hemp (?) one , as the fine mesh in a hazard for beardies who have a habit of getting their nails snagged and injuring themselves badly trying to free themselves.

I watched the video in the 3rd link above and she is definitely struggling, coughing, gasping, squeaking and can see the excess mucus. An upper respiratory infection can develop into pnemonia very quickly with bearded dragons. Would suggest you find another herp vet very quickly to get her seen.

You can look up your state here to see if there might be once close by. Just scroll down to see all the states. Please keep us updated and good luck.

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

She's very sick, that's either a horrible respiratory infection or has already developed into pneumonia. Please do not just request Baytril, she needs to have a culture and sensitivity done ASAP, as beardies often develop respiratory infections that ARE NOT BACTERIAL IN NATURE BUT RATHER FUNGAL, OR THEY ARE BOTH BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL, AND IN EITHER OF THESE CASES BAYTRIL WILL NOT HELP HER! IF IT IS ASPERGILLIS, WHICH IS VERY COMMON, BAYTRIL WILL NOT HELP HER! So if you just give her Baytril and it's not the correct drug for the infection she has, you're not only wasting time and she'll become more and more sick, but the Baytril will also cause her appetite to disappear. So you really need to get her to a vet immediately, ANY VET SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A CULTURE AND SENSITIVITY TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE INFECTION AND PRESCRIBE THE CORRECT MEDICATIONS.

As Knobbys already mentioned, respiratory infections in beardies is treated so much more effectively through nebulizer treatments than oral drugs anyway, plus the nebulizer treatments will not effect her gastrointestinal tract and cause her to stop eating and become even more lethargic. There is an entire thread here about how to use F10 in a nebulizer, I'd do a search and get on that, and then get her booked at either the closest reptile vet or exotics vet for cultures ASAP. I have to say that is the worst case of a respiratory infection and/or pneumonia I've ever seen or heard, the poor sweetie, she can't breath. You need to watch her very carefully, she may need to be taken to an emergency animal hospital for oxygen and nebulization if she gets much worse, please watch her breathing carefully...