Not using one leg... and trouble breathing w black beard?

So, today I got my beardie out to feed him since he's seemed inactive and lazier than usual, he didn't really chase any of his dubia roaches today either and after he ate, he pooped. Then he went to walk around was dragging his right front leg and not using it at all. I freaked. I took him to the vet who thinks it could be related to some of the metabolic issues he had before (he had some deterioration in his back right ankle, which is why it's still a little swollen looking) but was doing so much better after the antibiotics in case of infection and extra Calcium + D3. He's roughly 7 years old and is my everything. I didn't notice him opening and closing his mouth frequently until after the vet trip (found parasites in his stool and decided to treat them first to see if we can get his weight back up to where it was make him a little more active and such before thinking of doing blood work and more x-rays).

Does anyone have any ideas on what is causing this or what it could be? It's not all the time, but definitely a new thing for him and is even doing it while trying to sleep. If I wake him he seems startled and will do a swallow-like thing, which is also new for him. I've another vet trip scheduled in two weeks, but he's got me worried.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uVpXsAFWdFTLvkPs6

[Update]
So I hand fed Munch several Dubia last night after his second dose of parasite medicine. He attempted to walk a couple steps on his right arm (better than nothing like Monday). I've added the video to the link above. He has also stopped opening his mouth as much (still on occasion, but not as often) and he still keeps a black beard the majority of the time he's awake... Does anyone think it could be related to stress?

No BBing so that's a plus.

Are the nostrils blocked ?

…. this is a common (non-issue associated with some nasal passage shed not coming completely away and temporarily blocking one or both nostrils ==> strange breathing and sometimes a big breath through the mouth) …. my 3 year old girl Peppa has this going on atm, at first I thought URI but no mucus or bubble blowing so I'm pretty sure this is just an incomplete nasal shed on her behalf.

If she's been put on meds to treat the parasites (what did the vet find in the floats ? ) these knock them about a bit and will make a dragon feel sick and not really interested in much including food. Didn't the vet explain this to you ?

Also may be seasonal (winter approaching for you in AL) , if he's sick I'd be doing your best to keep the photoperiod long and discouraging his going into brumation this winter.

If any information helps:

How old is your dragon?
Roughly 7.5 years

How long have you had your dragon?
7 years

What is the sex of your dragon?
Male

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
50 gallon? It's roughly 4ft long.

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Tile

Do you use UVB lights?
Yes. 18" Reptisun 10.0 (I try to replace it every 6 months)

If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
No.

How old is your UVB bulb?
I just purchased a new one today. So the old one was roughly 6 months old.

How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
1.5 feet away?

Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
Not for the past few months as my room stays above 75°F throughout the Summer.

What are the basking temps?
My thermometer died last month and in waiting on my new one to come in. But it was typically 70-80°F

What is the cool side temp?
68-72°F

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
I had a Digital thermometer.

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Cool side the corner he likes to sleep in, basking is a probe stuck at the same place he sits on his rock.

Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
No.

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Mustard Greens, Kale, Collard Greens, Crickets, Dubia Roaches, and occasionally strawberries or Spring Mix with carrots.

How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
I give him Salad in the mornings and feed him insects in the afternoons after he's awake and I'm on lunch break.

Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
I didn't my crickets, but I do the Dubia Roaches.

Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)?
Yes. Zoomed Repti Calcium with D3.

How many days a week do you use each of them?
After the bone deterioration, every time I feed him insects I dust them with the powder. 2-3

Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Not as regular as usual, but I thought it may be due to his brumation period.

Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Yes. Usually twice a week.

Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
No, but he does get his salad rinsed in water before putting in his tank.

Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Yes. He had a lot of parasites. Urate parasites I think? Nothing from the insects and he just started the medicine tonight (that's the white around his mouth in the videos...he tried to spit it out)

Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
No

kingofnobbys":1q0wfwfj said:

No BBing so that's a plus.

Are the nostrils blocked ?

Click to expand...

They don't appear to be... But I'm not gonna lie, they have pretty tiny nostrils and I'm not 100% sure. There are videos in that link that I get a close up on them.

kingofnobbys":1q0wfwfj said:

…. this is a common (non-issue associated with some nasal passage shed not coming completely away and temporarily blocking one or both nostrils ==> strange breathing and sometimes a big breath through the mouth) …. my 3 year old girl Peppa has this going on atm, at first I thought URI but no mucus or bubble blowing so I'm pretty sure this is just an incomplete nasal shed on her behalf.

If she's been put on meds to treat the parasites (what did the vet find in the floats ? ) these knock them about a bit and will make a dragon feel sick and not really interested in much including food. Didn't the vet explain this to you ?

Click to expand...

Well, my beardie was already seeming extra lazy compared to his usual laziness... He's not the most active dragon... They're 4 days worth of Panacur Liquid I think, which he said should help his appetite grow if the parasites are having anything to do with him being underweight and thinner than the last time I visited.

kingofnobbys":1q0wfwfj said:

Also may be seasonal (winter approaching for you in AL) , if he's sick I'd be doing your best to keep the photoperiod long and discouraging his going into brumation this winter.

Click to expand...

I definitely am attempting, but he even tried to sleep in the bath today... And when I'd pour some water on his back I seemed to have startled him and he was very angry about the whole bath, which is unusual as he loves to swim around.

So... I'm hoping it was the medicine making him not want to eat. He only ate two dubia roaches yesterday and doesn't seem interested again today. I read on a reply on JustAnswer to another person's issue that someone suggested a bath two times a day in a 50/50 Pedialyte and Water mix with a scoop of Calcium since bearded dragons can soak up vitamins and nutrients from their vents as a first aid measure.

Would anyone suggest me doing this since he's not eating to give him his calcium and other nutrition needs now that he's finished his parasite medicine?

Hello,

He appears to be in distress based on the video. His beard is black all of the time?
The Reptisun 10 tube bulb is way too far from him. Is it mounted on top of the screen or
underneath of the screen? How long have you not been using a basking light for him?
If he doesn't have a basking bulb, he wont be able to stay warm enough to digest his food.
Even if the ambient temperatures in the house are relatively warm, it isn't the same as him
having a basking light.
It looks like to me, he is having severe calcium deficiency problems. I would highly suggest
upgrading your UVB light to a high output tube UVB such as the Reptisun 10 T5 or the Arcadia
D3 12% or 14% either one. I would also consider getting him on a liquid calcium supplement,
too if he isn't already on one right now.
How long has he been in this state?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

No, not all of the time... Just frequently.

It was on top of the screen after I had it fall when he was small when it was mounted inside the tank I was always too nervous to put it back in, but it was mounted inside the day after I made this post.

I only did not use the basking light through Summer here as it got incredibly hot in his room and the temps were around 100 in his basking side of tank without them. His basking lights are back on now since it's gotten cooler (our fall and winter has recently started in Alabama).

The ambient temperature is around 75-80, but his thermometers in the tank say his basking spot is above 80 (without basking lights).

That's what I was thinking... The last time he looked like this that's what it was, which is why I changed my Calcium supplement to one that was recommended on here and per the vet dusted his insects every single time he ate them, which was almost daily and he did incredible until he stopped eating as much... Which I thought was from the parasites.

I got the Pedialyte a couple days ago since no one replied here and have given him a bath with that and Calcium mixed in as well as an oral dose.

He's only been in this state with the black beard and swallowing (thought was impaction, but he pooped right before I called the vet and two times this week as well) and opening mouth (even when not basking and during this sleeping) and everything since the day we went to the vet. Pre-vet trip he was just seeming to be going through brumation... I just worried when he wasn't eating as much as he had the past 5 years and was looking thinner so got him out to be more active and noticed the leg being dragged and took him that day to be checked.

He's looking better than he was and even ate 5 dubias yesterday (still hoping he just wasn't hungry due to parasites). I just added two new videos of him actually eating. He's still not wanting to move around much, but I've noticed he even crawled underneath his basking rock when he got a little warm and sleepy. I have noticed when I pick him up to give him a bath or anything and he does that swallowing gulping type thing that there's a little sound that makes me think he can't breathe through his nose very well, but I don't notice any extra mucus or anything.

So he's not having as frequent black beards and seems more alert, but he's still not wanting to eat and opening his mouth (new videos added). I'm also trying to work on making his temps higher, but he keeps going to the cool side to sleep even though my digital thermometer only says it's 86°F.

Hi there, sorry to see your handsome boy struggling. A few things...no Pedialyte baths, just give him oral calcium and/or dusted bugs. Baths won't absorb barely anything to help him and can cause more stress as well as chilling him.

VERY important, get your uvb light mounted inside or get an additional mercury vapor bulb like this :

https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Ray-Mercury-Vapor-Bulb-Watts/dp/B00TRI4NPY

The mercury vapor bulb will add extra uvb as well as heat. Either that or add another uvb bulb like Arcadia D3 14 % as well as another heat bulb to get his basking temp. up to 100-105. Without a good basking temp. he will get more + more sluggish. It's mandatory that he gets strong uvb and proper heat ASAP.

Can you post pics of his tank ? If it's a 55 gallon it is too high for the uvb to reach him from 18" away right now.

Hello,

Are you using a digital probe that has a literal probe that is placed on or near the basking spot,
or a stick on type of digital thermometer? Pictures of the tank would be great.
If his mouth is open often & he is gaping a lot then he having trouble breathing possibly or he is
in some pain, or both.
As suggested, it is imperative that he has good UVB along with an overhead basking/heating
light for brightness. Unfortunately, he wont improve much without those crucial lighting needs.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Thanks for the replies, guys. He's my world and I hope to have him for at least another 7 years.

First off, I only did two Pedialyte mixture baths before deciding to wait until the vet trip and only gave him water and some calcium orally since he wasn't eating.

Also, He got a brand new Reptisun 10.0 the day of his first vet trip (November 14), which I have mounted inside his tank. He has a clear 100w halogen bulb for additional heat along with a Ceramic Heat Bulb for the night time. I'm still working on getting my temp above 90° and have gotten a new dome that can handle over 150w bulbs as well as flood light bulbs (as I have both waiting to try the moment I have an off day and can monitor the temperature). I have a digital thermometer with a probe stuck to the glass where his basking spot was (it has been removed until he is capable of moving better as I came home a couple days ago to find Munch upside down and had a panic attack and ran him to the vet... Again (the day after his last scheduled visit). I'll post pictures of his tank as soon as I get home.

So he went to his second follow up vet visit before my panic attack day. He got another check up, I added some issues he'd been having since the first visit and a new bump in his mouth, they sampled it - only bacteria so nothing that would cause issues, rechecked his stool - no more parasite medicine, checked his limbs again and redid his x-rays to compare to August of last year when he had some deterioration in his right ankle.

X-rays showed his ankle looks the same, but his hands looked brighter and better so the MBD was taken care of last year and has not gotten any worse, but actually better. Thank goodness. He didn't appear to be calcium deficient either, just a problem we didn't know was a problem until we didn't get rid of it the first time.

We did see that he has some arthritic areas around his left knee and a lot around his shoulder that's bothering him. They decided it was probably septic joints, something reptiles get often. We did antibiotics last year in case of infection when he had MBD and it helped him a ton so... Since the metabolisms of reptiles are sooo slow they think he had septic joints then and two weeks of the antibiotics wasn't enough to get rid of it, just get it under control for a time... Now we will be doing antibiotics (which he hates the taste of) 2x a day for four weeks.

After the scare of him being upside down, we couldn't figure out why or how he got that way and they gave me some pain medication to go along with his antibiotics for a short time just in case because he was obviously in pain. (Been worried sick about him since and running home on my lunch breaks and waking up randomly to check on him.)

He's doing a little better now. Still mouth breathing some, but much more alert and no more black beard or looking stressed. He isn't moving away from his basking area as much to sleep and isn't leaving his arms down beside him as much either. The vet said he'll slowly get better just like he slowly got worse, but he is eating more today than he has in a couple weeks.

If he gets worse during the time he is on antibiotics then I'll have to take him back to be sedated and have blood work done and checked to see if he has a kidney disease (the x-rays did show some probable calcium build up in his kidney that looks like a tiny piece of metal) and maybe tap his joints as well to see if it is septic joints and decide if the kidney is causing it..... But that's only if he gets worse, but so far he seems to already be feeling a little better.

Hello,

Poor guy, it sounds like he may have had some joint inflammation possibly, a low grade type
of infection going on for awhile. Did they think he had the beginnings of gout at all, or did they
go that route yet?
Is he eating very well yet?
Is the Reptisun 10 tube bulb mounted directly overhead or on the back wall?
It may take awhile for him to fully recover depending on how advanced the infection has been.
I'm glad that his metabolic bone disease issues have improved so much so hopefully that is not
the problem here.
I hope he gets to feeling better soon. Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

He was eating every other day for a while, but it's been about two weeks since the antibiotics started and he still isn't moving much and is still mouth breathing. I've scheduled another appointment for Wednesday since it's been two days since he's eaten. It definitely wasn't MBD, but we're not sure if it was an infection, septic joints, or kidney disease. They said if the antibiotics didn't help then they'd sedate him and do blood work, but after the way he seems to want to sleep all the time I'm terrified if he's sedated, he won't wake up. I'll talk to the vet about it before we decide what to do.

Hello,

I am sorry he hasn't really improved much. Is he maintaining his weight?
If he doesn't have metabolic bone disease, a blood draw would be a good idea. Really, there
is no need to sedate him though, to draw blood from him.
Have you tried giving some probiotics right now, since he has been on antibiotics, to help out
his tummy in case his system is upset from meds?

Tracie

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated you guys... We've been going to the vet regularly since November. My vet in Florence did everything they could we got rid of the parasites, retook his x-rays, tried two different antibiotics, did blood work, and an ultrasound. The only thing they could find was a calcification in his gallbladder area that looked like a gallstone.

We decided the only option left was surgery to remove it because nothing else was helping and he showed no signs of MBD, gout, or kidney failure. He wasn't moving and wasn't eating for a little over a month so I was syringe feeding him and he still defecated regularly.

I took him to the place to have surgery in Knoxville, about 5 hours away, and they did an initial exam and redid all his diagnostics (ended up a bit over $600) and kept him for surgery the next day.

Later that day she called and said we wouldn't be doing surgery and that he was septic. He had a total body infection that was in his bones. She had done blood work and was doing a culture to see what bacteria was growing so they could give him the right antibiotic to fight it. He just had to survive the week and if he did I'd have to give him these antibiotic injections for 10 weeks to 1 year... That's how bad it was. He was on fluids, a catheter to his bones for the antibiotics they were trying while we waited, and being hand fed.... Chances are it's an infection that probably started when he had some bone deterioration in his ankle that my Florence vet found and we got under control, but didn't get rid of. I guess their x-rays can't show infection of the bones quite like a vet school's can.

They called yesterday afternoon and he didn't make it. I know he was 7, but before this he was still so active and lively I thought he had at least 7 more years with me and I really thought he'd pull through this... Board certified exotic vets / vet schools are so expensive (just an initial exam is $145) but I would've paid anything for Munch to live. I opted for the autopsy type report so his body should be ready for pickup by my birthday on Monday.