Pablo's beautiful life and unexpected death.

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I got Pablo in May of 2016, and he grew incredibly quickly. Within a year, he was a very healthy and 600 gram beast of a dragon that loved swimming in the outdoor pond, chasing my dogs around and walking around on a leash outside. Here's a photo of him from when he was about a year and a half old: https://imgur.com/a/sbX5M
Here is him at about 3 months old: https://imgur.com/a/RTM4MBx
And here is a picture of him side by side with Eddie just 6 days before his death. This picture was taken on November 7th: https://imgur.com/a/XaeDznx

In light of him growing so fast for a year and looking so much different than any other dragon I have seen, I am trying to find out what morph he was and whether he had any giant gene in him.

A video of him on my Facebook where he was very bound and determined to pick a fight with the smaller dragon: https://www.facebook.com/Anonoftheabove/posts/2357947400887181

He always had a very strange build, and his head as a 4 month old dragon was bigger than my current 1 year old Beardie's head is! He was also very long. Comparing Pablo and Eddie, it felt like they were a different species. Starting in the summer of 2017, Pablo developed a swollen left front leg. Blood test results were inconclusive and a plethora of vets gave me the run-around. I came to this forum for help, and that thread can be found here.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1829933


He was treated for gout, but the swelling never really went away. He always had very large, club-feet. Despite being 600 grams at just over a year old, he died at just under 3 years old at 330 grams despite constant changes of the high output reptisun bulb, varying diet etc. I imagine absorption issues from gout were the culprit.



Pablo acted more like a dog than any reptile I have ever met. On cold days, he would climb up in my bed and snuggle under the warm cashmere blanket. He would lay on my chest and sleep all night, chase the German Shepherd and other animals around the house.. He would just do so many things that I have not seen a Beardie do. While I love Eddie, my bond with Pablo was stronger by more than I can put into words.

On November 13, 2017, Pablo was at the vets. I also developed severe neurological disturbances that same day a few hours later. The cause was later to be determined as brainstem compression caused by severe basilar invagination and chiari malformation, which to this day I am still dealing with. An exact year later to the day, November 13 2018, Pablo took his last breath. The timing has been beyond heartbreaking, I have had so many near death experiences this year and the loss of pets and family that I do not know how I'll get on without my best buddy. His Necropsy will happen in about 4 hours. Tracie and I are both thinking that he went into kidney failure as a result of the gout. He never grew too much after his first year with me despite adequate UVB lighting and a widely varied diet. I was more attached to him than any other pet I have ever had, and am greatly depressed over his loss. The timing could not possibly be worse. Any time I would come home from the hospital, he would be there to greet me and lay with me. And he passed exactly a year after mine and his disturbances began. I am trying to figure out what morph he was as he was so strangely built in comparison to my other dragon. He always had a very large head and bigger legs, even before the gout happened that caused his feet to be massive.. So many vet appointments, daily serrapeptase and allopurinol as well as antibiotic trials and things of the sort.. Nothing could save my baby boy. I am heartbroken and do not know what to do without him. He acted more like a dog than most of my dogs! Loss has never felt so painful.
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
Pablo's necropsy revealed nothing at all, despite us treating him for what was seemingly gout for a year. No uric acid buildup, no infection, no enlarged spleen, no digestive food, everything seemed as it should be. His necropsy was done by an expert who has been doing them for a very long time and he was baffled and frustrated that he had no answers for me. It's almost as if he died of old age at nearly 3. When flipping him on his back and side on November 11th, he didn't flip himself back up or respond in any way shape or form. Which is the characteristic of a dead dragon. But he would still open his eyes every once in a while and eat something. It's almost like something in him died off before he actually died. Because a dragon that doesn't flip off of his back or respond to being put on his side etc in any way shape or form shouldn't be alive to open his eyes, eat etc. Makes no sense. He kept his eyes open and kept going right up until the 13th, that one year year anniversary of onset of severe neurological symptoms when my whole life changed and his first vet appointment there.

Has anyone else ever had a necropsy with no cause of death given on their Beardie, and at such a young age?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Aw, I hate to see someone grieving and in pain like this. It sounds like you had a very, very special bond and reading this really is touching. Pablo sounds like he was an amazing lizard. I hope that you can cope with this tragedy, pets can be so special and the timing of their death coinciding with other devastating life circumstances can seem unbearable. I'm soooo sorry for your loss. Grieve as you need to but take one day at a time and take care of yourself. I replied on your thread in the E.R. [ I think that's where ] about how some illnesses, human or animal, just seem to be a mystery. Not much else I can say, I wish you the best in dealing with your illness and grief.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
I'm really sorry for your loss. It's heart wrenching to lose our little friends, especially when we ourselves are suffering. There's nothing any of us can say to make the pain go away, but in time the good memories of your time & adventures together will fill the void left by his passing. In the meantime, allow yourself to grieve for Pablo, but also remember to cherish your time with Eddie. None of us know how much time we have left with friends, family, pets, so make sure to live in those moments now.
 
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