Newly adopted BD vomited and is very lethargic... HELP

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jmarie0227

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Thank you everyone for the well wishes and recommendations. Turns out whoever had her before was not taking good care of her and she did not get adequate calcium and UVB, which caused her to have MBD. Her bones were soft and there was evidence of fractures which did not heal correctly. Also, she had white spots on her belly which the vet said is an indication of some sort of parasite which causes the intestines to become septic. Unfortunately, he said that even with treatment, the chances of her living very long are rare as she is showing signs of neurological damage. I called the pet store and informed them of this to ask why they didn’t have a vet look at her and start treating all her issues, and they said they thought she was fine and there was no need. Turns out she was a rescue from a home with 4 other BDs who were not being cared for properly. Hopefully she will be comfortable for the rest of the time she has and then we will have to look for another BD from a more reputable breader. It’s so sad, the poor baby must be suffering!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Aw, poor girl. So there was no impaction ? I thought it was way too soon after her eating that this problem developed. Can you take pics of her belly ? I've never heard of this diagnosis and it would be helpful to see what they are talking about. How was he moving before she got sick, was she walking around like normal ?
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Yes that's a new one on me too, not even mentioned anywhere in my books by Dr.Brown , I have read that long term parasitic infections promote GIT bacterial infections where the bacteria attack the insides of the gut (hence blood in the poo), perhaps this is what the vet was talking about.
ie
A Guide to Australian Dragons in Captivity
or
A Guide to Health and Disease in Reptiles and Amphibians

Did the vet give you a copy of the Xrays , I'm surprised there is no evidence of impaction since the cretins at the pet shop had the dragon on calcisand for anyone's guess how long and how tasty feely bearded dragons are and how sticky calcisand is (it reacts to and sticks to everything that's wet and to insects).
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
jmarie0227":3e87cjbc said:
Thank you everyone for the well wishes and recommendations. Turns out whoever had her before was not taking good care of her and she did not get adequate calcium and UVB, which caused her to have MBD. Her bones were soft and there was evidence of fractures which did not heal correctly. Also, she had white spots on her belly which the vet said is an indication of some sort of parasite which causes the intestines to become septic. Unfortunately, he said that even with treatment,
<<<so what treatment did the vet prescribe ?,
ie meds ,
husbandry changes , etc to deal with the parasites ( what and heavy a load was found ) and what kind of git infection and skin infection was diagnosed ( if you didn't catch this , or the vet didn't give you written report , I'd be on the blower and asking they email a copy of the diagnosis and treatment plan to you .
If you can post a copy of this here it will help us all understand the issues better so we can help you better.

<<< I strongly recommend getting rid of the sand ,
sterilizing the entire tank (to kill paracites present on surfaces from the dragons poo and vomit - F10sc diluted 4 ml in 1000 ml (made up in a spray bottle and all the surfaces the dragon has had contact with sprayed and left to air dry) will be effective here) ,
and using kitchen pantry grade paper towels for the substrate for now until the vet tells you the dragon is clear of parasites.

the chances of her living very long are rare as she is showing signs of neurological damage. I called the pet store and informed them of this to ask why they didn’t have a vet look at her and start treating all her issues, and they said they thought she was fine and there was no need.
<<< in short - they didn't care and involving a vet and treating her issues would have COST THEM $ and they ONLY CARE ABOUT $ profit from each sale, it's very poor form of them NOT TO BE UPFRONT with you when you bought her , too bad we can't NAME AND SHAME here .

Turns out she was a rescue from a home with 4 other BDs who were not being cared for properly. Hopefully she will be comfortable for the rest of the time she has and then we will have to look for another BD from a more reputable breader. It’s so sad, the poor baby must be suffering!
 

jmarie0227

Member
Original Poster
No, there was no sign of impaction. She was lethargic since we got her but we just thought she was nervous about being in a new home. The vet did not give me a copy of the XRays, but he went over them with me in the office. She did have large follicles, which he said at this point aren’t a concern and are fairly common, but we have to watch them to make sure she doesn’t become egg bound because they are already slightly larger than normal. I was confused by his diagnosis of the white spots on her belly, too. He said they start to appear when there is either a parasite or bacteria in the gut (both of which she had). Basically it causes little white dots about the size of a qtip on their bellies, and the more dots there are, the worse shape their gut is in. He prescribed Enrofloxacin for Proteus and EColi, and Pancur for pinworms. (You can’t really see the white spots in a photo or I would post them.. they’re very subtle spots). He told us to take her off the sand immediately and use Carefresh litter (not crazy about it so any other suggestions for substrate would be appreciated). He also told us to up her UVB from 5.0 to 10.0 and give her warm soaks 2 times a day. We also have to double up on her calcium and give her a probiotic (lactobacillus). She isn’t near death anymore and shows signs of being alert, but still does not move very much. She has eaten a few small crickets but not much.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Poor girl, she has been through the mill!
I agree, the litter isn't the best option for substrate. Try colored felt, reptile carpet, textured slate
tile, non adhesive shelf liner or brown butcher's paper for better choices.
The medications don't sound too out of the ordinary for the ailments right now. Be sure that the
probiotic is dairy free though, since they are not able to digest dairy very well at all.
I'm glad it sounds like she has improved some then. They can really surprise you, maybe she
will recover more than you think, only time will tell.

I hope she is feeling better soon.
Tracie
 

MarlowAndMe

Juvie Member
Just wanted to pop in to say I hope your little one feels better soon
Also I recommend linoleum for the flooring , it’s easy to clean and easy to fit ( you only need a ruler and a craft knife - no tools) and you just sit it in - no need to fix it in as it’s easy to replace then if needed
I use it in mine :) I just spot clean it with a vinegar and water mix and since mine had coccidia recently I steam it with a garment steamer to kill the parasites. Infact I use the steamer on all his decor, carrier , bowls and everything that is his to killl the parasites.
With the Lino You just need to buy the type on a roll - not the self adhesive type as the glue isn’t safe on those ones
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Yes, I knew it was not impaction happening that quickly, good thing. It was clearly just too many insects at a stressful time in a new home.


I have never heard of this " white dot " thing on the stomach on any diagnosis and am skeptical. Also, 2 baths a day is old school thought of hydrating when all it does is increases chance of respiratory infection due to constantly being wet and possibility of aspirating water. Better off with 2 baths a week at most, and only if she drinks. The 2 baths are a waste, especially if she's not used to being plopped in water.

Glad to hear she's feeling a little better, hopefully the meds. don't put her off her food. She had a good appetite before this but was just fed too much. From here she just needs rest + hopefully she'll be O.K and eating again despite the heavy medicating which can kill the appetite.
 
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