Stroke? Partial paralysis?

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Two days ago my beardie crawled under the cupboard. Nothing new, since he does that all the time while exploring the house, finding new places to rest and sleep, and so far nothing bad happened. He was perfectly healthy all his life too (he is around 5 years old).

But this time was different - he didn't go out by himself. We got worried when we saw how pale he was, so we took him out. He was limp and wasn't breathing. He was able to be resuscitated, but he had trouble breathing after that and his eyes were so swollen he couldn't close them. He would gasp for air every minute or so, for a few hours. After that he was able to breath normally again, but was - and still is - tired, lethargic and clearly in pain.

After a few more hours he started trying to move again. He would mostly move his torso, bending to one side, and drag his legs. Now, he is only able to move for a few seconds until he gets tired and rests for a few minutes. He can't walk well however. His legs are very stiff, never relaxed (so stiff we can't even adjust them so that he would be in a more comfortable position) and he can't move them like he used to. (video here)

He looks rather alert when he's walking around, he even tried to climb his terrarium wall today, but he just wasn't able to. Most of the time he just lies in one place without moving or opening his eyes at all too, his skin dark coloured.

We took him to the vet as soon as we could. X-ray didn't show anything out of the ordinary and we will know his blood test results on Monday. We give him water and meds (Douphylate, Loxicom, Enrobioflox).

Is it possible that his nervous system got damaged after, well, being technically dead for so long? Or might that be something else? Are there any chances for recovery at all? (even if he doesn't regain strength and full mobility in his limbs)
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, I'm sorry to read this account of your beardie, not sure what it could be but they can have strokes or stroke-like episodes. It's also possible that he ate something toxic, do you get fireflies in your area ? It's always possible that a creature can recover but only time will tell, or he may stay the same + live with some quality of life in this condition as long as he's not actually suffering. How long will he be on the meds. ?
 

grandraterm

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Original Poster
AHBD":sba1zsvs said:
Hi there, I'm sorry to read this account of your beardie, not sure what it could be but they can have strokes or stroke-like episodes. It's also possible that he ate something toxic, do you get fireflies in your area ? It's always possible that a creature can recover but only time will tell, or he may stay the same + live with some quality of life in this condition as long as he's not actually suffering. How long will he be on the meds. ?
Thank you so much for replying. We don't have fireflies around, and it's rather not possible he ate anything at all (not foreign objects at least) since he doesn't eat anything that's not moving and more importantly he was in a sleep mode, so I doubt he would be interested in eating anything. We don't know what might have happened, did he suffocate or somehow couldn't get out, panicked, or was it natural...?
As for the meds, tomorrow is the last dose that we give on our own. Vet mentioned wanting to give him an IV depending on blood test results and his condition on Monday, so we will know more then.

I would love to believe he will get better but I really don't want to make him suffer without reason, if he can't recover after all.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I agree, you wouldn't want him to suffer. It's unlikely that he got stuck or couldn't breathe, they dig burrows in the wild to brumate in and are really comfortable in closed places. Plus he had been under there before so some type of stroke is the most plausible explanation. I wish the best outcome for you. Give it a little time to see how he does. They can go weeks without eating and not be harmed so maybe wait before making a decision to see if he recovers at all.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Oh my goodness, poor boy!
I am sorry this has happened. I had wondered the same thing, if perhaps he ate something
toxic. You didn't have any roach poison under that area did you? Just wondering, maybe
you forgot it was under there?
They definitely can have strokes or heart attacks. Is his beard black right now?
Let us know what the blood test results say. I hope that he recovers more, you definitely
don't want a low quality of life for him though. Give him some time, it can take them awhile
to recover from things, depending on what it is.

Tracie
 

grandraterm

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":3lomd6ty said:
You didn't have any roach poison under that area did you?
No, we don't have anything toxic lying around. We've never needed any type of poison like that so far, thankfully.

His beard isn't black. He also seems to be more lively today and his limbs are more relaxed, but I fear it might be because I gave him a bit too much painkiller this time. But I guess he is at least getting some exercise.
We will see how it goes tomorrow, I will be sure to update with blood results. Thank you so much!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I am so sorry, you are sure that he is gone? What were the painkillers for?
If he is gone, I am so sorry for your loss. :cry: It is never easy to lose them, heartbreaking.

Tracie
 

grandraterm

Member
Original Poster
I'm glad you actually asked that... It seems like I'm jumping to conclusions way too fast, despite knowing how beardies can act. I'm so, so sorry for this mess of a thread, I had so many breakdowns already it's catching up with me. I got scared because I didn't see him breathe for a very long time and he wasn't responding to the touch, but I guess I'm just being too paranoid now.
I should be at the vet in ~13 hours from now on, I'll be sure to update then
 

grandraterm

Member
Original Poster
His blood test results are perfect. He got injections today: vitamin B, calcium, painkiller, nutrients.
tyjyBFY.jpg


He was much stronger today while trying to get away from the vet than he was during the first visit, but his legs are still weak and he continues to walk on his wrists. Also, when he changed his skin colour to dark, his front legs' fingers stayed pale.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
He doesn't look bad at all ! He's also quite hefty so no need to be concerned if he doesn't eat for a while. I don't think he needs painkillers, he's moving O.K. so think about how the Dr.s have now found that with humans less is better unless there is extreme pain. Be patient, see how he does.
 

grandraterm

Member
Original Poster
Yes, he won't be getting them anymore! Doc said we could try feeding him but we shouldn't be worried if he doesn't eat anything for a week or so. (We tried before but he wasn't interested)
We will see how it goes. Thank you so much!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Oh my, so he is still with you then, that is terrific news! :D
The blood test results do look good overall.
I didn't see any values for the kidneys & calcium, but the AST & white blood cell counts are
good. So, no infection is present but I imagine the pain killers must have caused some issues
with him though.
How is he doing today?
Unbelievably, they can slow their heartrates down to just a few beats per minute leaving a lot
of owners believing them to have passed. It is always highly recommended to wait at least a
24 hour period of time if you have any doubts at all of them passing.

Tracie
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Oh my, so he is still with you then, that is terrific news! :D
The blood test results do look good overall.
I didn't see any values for the kidneys & calcium, but the AST & white blood cell counts are
good. So, no infection is present but I imagine the pain killers must have caused some issues
with him though.
How is he doing today?
Unbelievably, they can slow their heartrates down to just a few beats per minute leaving a lot
of owners believing them to have passed. It is always highly recommended to wait at least a
24 hour period of time if you have any doubts at all of them passing.

Tracie
 

grandraterm

Member
Original Poster
Hello! He is feeling alright, no changes for the worse at least. He still hasn't eaten or pooped yet though. He slept a lot yesterday but now, in the morning, he is very active! So active that he's been trying to climb his terrarium wall for half an hour now. It was built so that he could climb it but now we covered it to prevent him from doing so, since he still can't move properly, but he is not giving up
104992-2347655478.jpg

As for his blood test results: calcium is wapń, uric acid = kwas moczowy and urea = mocznik
 
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