BEARDIE THROWING UP, BLOOD AND WORMS IN STOOL

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I have a bearded dragon that is a year and 8 months old named Pigs. A couple weeks ago I came home from the gym and noticed that in the hour and a half that I had been gone that he had went from his normal light brown and yellow coloring to having a pitch black beard. This has never happened in the year that I have had him. I contacted my local vet and they had me bring him in on emergency. They did an ultrasound (which has a probe made for dogs and cats not reptiles) and they did a blood test. The blood test came back showing elevated uric acid, calcium, and phosphorus levels. The head of exotics at Cornell University (New York) said with confidence that these were the signs of a female becoming sexually mature at a younger than normal age. For the year that I had owned Pigs prior to this vet visit both the person who sold him to me and his vet had confirmed that he showed the physical signs of being a male. After this diagnosis I set up a nesting box with a mix of sand and organic soil and warm water and placed her in it to dig and do her thing. She has been in the nesting box for a few hours each day for 4 days and has not begun to dig. All she does is sit and wait for me to take her out. Fast forward to today (about 12 days since original vet visit) and Pigs went to the bathroom in her tank. As soon as she did it I got paper towels and everything to clean it up. I soon noticed bright red blood in the stool and that the stool was not a solid form like it should be but rather it was liquidy and chunky. I immediately called the vet and drew a bath for Pigs. Pigs vet won't be in for a few more hours and since I called Pigs pooped again and I found small white/ clear worms that range from 1/8 cm to 1 cm in length in her poop. I kept a stool sample and a few of the worms. Shortly after I collected the worms she threw up a large amount of undigested crickets and veggies. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE? (obviously it's some form of parasites but does anyone know any more detail about this)

thank you very much! - a very concerned beardie mom

P.S I apologize for the horrible grammar. this is being written in a rush
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Poor Pigs! This doesn't sound good at all. You might want to go to the right hand side of your post & click the PM button for user Drache613. She is a moderator and also a vet.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

Firstly, a jet black beard is never a sign of a female becoming sexually mature. The vet was extremely wrong with that statement.

I'm glad that you are going to get a fecal in. Typically the parasites dragons get arent visible to the human eye.

The high uric acid levels could be from the kidneys being stressed. Can you go over pigs typical diet with us?

With the high uric acid levels, was glucose tested for also in the blood panel? If so what was it?

I know you're in a rush but if you can, would you mind going over your husbandry with us?
What are your basking surface temps?
What uvb bulb are you using?
How often does pigs normally have a bowel movement?

Hopefully the fecal gives you some answers.
Keep us updated!

-Brandon
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
His diet has a pretty wide variety.
For insect feeders I use a mix of Dubias (my own colony that are gut loaded) and crickets (bought from a local pet store that are also gut loaded) for the his daily staples. With meal worms and horn worms as occasional treats.
For veggies I always have a fresh supply of organic greens (collard, mustard, turnip, romaine). It depends on what looks good at my supermarket but Pigs has greens every single day with a mix of other veggies and once a week (more if its a special occasion) a little bit of fruit. here's a list of all of the things that Pigs will eat.
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Turnip greens
Green beans
Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Zucchini
Purple yams
Red peppers
Chicory
Lentils (cooked)
Parsnips
Spaghetti squash
Artichoke hearts
Carrots
Pumpkin
Yellow squash
Asparagus
Celery
Cucumber
Mango
Papaya
Blueberries
Apples
Cranberries
Grapefruit
Melons
Peaches
Plums
Strawberries
Apricots
Figs
Guava
Nectarines
Pears
Prunes
Watermelon
Blackberries
Cherries
Pineapple
Raisins
Raspberries


He is also in a custom enclosure that is equivalent to a 50 gallon tank with plenty of climbing space, 2 hides, 2 hammocks, a water dish he can submerge his whole body in, a food dish, and a repticarpet substrate NO LOOSE SUBSTRATE . His UV bulb was changed in June and will be changed at the end of August and it is the reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb. His temp gradient ranges from 75 to 112. the humidity stays around 38-40% but does occasionally reach levels as high as 45%. his tank is cleaned once a week and everything is soaked, rinsed, and wiped down thoroughly. I use a mix of water and distilled vinegar as a cleaner. his water is purified and is changed twice daily. He gets two baths a week and soaks.
he tends to go to the bathroom every i=other day or every 2 days depending on what hes been eating

i think thats everything but i am probably leaving things out. feel free to ask anything
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
Aaradimian":2339hkxi said:
Poor Pigs! This doesn't sound good at all. You might want to go to the right hand side of your post & click the PM button for user Drache613. She is a moderator and also a vet.


thank you so much! i will reach out!!!
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":3atpmzrc said:
Hi there,

Firstly, a jet black beard is never a sign of a female becoming sexually mature. The vet was extremely wrong with that statement.

I'm glad that you are going to get a fecal in. Typically the parasites dragons get arent visible to the human eye.

The high uric acid levels could be from the kidneys being stressed. Can you go over pigs typical diet with us?

With the high uric acid levels, was glucose tested for also in the blood panel? If so what was it?

I know you're in a rush but if you can, would you mind going over your husbandry with us?
What are your basking surface temps?
What uvb bulb are you using?
How often does pigs normally have a bowel movement?

Hopefully the fecal gives you some answers.
Keep us updated!

-Brandon
His diet has a pretty wide variety.
For insect feeders I use a mix of Dubias (my own colony that are gut loaded) and crickets (bought from a local pet store that are also gut loaded) for the his daily staples. With meal worms and horn worms as occasional treats.
For veggies I always have a fresh supply of organic greens (collard, mustard, turnip, romaine). It depends on what looks good at my supermarket but Pigs has greens every single day with a mix of other veggies and once a week (more if its a special occasion) a little bit of fruit. here's a list of all of the things that Pigs will eat.
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Turnip greens
Green beans
Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Zucchini
Purple yams
Red peppers
Chicory
Lentils (cooked)
Parsnips
Spaghetti squash
Artichoke hearts
Carrots
Pumpkin
Yellow squash
Asparagus
Celery
Cucumber
Mango
Papaya
Blueberries
Apples
Cranberries
Grapefruit
Melons
Peaches
Plums
Strawberries
Apricots
Figs
Guava
Nectarines
Pears
Prunes
Watermelon
Blackberries
Cherries
Pineapple
Raisins
Raspberries


He is also in a custom enclosure that is equivalent to a 50 gallon tank with plenty of climbing space, 2 hides, 2 hammocks, a water dish he can submerge his whole body in, a food dish, and a repticarpet substrate NO LOOSE SUBSTRATE . His UV bulb was changed in June and will be changed at the end of August and it is the reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb. His temp gradient ranges from 75 to 112. the humidity stays around 38-40% but does occasionally reach levels as high as 45%. his tank is cleaned once a week and everything is soaked, rinsed, and wiped down thoroughly. I use a mix of water and distilled vinegar as a cleaner. his water is purified and is changed twice daily. He gets two baths a week and soaks.
he tends to go to the bathroom every i=other day or every 2 days depending on what hes been eating

i think thats everything but i am probably leaving things out. feel free to ask anything
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Everything sounds good with your setup.
The reptisun 10.0, is that the long tube or the compact that screws into a regular light fixture?

You dont happen to have a picture of the poo with the little worms in it do you?

I'm not sure there is much we can do besides wait and see how the fecal comes back.

Are you able to post the full bloodwork or is what you mentioned already the only things that were done?

-Brandon
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":1fj4qkuu said:
Everything sounds good with your setup.
The reptisun 10.0, is that the long tube or the compact that screws into a regular light fixture?

You dont happen to have a picture of the poo with the little worms in it do you?

I'm not sure there is much we can do besides wait and see how the fecal comes back.

Are you able to post the full bloodwork or is what you mentioned already the only things that were done?

-Brandon
the bulb is the compact. and unfortunately i was in such a rush i took the samples to the vet without taking any pictures. and my vet did not disclose the blood work results with me, she just told me that there were elevated levels of uric acid, calcium, and phosphorus
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Oh that's fine! I was just curious in regards to the poo. It being at the vet's is better than me seeing a pic lol.

I'd ask for a copy of the bloodwork though. You paid for it so you're entitled to see it all. And anyways, if we are able to see it we might see something too that stands out, such as what the glucose levels were.

How is pigs doing right now?

-Brandon
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I would ask for a copy of the report for your records and get the compact UVB changed out ASAP - you need the T 5 or T 8 bulb which is a long tube for UVB -- coils are not good--- hope he gets better and you find out what is going on
Karrie
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":23gmr4kp said:
Oh that's fine! I was just curious in regards to the poo. It being at the vet's is better than me seeing a pic lol.

I'd ask for a copy of the bloodwork though. You paid for it so you're entitled to see it all. And anyways, if we are able to see it we might see something too that stands out, such as what the glucose levels were.

How is pigs doing right now?

-Brandon

I'll ask my vet about the blood test results. and hes doing alright. he still has not eaten but he has been somewhat active and is still alert. The vet said that the should have results in the morning by 8am
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":dnkp2tf5 said:
I would ask for a copy of the report for your records and get the compact UVB changed out ASAP - you need the T 5 or T 8 bulb which is a long tube for UVB -- coils are not good--- hope he gets better and you find out what is going on
Karrie

thank you so much. I'll definitely get a new bulb and fixture. Nobody has ever said anything bad about the coils but thats very good to know
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That sounds serious, to me. Do you happen to have a copy of the blood tests you could
post, or send me via email if possible?
How is she doing this evening?
Can you review your tank setup with us a little more?
I would recommend trying to keep her at a warmer temperature overnight, around 80, to help
boost her immune system if possible.

Tracie
 

emilybrowwnn

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":1d6eojeu said:
Hello,

That sounds serious, to me. Do you happen to have a copy of the blood tests you could
post, or send me via email if possible?
How is she doing this evening?
Can you review your tank setup with us a little more?
I would recommend trying to keep her at a warmer temperature overnight, around 80, to help
boost her immune system if possible.

Tracie
i asked for a copy of the blood test results from my vet but they have not yet emailed it to me. pigs is doing okay tonight. He ate some crickets and some romaine and has been alert and relatively active. I have noticed that he looks thinner but that typically happens when he has a bowel movement and it is not a concerning weight drop. As for the tank it is a 50 gallon tank with custom wood inserts (all have been sanded and are baby smooth) that have 3 different levels and a hide as well as 2 hammocks (one on the cool side of the tank and one on the warm side). the substrate is a green repticarpet that has no loose particles. he also has a water dish that he can submerge his whole body in about elbow deep and a food dish which are both kept on the cool side of the tank. everything in the tank is cleaned weekly and stool is removed as soon as it happens (or as soon as i come home if he does it while im gone). for lights i have a 100w basking bulb and a compact 10.0 uvb bulb which is being switched to a single tube bulb tomorrow. at night he does not have a but rather a heating pad (the ones commonly used for leopard geckos that sticks to the glass) which is set to 80 degrees in his hide.the temperature gradient ranges from 75-112 degrees and the humidity is currently 38% but and is typically between 35-40%. no insects are ever fed inside the tank, all feeding of insects occurs in a large plastic feeding tub so i can monitor how much he is eating.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello!

How is Pigs doing this evening?
The compact/coil lights are notorious for causing eye issues, but, also decrease their
activity levels, too since they tend to emit irregular UVB wavelengths. So, a tube bulb,
either the Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% would be a good upgrade for him.
You will need to try & invest in a digital probe or a temperature gun, to be able to measure
the temperatures more accurately. You can continue to use the stick on type of thermometer
to measure the humidity & the ambient temperatures though, if you would like. It's just the
mechanism/coils in the stick ons are not accurate at reading the higher temperatures on
a particular basking area.
That is a good idea not to feed crickets or roaches especially inside of the tank so that
they don't get loose & bite him. Any worms, can be placed in a slick dish to where they
can't escape if you needed to.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 
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