Not an RI, Abscess & Jaw Fracture.

Status
Not open for further replies.

HemiLeo

Member
Blackenedsabbath":27jw27dq said:
When I got home from class yesterday I let Pancake out of his terrarium, he ran around normally so I guess he was just bored and lonely. He was distracted enough with exploring that I managed to sneak 5mL of critical care into his mouth without too much protest (of course, he caught on and that technique didn't work this morning, I'll have to try again when I'm back from class). I have more silkworms and hornworms arriving from the Worm Lady tomorrow, so that will make feeding easier again.
Good luck tomarrow!!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I agree with Brandon, if this is the vet that broke his jaw I would not consider returning. How is he going to check the abscess without further damage to the jaw ? I really feel for you and your little energetic boy Pan, it must be really difficult for you to make decisions. Hopefully with his will to live he can get through this though !
 

Blackenedsabbath

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thank you all for the good wishes <3

It was the same vet, the different vet I had contacted said he would have to do a full exam, get an additional swab of the abscess, then wire his mouth shut so I thought it would be easier on Pancake to just do the follow up so he didn't have to go through the whole process again, and I also don't think having a feeding tube installed would go over too well with Pancake.

Apparently the abscess can be felt without looking down his throat, so that's how the vet checked it and he showed me where to feel underneath Pan's chin if I want to check it myself. His breathing rate has improved and his lungs sound a lot more clear, so the metronidazole has been helping. His heart rate is the same (in a good way, the vet has told me multiple times Pancake has a very strong and healthy sounding heartbeat). Scar tissue is forming around the fracture, so I'm not just loosing my mind, the bone has moved down a little. No signs of infection or anything abnormal around it. Pancake is to continue with the antibiotics for another week, hopefully he will continue on the road to recovery.

The vet was less pessimistic sounding today, I'm not sure if he was trying to prepare for the worst or what but I wouldn't give up on Pancake anyway (worrying about him is an entirely different story lol). I already discussed that with my mom, and she agreed that he is way too energetic and curious to seem like he's in a situation that would require being put to sleep.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That's a very good report then, as long as he's not in too much pain now he can hopefully get through this + you can wait to see what's ahead. :)
 

Blackenedsabbath

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Last night Pan decided to go to bed in his cave almost an hour early, which concerned me but he usually does act a little bit off the day after he's been to the vet.

But today- oh my. His mischief level is on maximum. First thing in the morning he was clawing at the glass because he saw the container of hornworms, he gobbled up a few of those along with silkworms. I dripped some water on his nose, he was quite content to drink it. I took him out of his terrarium to syringe feed him and give him his meds, aaand he is back to moving around at the speed of light. He wanted to fight his reflection in the mirror (which he only does if he's feeling particularly fiesty), kept jumping on and off my leg, and only after about 30mins of this did he calm down enough for me to give him the meds.

More good news, I got some fine grind critical care to see if it would fit in a smaller syringe (that way his mouth doesn't have to open much to feed him) and it goes through a small water syringe perfectly!! :blob5: This will make it a lot easier to get nutrition into him.

Pan's been basking with his mouth open a little bit, here's how the fracture looks from the front now
96854-9001107537.jpg

And here's just a picture of him being himself for a general idea on how he's looking overall.
96854-8169982917.jpg
"hooman... hornworms aren't orange.. :roll:
 

Blackenedsabbath

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Alright guys there is a new problem...

I fed Pancake some hornworms just now, and I think the scar tissue near the fracture has formed. Underneath the bone.

When he was chewing (on his right/good side), the bone was moving around a bit and his mouth started to bleed a little :cry: It didn't seem to phase him, and he can fully close his mouth and it looks lined up, so I'm not sure if it's just because he hasn't had hornworms in a few days and thus hasn't moved the bone much or if it has to do with the scar tissue beneath. Any advice? He has still been running around, he gained 10 grams as well.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Sorry, not real sure what advice I could offer in regards to that.
But I am still here cheering for pan. 10g+ is a good sign! :) He's obviously still getting the nutrition his body needs.

-Brandon
 

Blackenedsabbath

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I have a Pancake update for you guys.

The bleeding jaw when he chewed the hornworms seems to gave been a one time thing. It hasnt happened since.

His breathing has still been going from being totally silent to kind of laboured, but at least he's showing some improvement. His left eye has started watering again, I think it must be related to the abscess (maybe when it drains it tries to come out through his eyes and nose???). Hes currently finishing his third round of metronidazole and then he may be going for xrays to see whats going on with the abscess.

I tried to see if Pancake would eat some food on his own. Blueberries he was happy to take but they were a little to hard for him to chew so we will stay away from those for now. He had a few bites from a bowl of cilantro, and he ate a full cube of watermelon (no seeds) quite happily. I tried grub pie repashy, he ate most of it but I did have to hand feed it to him (he has trouble picking repashy up using his tongue and I didnt want him to hit his jaw off of anything). I tried some veggie burger repashy tonight, he wasnt as interested in it as he was with the grub pie one, but he did try to take a couple little pieces.

I would like to try feeding him salads again, do you think it would be okay if I rip collard greens and cilantro into super tiny pieces for him so he doesnt need to chew as much? His jaw looks like its lining up a little better. I have pictures that I'll post for you guys to see later :)

Thanks to everyone who has been staying tuned and sending kind thoughts and wishes to Pan ❤
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi again, good to keep reading about Pan's steady progress. :) I wonder if it would be best to puree the greens for now and use a syringe ? You could always try the small pieces but there might be more of a risk of them getting stuck in his mouth/throat if he can't chew them well. Maybe experiment with both ways ?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank
Taking my beardie for a walk

Forum statistics

Threads
155,854
Messages
1,255,180
Members
75,936
Latest member
KarmaChild99
Top Bottom