About two weeks ago, I took my bearded dragon Lumpy into the vet because he was opening his mouth to breathe excessively and the little flaps in the back of his throat were partially yellow. The vet opened his mouth, looked in and diagnosed him with mouth rot. She gave me antibiotics and an antibacterial wash for his mouth and told me to bathe him every other day. I followed the vet's instructions, althouth I had to attend a funeral, and the person watching him mixed up the dosages, so we ran out of antibiotics a few days too soon. A while into the treatment, he bit his tounge as I gave him the mouthwash. He did it again the next day. so I started giving it to him when he was asleep and couldn't protest. One day, as I was bathing him, he opened his mouth very wide and I could see what looked like a large, soft, disturbing purple mass in the far back of his throat, behind the throat flaps. I saw it again later. Additionally, he was still opening his mouth so I didn't think the antibiotics were working too well. I couldn't tell if he was eating, so I gave him a slurry.
I took him to the vet, and this time, there was a different vet to see us. He opened up Lumpy's mouth, swabbed the gumline and the easily accessable bits. He said he had lost weight, the tounge had ulcerated and also commented on the throat mass. Then he told me I would need to bring him back later and he would put him under and take a closer look. He said that If it was cancer, he would go ahead and put him down while he was under. I got pain meds for his tongue, and a liquid feeding solution, but no antibiotics, because they would irritate his gut and he wouldn't want to eat.
Lumpy is about 7 years old. I don't know much about his history because I got him off Craigslist. He was in a 75 gallon tank with another lizard, Fred. I separated them when I got them. I've seen some stress marks, but his beard isn't colored, he's still alert and he has sporadic bursts of activity. Does anyone have any idea about what this is? I have no idea what to think or expect. Would It be best for him to put him down if he does have cancer?
I took him to the vet, and this time, there was a different vet to see us. He opened up Lumpy's mouth, swabbed the gumline and the easily accessable bits. He said he had lost weight, the tounge had ulcerated and also commented on the throat mass. Then he told me I would need to bring him back later and he would put him under and take a closer look. He said that If it was cancer, he would go ahead and put him down while he was under. I got pain meds for his tongue, and a liquid feeding solution, but no antibiotics, because they would irritate his gut and he wouldn't want to eat.
Lumpy is about 7 years old. I don't know much about his history because I got him off Craigslist. He was in a 75 gallon tank with another lizard, Fred. I separated them when I got them. I've seen some stress marks, but his beard isn't colored, he's still alert and he has sporadic bursts of activity. Does anyone have any idea about what this is? I have no idea what to think or expect. Would It be best for him to put him down if he does have cancer?