Ziggy seems to be mostly paralyzed

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Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is Ziggy doing today?
Did the vet give you saline solution/ringer's solution for injection of hydration?
Definitely, once you receive the blood test results, try to post them here so we can see
what could be going on.
Kidney issues are a big possibility, & is relatively common in older dragons but can happen
in younger dragons, also.

Tracie
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":3lb8dmni said:
Hello,

How is Ziggy doing today?
Did the vet give you saline solution/ringer's solution for injection of hydration?
Definitely, once you receive the blood test results, try to post them here so we can see
what could be going on.
Kidney issues are a big possibility, & is relatively common in older dragons but can happen
in younger dragons, also.

Tracie

Hello,

He seems to be doing a little better. It looked like he pushed himself forward a little with his back legs. We can usually tell, because his front legs are back by his side. We usually put him down with his front legs forward, like he would normally have them, so if we find them back by his side, it usually means he's pushed himself along with his back legs.

He seems pretty happy. His head is up a lot of the time, though sometimes not.

Yes, I believe that is the solution they gave us for hydration.

We still haven't got the results yet, but will definitely post them when we do!

Best,
Nat (Ziggy's Dad)
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
And so the day turns.

The vet called today with the results of Ziggy's blood work. It appears his kidneys are doing better, but the vet said that might mean his paralysis is genetic, and, if so, he might only have six months.

I am devastated. Crying constantly. I am not sure what to do. We're going to try to take care of him until he gets in a bad way.

He was doing so well this morning, but his beard has been black a lot this afternoon, and even petting his head isn't helping.

The vet said she could be completely wrong. But the other vet we took him to before said he didn't think his bones were bad either, i.e. not MBD.

Will try to get blood work results and post, but probably won't be today.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
There's no real way for anyone to say how long Ziggy will live, it's a complete guess on the vet's part. As for a black beard, my crippled boy did it in the spring just as a normal dragon would have due to hormones + desire to mate. Ziggy may outlive the vet's prognosis by months or years.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I agree with AHBD. They are tough little ones and can fight their way through a lot when they need to. Ziggy may have a lot of good time with you ahead.
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":1nyzdrhy said:
There's no real way for anyone to say how long Ziggy will live, it's a complete guess on the vet's part. As for a black beard, my crippled boy did it in the spring just as a normal dragon would have due to hormones + desire to mate. Ziggy may outlive the vet's prognosis by months or years.

Thank you for the encouraging words. He really does go up and down. Last night and so far today he's been pretty happy - no black beard and head up a lot of the time. He seemed happy when we fed him and petted his head. I guess we'll just do what we can. We love him so much!!!
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
Hi all,

It's sad for me to report, but we may be at the end of the line with Ziggy. His paralysis hasn't gotten any better, and looks like it's progressed. He may be at the point he can't swallow very easily. Not sure how much longer he can live that way. His beard is black a lot. He still has his good times ... we pet him and he closes his eyes and looks happy, and sometimes in his tank, his head is up and he looks around.

At this point, I'm a little desperate. If anyone - ANYONE - has any ideas for how we might save him, please send them my way. If we can't, likely we will be putting him down next week. I've been crying and depressed for two weeks now and it's making me physically sick.

Please help if you can. We don't want to lose this little but strong light in our lives.

- Ziggy's Dad
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I am so sorry to hear about Ziggy--- MBD is a horrible disease -- at this point I dont think you can do much for him but to keep him as comfortable as possible -- but Tracie may have some input on this better than I --- :cry:
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":36ehn0fw said:
I am so sorry to hear about Ziggy--- MBD is a horrible disease -- at this point I dont think you can do much for him but to keep him as comfortable as possible -- but Tracie may have some input on this better than I --- :cry:

Thank you. Our vet - and we actually went to a different vet for a second opinion - insists it's not MBD, but a genetic paralysis (actually, they weren't sure if that was definitely what was causing it, but did say it definitely WASN'T MBD).

I am beside myself, though he actually seems to be fairly happy/content today.

Here he is (from a different day):
110778-9579429058.jpg
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Is he refusing to eat ? Has he lost weight ? An immobile dragon usually will not want to eat every day and some especially get tired of the syringe feedings. Is that when his beard turns black, at feeding ? Are you giving him any injections ? At the beginning of your thread you mentioned something about it..
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":2kf3dulx said:
Is he refusing to eat ? Has he lost weight ? An immobile dragon usually will not want to eat every day and some especially get tired of the syringe feedings. Is that when his beard turns black, at feeding ? Are you giving him any injections ? At the beginning of your thread you mentioned something about it..

He had stopped eating his greens for a while before all this set in. We were feeding him crickets and super worms. When he started not being able to move well, he couldn't catch the crickets and he seemed to lose interest in the other bugs. At one point, we were injecting him with fluids. He did lose weight, then, after we started feeding him with the syringe, he gained the weight back. The last time we took him into the vet (this past Friday), she said he had lost some again. His beard does sometimes turn black when we're feeding him, but other times it's just when he's sitting in his tank. He seems to prefer to sit in a way where his top end is elevated so he's leaning up. Today was a good day for him - his beard wasn't black much and he pooped. Thanks for any help you can offer.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

So sorry Ziggy is still having trouble. Don't give up on him yet, they are pretty resilient.
Do you have a copy of the blood test you could send to me, so I can look over it? I will
PM you my email address here.
Is he not able to swallow, or just not chew properly?
Remind me again, which brand of T5 tube are you using now? There is the Reptisun 10
or the Arcadia D3 12%?
Overall, his spine appears straight & his jaws are aligned properly or at least they appear
that way.
Can you post some up close pictures of his hands/feet too, I wanted to see if there is any
swelling or puffiness there, also.

Tracie
 

ZiggysDad

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":1u0kq525 said:
Hello,

So sorry Ziggy is still having trouble. Don't give up on him yet, they are pretty resilient.
Do you have a copy of the blood test you could send to me, so I can look over it? I will
PM you my email address here.
Is he not able to swallow, or just not chew properly?
Remind me again, which brand of T5 tube are you using now? There is the Reptisun 10
or the Arcadia D3 12%?
Overall, his spine appears straight & his jaws are aligned properly or at least they appear
that way.
Can you post some up close pictures of his hands/feet too, I wanted to see if there is any
swelling or puffiness there, also.

Tracie

He can swallow, but he has some difficulty. He's not really chewing, as what we're feeding him is almost a liquid. Sometimes he shakes his head side to side with his mouth open, and looks a little panicked, and that's when we worry. We either stand him up a little straighter and/or give him a little water from a syringe, which seems to work.

We're using the Reptisun.

Here are some images from just now:
110778-7166726226.jpg
110778-6544982469.jpg
110778-1691099927.jpg
110778-3313638829.jpg
110778-8994532274.jpg
 
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