Recent YF diagnosis.

JoJoPo

Member
Beardie name(s)
Spike
Hey everyone, unfortunately, I received bad news regarding my bearded dragon's health. While not confirmed he most likely has contracted yellow fungus. Around mid-June this year my mom and I noticed some concerning reddening of the scales on his back. We brought him in for a vet check-up and were prescribed treatment for a burn wound, after what has been around 3 months of treatment his "burn" hasn't gotten much better. After 3 more vet visits, they finally agreed that the burn may possibly be yellow fungus. Today I checked my buddy in at a larger animal hospital for a proper diagnosis. I'll post pictures this weekend as I'm back at college until Friday. The fungus has begun to spread as little yellow dots around his back and legs however the worst is on his upper neck where the scales are pretty much gone leaving raw whitish skin exposed. Thankfully he is still active albeit more lethargic than he has been the past 7 years I've had him, he's also eating still primarily mealworms and dubia roaches he's still picky about his collard greens and such. As of right now, my mom is waiting for a call back from the doctor and also waiting for the anti-fungal medication. Until then what should I be doing? At this point in the infection, I'm really worried about whether or not I'd be causing him unnecessary suffering. Is YF worth fighting or is it a death sentence like I've read in a lot of other threads? I don't want to let go of my buddy I've literally had him for a third of my life. But I also feel like an awful owner and even more so if I'm just causing him to suffer. Please if anyone has any advice or has been in similar situations let me know what I should be doing.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
I would wait and see what the new vet has to say. I've never dealt with it personally but i wouldn't be to hasty until you know for sure what is what.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Hey everyone, unfortunately, I received bad news regarding my bearded dragon's health. While not confirmed he most likely has contracted yellow fungus. Around mid-June this year my mom and I noticed some concerning reddening of the scales on his back. We brought him in for a vet check-up and were prescribed treatment for a burn wound, after what has been around 3 months of treatment his "burn" hasn't gotten much better. After 3 more vet visits, they finally agreed that the burn may possibly be yellow fungus. Today I checked my buddy in at a larger animal hospital for a proper diagnosis. I'll post pictures this weekend as I'm back at college until Friday. The fungus has begun to spread as little yellow dots around his back and legs however the worst is on his upper neck where the scales are pretty much gone leaving raw whitish skin exposed. Thankfully he is still active albeit more lethargic than he has been the past 7 years I've had him, he's also eating still primarily mealworms and dubia roaches he's still picky about his collard greens and such. As of right now, my mom is waiting for a call back from the doctor and also waiting for the anti-fungal medication. Until then what should I be doing? At this point in the infection, I'm really worried about whether or not I'd be causing him unnecessary suffering. Is YF worth fighting or is it a death sentence like I've read in a lot of other threads? I don't want to let go of my buddy I've literally had him for a third of my life. But I also feel like an awful owner and even more so if I'm just causing him to suffer. Please if anyone has any advice or has been in similar situations let me know what I should be doing.
@AHBD
@Drache613
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
So sorry to hear about Spike's problem, it does sound like Y.F. but wait for the vet's diagnosis. Ask if they are taking a skin scraping , that's the most accurate way to diagnose but of course visually, from your description, it sounds like it. Right now it's a wait + see and one day at a time. We'll be watching for the pics, I wish you + Spike the best in this stressful situation.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Wow, I hate to hear about your dragon's skin trouble. I definitely would wait for the vet's diagnosis,
just to be sure. Yellow fungus is a hard health issue to treat but it can be done. Do you have any
pictures you could post?
There are a lot of things you can do along with medication to help him recover. Keep us posted on
his situation.

Tracie
 

JoJoPo

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Spike
Hello,

Wow, I hate to hear about your dragon's skin trouble. I definitely would wait for the vet's diagnosis,
just to be sure. Yellow fungus is a hard health issue to treat but it can be done. Do you have any
pictures you could post?
There are a lot of things you can do along with medication to help him recover. Keep us posted on
his situation.

Tracie
7D610867-368C-486C-ACFA-68331F7421F9.jpeg

So this was taken about a week ago. That red circle is where we originally thought he had a burn mark. As you can see below he has some yellow discoloration that’s also spread around his front arms. Unfortunately the left eye has begun growing some crusty abscess. I just hope that anti-fungal medication can treat this. I hope it’s not too late. I’ll try and get some better pictures ASAP.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That doesn't look like typical Y.F and I don't see any yellow color , maybe a little unshed area on the head. Please do post more pics of the eye and the yellow areas you're concerned about. Is this dragon housed alone or been in contact with another at any point ? Do you have another pet that might have nipped him ? Can you post a complete pic of the enclosure, including the lights ? Try a little unpasteurized honey on it.
 
Last edited:

JoJoPo

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Spike
That doesn't look like typical Y.F and I don't see any yellow color , maybe a little unshed area on the head. Please do post more pics of the eye and the yellow areas you're concerned about. Is this dragon housed alone or been in contact with another at any point ? Do you have another pet that might have nipped him ? Can you post a complete pic of the enclosure, including the lights ? Try a little unpasteurized honey on it.
683A6847-394B-4F0D-9101-D967E7E0C9CA.jpeg
EBBD5CA3-421C-4DE7-8992-1DED88A3C0F5.jpeg

So that’s a picture of his left eye taken about 20 days ago. It’s looks a little worse but he can still use it perfectly fine. You can also see the yellow spots around his back and arms which is what the vet believes is YF. The bottom picture is the latest picture I have of his tank. He has a 120 gal with a 120 watt basking bulb and a 20 inch uvb t8 bulb on the left and he has another basking bulb on the right side with a hammock for basking. There’s a digital thermometer on the right that reads 80ish under the hammock and around 95-100 in the basking. He also hasn’t been in contact with any other beardies his entire life so he couldn’t have caught YF that way. The only thing I could think of his my cat or dog being around him but they’ve never attacked him once. Right now we’re using manuka honey on the wound as that’s what the vet prescribed alongside some probiotics a few months ago.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
The eye looks a little irritated but not sure of the cause. Can you post a closer pic of the reddish spot on the back looking straight down, as well as the arm areas ?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
View attachment 74181 View attachment 74182
So that’s a picture of his left eye taken about 20 days ago. It’s looks a little worse but he can still use it perfectly fine. You can also see the yellow spots around his back and arms which is what the vet believes is YF. The bottom picture is the latest picture I have of his tank. He has a 120 gal with a 120 watt basking bulb and a 20 inch uvb t8 bulb on the left and he has another basking bulb on the right side with a hammock for basking. There’s a digital thermometer on the right that reads 80ish under the hammock and around 95-100 in the basking. He also hasn’t been in contact with any other beardies his entire life so he couldn’t have caught YF that way. The only thing I could think of his my cat or dog being around him but they’ve never attacked him once. Right now we’re using manuka honey on the wound as that’s what the vet prescribed alongside some probiotics a few months ago.
I would recommend you upgrading the UVB to a 24" fixture w/ a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb -- the T 8's are ok but the T 5 is a better bulb -- and w/ his skin issues going on its going to help heal better -- also I would get the T 8 directly over him instead of the angle its at -- 6-8 inches -- how old is the T 8?
www.petmountain.com
 

JoJoPo

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Spike
I would recommend you upgrading the UVB to a 24" fixture w/ a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb -- the T 8's are ok but the T 5 is a better bulb -- and w/ his skin issues going on its going to help heal better -- also I would get the T 8 directly over him instead of the angle its at -- 6-8 inches -- how old is the T 8?
www.petmountain.com
 

JoJoPo

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Spike
The T8 is about a month old now I replaced it not too long ago. I can also angle the fixture in a better position while I look for a replacement. Do you think YF is something that can be fought and treated at this point? I still haven’t heard back from the vet I’m not sure how long it will take them to get the results back.
 

JoJoPo

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Spike
The eye looks a little irritated but not sure of the cause. Can you post a closer pic of the reddish spot on the back looking straight down, as well as the arm areas ?
I’m going home tomorrow to completely bleach his tank. While I’m there I’ll grab a few pictures of what he’s looking like right now.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
O.K, when using bleach be sure to rinse very thoroughly, the fumes can be a very bad irritant to the nasal + throat passages.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T8 is about a month old now I replaced it not too long ago. I can also angle the fixture in a better position while I look for a replacement. Do you think YF is something that can be fought and treated at this point? I still haven’t heard back from the vet I’m not sure how long it will take them to get the results back.
YF is treatable if caught early -
 

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