Mild diarrhea, no vets open

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
The last two times Jasper has had a bowel movement, it has been watery, almost like mucous. It also had a tiny bit of undigested food, what looked like a couple slivers of bell pepper skin and superworm shell/exoskeleton. I tried to get a picture, but it was while he was out of his tank sitting on a dark towel, and the only thing that was visible was the urate.
Other than that, he seems to be acting normally, a little grumpy but I assumed that was because his head is shedding at first. He still has an appetite, even eating his greens, and has been very active whenever he’s been out the last couple days, climbing and jumping around.
I can’t find any vets within a 3 hour drive open besides an emergency room, but I can’t tell how urgent it is - I’ve had a lot going on personally this last week and my anxiety has been pretty awful.
Is this something that can wait a few days and monitor him, or more serious? What can I do in the meantime?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Poor guy, that is a bit loose. You could try giving some probiotics to see if that helps out. I would
definitely get a fecal done, he may have coccidia perhaps. Maybe stop spraying his greens for a
few days to see if that helps, too.
Is he basking a little more now?
Try to keep him warmer overnight too just for help with his immune system right now.

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Hello,

Poor guy, that is a bit loose. You could try giving some probiotics to see if that helps out. I would
definitely get a fecal done, he may have coccidia perhaps. Maybe stop spraying his greens for a
few days to see if that helps, too.
Is he basking a little more now?
Try to keep him warmer overnight too just for help with his immune system right now.

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie
Thank you, will do. What kind of probiotic do you recommend? And how often?
He seems to be a little, but it’s kind of hard to say for sure on days when I’m at work. I’ve moved a small CHE next to his hide to see if that helps, since that side is usually cooler.
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Hello,

Poor guy, that is a bit loose. You could try giving some probiotics to see if that helps out. I would
definitely get a fecal done, he may have coccidia perhaps. Maybe stop spraying his greens for a
few days to see if that helps, too.
Is he basking a little more now?
Try to keep him warmer overnight too just for help with his immune system right now.

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie
Also, I know Coccidia can be pretty serious, but I’ve never dealt with it before. Is that something that can potentially wait for an appointment, or should I take him in to emergency? It first started about two weeks ago now, and as of this morning, they still didn’t have any sooner openings.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

He should be ok until the appointment, unless you notice he is losing a lot of weight. I am not
even sure it is coccidia. It could be flagelletes or protozoans which can cause that as well. Try
cutting back on the amount of water you spray on his greens. It might be that he is getting too
much fluid, but not sure.
Have you tried probiotics for him yet?

Tracie
 

SkittlesK

Juvie Member
Beardie name(s)
Kamo
Hello,

As Karrie suggested, usually increasing basking temps helps with overall digestion. I doubt a few
blueberries would cause watery stools. You may find that his stools might just naturally have more
fluid with them. Though you don't want him having diarrhea, that will dehydrate him.
You could try adding some canned or fresh pumpkin a couple of times per week, or even sweet
potato, to see if that helps to firm things up some.

Tracie
You could do Metamucil or powdered pumpkin as a form of laxative.
A bulk-forming supplement.
Hello,

Poor guy, that is a bit loose. You could try giving some probiotics to see if that helps out. I would
definitely get a fecal done, he may have coccidia perhaps. Maybe stop spraying his greens for a
few days to see if that helps, too.
Is he basking a little more now?
Try to keep him warmer overnight too just for help with his immune system right now.

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie
Probiotics look like they would be helpful.
He may have Coccidia or it may just be watery stool (Too much water)
Don't give too much water; sometimes the excess water is basically just that. Excess water they release that's not a part of the urate.
Also, I know Coccidia can be pretty serious, but I’ve never dealt with it before. Is that something that can potentially wait for an appointment, or should I take him in to emergency? It first started about two weeks ago now, and as of this morning, they still didn’t have any sooner openings.
That's your call.
Does it smell really bad.?

Hello,

He should be ok until the appointment, unless you notice he is losing a lot of weight. I am not
even sure it is coccidia. It could be flagelletes or protozoans which can cause that as well. Try
cutting back on the amount of water you spray on his greens. It might be that he is getting too
much fluid, but not sure.
Have you tried probiotics for him yet?

Tracie
If he's losing a lot of weight I'd take him to the vet.
Otherwise, just use less water.
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Hello,

He should be ok until the appointment, unless you notice he is losing a lot of weight. I am not
even sure it is coccidia. It could be flagelletes or protozoans which can cause that as well. Try
cutting back on the amount of water you spray on his greens. It might be that he is getting too
much fluid, but not sure.
Have you tried probiotics for him yet?

Tracie
Thank you, I will keep a close eye on it.
I had a hard time finding what kind of probiotics were safe, so all I have given him so far is about a teaspoon of soy yogurt (couldn’t find any in stock till yesterday), and I mixed a bit of bee pollen in to see if that would help him eat it. I’ve also still been adding some shredded sweet potato to his salads.
Mel
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello Mel,

You are welcome. Yes, the non dairy soy yogurt is fine for him. You can use non dairy acidophiliz
also, either one. Maybe the bee pollen will help, too. Is he still acting normally, basking, etc?
Let us know how things are going with him.

Tracie
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Hello Mel,

You are welcome. Yes, the non dairy soy yogurt is fine for him. You can use non dairy acidophiliz
also, either one. Maybe the bee pollen will help, too. Is he still acting normally, basking, etc?
Let us know how things are going with him.

Tracie
He’s been doing fairly well the last couple weeks. I’ve been trying hard not to worry too much. He’s gotten a lot better, but still having some issues. The appointment is coming (FINALLY) early Tuesday morning.
he’s still eating and active, basking too. I disinfected and steam cleaned everything in his tank, and he’s finally down to just a little shed left on his shoulders, so hopefully he’s feeling better. His stools have been less watery, but theres still a concerning amount of undigested food, even a few whole bsfl.
Slightly off topic, is it possible for them to digest a bit of string? He snagged a piece off my laundry almost a week ago, but I haven’t seen it come back out yet, although I’m sure it most likely I might have not looked close enough. He’s still been regularly going, so it doesn't seem to have impacted though.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
There was a beardie on here a few months ago that passed an entire shoestring.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
View attachment 77953 It kind of seems like it’s getting worse. I have an appointment coming up for the vet, but it’s a couple weeks away, unless I can find a cancellation or take him to emergency care. Not sure why they're booked out so far.
Other than that, he doesn’t seem to be doing too badly, a little less active, but it’s hard to tell if that’s from not feeling well or the cold snap the last couple days. Still eating and alert.
I’ve made sure he’s been getting some good basking time, warm enough for him to start gaping a couple moments, and he got almost a half hour of sunshine outside today. I’m just worried about him losing so much water, I make sure he has plenty of fresh water available, but I don’t know if he’s drinking it at all. Still spraying his food. I haven’t changed his diet, aside from adding sweet potato.
Wow he has got the runs! Lol! Please cut out squash if your feeding a long w/ any water content veggies like gr & red pepper cucumber if your feeding that - keep up w/ the sweet potato - I would feed only that and greens- see where that goes - I wonder if he's got IBS - irritable bowel syndrome - some thing humans get- causing runny stools I don't know if that's possible just throwing that out there - he's clear of parasites correct?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Poor thing, he is still having some trouble. You could try giving some canned pumpkin along with
his food, to help try to firm up his stools.
As Karrie suggested, try cutting out the cucumber since that is a more watery vegetable. What type
of squash are you giving?
Sometimes when they have heavy loads of parasites it can affect the GI tract for awhile so it takes
some time for them to get back to normal.

Let us know how things are going.

Tracie
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Hello,

Poor thing, he is still having some trouble. You could try giving some canned pumpkin along with
his food, to help try to firm up his stools.
As Karrie suggested, try cutting out the cucumber since that is a more watery vegetable. What type
of squash are you giving?
Sometimes when they have heavy loads of parasites it can affect the GI tract for awhile so it takes
some time for them to get back to normal.

Let us know how things are going.

Tracie
Wow he has got the runs! Lol! Please cut out squash if your feeding a long w/ any water content veggies like gr & red pepper cucumber if your feeding that - keep up w/ the sweet potato - I would feed only that and greens- see where that goes - I wonder if he's got IBS - irritable bowel syndrome - some thing humans get- causing runny stools I don't know if that's possible just throwing that out there - he's clear of parasites correct?
I’m not completely sure… I’m still waiting to hear back from the vet about the lab tests. They said they saw something in a fecal sample that looked like it could be Cryptosporidium, but its not confirmed yet.
Most of the info I have right now is from a physical exam and bloodwork, but it’s a bit hard to read the notes they emailed since I think they used a talk-to-text recording system. They said his white blood cells are consistent with chronic inflammation, but they didn’t find any type of obstruction. They said he could also have some excess fat in (or around?) his liver, and to keep his diet more strictly healthy, avoid any larval feeders and fruit for now.
He’s been getting mostly butternut squash, cactus pad, and a few different greens, mostly kale and mustard greens this week. Ive added in bits of other veggies too.

When avoiding sugars - is sweet potato still okay? I know it’s not high compared to fruit, but still higher than other vegetables.
sorry for asking so many questions, I'm really scared of accidentally doing something wrong
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Hopefully his fecal will be clear.
If you can get a copy of the blood test that would help.
His diet sounds good right now. Is he liking any of the vegetation yet? The sweet potato is low
glycemic so it should be fine for him.
No problem at all, ask any questions you need to! I hope he is feeling better!

Tracie
 

dandelion

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Jasper
Thank you so much for all your help, I really appreciate it.
He seems to be pretty good this morning, got him to eat some butternut and yellow squash, and he actually ate a little bit of collard greens, not very much yet though.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That sounds good, he is hopefully feeling a lot better right now. At least he ate something
even if it wasn't much. Please keep us posted on him, & his progress.

Tracie
 

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