Anemia and Baytril

[Tay1Day]

Hello,

Oh no, I hate to hear that. Is her beard dark?
I would probably stop giving medications right now
& focus on getting her system boosted up some.
Or they recommend keeping her on the cisapride
for now? Medications definitely can cause marked
lethargy & lack of appetite.
At the moment, I wouldn't let her brumate since she
isn't 100% right now. It's positive that the vet had
mentioned the values had improved so that is a
great sign.
Keep trying with her, she is hanging in there. Are
you able to get some food into her since she isn't
eating on her own?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Hi Tracie,
Her beard is not dark and she is showing no signs of stress. She was actually quite active yesterday (for her, at least.) She held herself up well and moved around her enclosure a bit. The vet just started her on the cisapride last week, and he just called me to check in but I missed the call. He advised that cisapride does not generally have side effects, so I am wondering if she is still working through the antibiotics that were in her system. I think he wants to keep her on it for now to see if it kicks her digestion into gear. I am hand feeding her daily still. She did drink water on her own yesterday after I flicked my finger around in her water dish and she realized there was water in it. She got lots of cuddles and seemed more alert than she has been. She seems to have good and bad days these days.

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

I am happy to hear that her beard isn't dark & doesn't seem to be stressed right now. I hope that she is
feeling better, & it sounds like she is more active. The antibiotics can be hard on them, but if you are
giving probiotics that should help her tummy. You can also give raw unpasteurized honey a few times a
week to help boost the immune system.
I hope she has many more good days, over the not so good days. She has her mom to help her!

Keep us posted on her!

Tracie

 

[Tay1Day]

Hello!

I am happy to hear that her beard isn't dark & doesn't seem to be stressed right now. I hope that she is
feeling better, & it sounds like she is more active. The antibiotics can be hard on them, but if you are
giving probiotics that should help her tummy. You can also give raw unpasteurized honey a few times a
week to help boost the immune system.
I hope she has many more good days, over the not so good days. She has her mom to help her!

Keep us posted on her!

Tracie

Good morning,
This was not the update I wanted to give. Two weeks ago I brought her in for her ultrasound to see if it's poop or free fluid in her abdomen. The vet found that she was full of fluid and follicles due to never being bred. He believed those follicles became infected, so he told me our next step would be a spay and exploratory surgery to remove the follicles and fluid.
Last Thursday was her spay. He called me when they did pre-op bloodwork and said her red blood cell count dropped significantly since her bloodwork last month. He said it was a high risk to operate, but advised that if she passed during surgery, she would go peacefully and painlessly. I agreed to proceed. He called me shortly after once he had opened her up and stated that her organs were absolutely ravaged by cancer. We made the impossible decision to euthanize her while she was under anesthesia.
I appreciate all of your time through all of this. My heart is so heavy, and I feel immense guilt for not catching this earlier but it seemed like nobody knew what was happening to her.

We will have her ashes back sometime this week.

Thank you again.

 

[KarrieRee]

Good morning,
This was not the update I wanted to give. Two weeks ago I brought her in for her ultrasound to see if it's poop or free fluid in her abdomen. The vet found that she was full of fluid and follicles due to never being bred. He believed those follicles became infected, so he told me our next step would be a spay and exploratory surgery to remove the follicles and fluid.
Last Thursday was her spay. He called me when they did pre-op bloodwork and said her red blood cell count dropped significantly since her bloodwork last month. He said it was a high risk to operate, but advised that if she passed during surgery, she would go peacefully and painlessly. I agreed to proceed. He called me shortly after once he had opened her up and stated that her organs were absolutely ravaged by cancer. We made the impossible decision to euthanize her while she was under anesthesia.
I appreciate all of your time through all of this. My heart is so heavy, and I feel immense guilt for not catching this earlier but it seemed like nobody knew what was happening to her.

We will have her ashes back sometime this week.

Thank you again.

I am so sorry to hear about her--- cancer seems to be common these days - I dont know what is going on w/ that but it just seems so common now- I feel for you it is so hard when this happens and dont beat your self up - you did the best you could for her -- again I am sorry --

 

[Tay1Day]

I am so sorry to hear about her--- cancer seems to be common these days - I dont know what is going on w/ that but it just seems so common now- I feel for you it is so hard when this happens and dont beat your self up - you did the best you could for her -- again I am sorry --

Thank you so much. I'm seeing it often as well. I suspect it's because beardies cannot be exported from Australia, so the genetic diversity is really lacking, which makes them much more prone to diseases. I really don't know if I will be bringing another beardie into the family any time soon. I had such a special bond with my girl, and I am so worried I will never have that again and it'll break my heart.

It's crazy because none of the tests we did for her previously (4 blood tests!) showed any hint that it could have been cancer. Typically, beardies develop GNT, which causes their glucose levels to spike. The only questionable value on her bloodwork was her red blood cell count.

I wish I knew then what I know now. Maybe I could have caught it sooner, I don't know. I am just sad that she's gone, but thankful she is no longer suffering. She was so sweet through it all.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you so much. I'm seeing it often as well. I suspect it's because beardies cannot be exported from Australia, so the genetic diversity is really lacking, which makes them much more prone to diseases. I really don't know if I will be bringing another beardie into the family any time soon. I had such a special bond with my girl, and I am so worried I will never have that again and it'll break my heart.

It's crazy because none of the tests we did for her previously (4 blood tests!) showed any hint that it could have been cancer. Typically, beardies develop GNT, which causes their glucose levels to spike. The only questionable value on her bloodwork was her red blood cell count.

I wish I knew then what I know now. Maybe I could have caught it sooner, I don't know. I am just sad that she's gone, but thankful she is no longer suffering. She was so sweet through it all.

Yes it is so sad- maybe Tracie can help w/ this
@Drache613

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am truly sorry for your loss, it is very sad. I realize it has become a fairly common ailment. Honestly,
I believe that a large number of cases are due to the food chain & what the ingredients are in the
commercialized foods. The commercialized foods contain a majority of corn & soy products most of
which are genetically modified. They cause a myriad of health issues.
All we as keepers can do is continue to do research, document, & educate ourselves to try & improve
the diets of our dragons.
They hide illness very well, so by the time they are showing outward signs it's often too late. The heart
break of losing a dragon to something you never knew the ailment of what caused the illness in the first
place is hard to come to terms with.
It is a gift, to form a bond with your dragon. In time, I believe you will have that again.

Tracie