Aspiration

[ethanmelch]

Hi, I just got done feeding my bearded dragon greens almost two hours ago and when i took him out to hold him, he sneezed and a little water came out his mouth. I held him still in my hand trying not to move so he doesn't aspirate anymore of it and he coughed three more times. I put him under his lamp, he coughed another three small times and was breathing fast and heavy with his beard. I put my finger to the side of his mouth to stimulate him to swallow and he did but hes still breathing heavily. Is he gonna get a respiratory infection or will he be okay? Just wanted to see if anyone else had this problem and if it was an okay outcome :/

Anything helps, Thanks

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It does happen, aspiration is a common thing.
For now, keep him a little warmer overnight to help boost his system. Definitely keep an eye on him
because they can develop a respiratory infection from aspirating if it's serious enough.
You can also raise the basking temperatures a degree or two just to help ward off any infection that may
develop.

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

It does happen, aspiration is a common thing.
For now, keep him a little warmer overnight to help boost his system. Definitely keep an eye on him
because they can develop a respiratory infection from aspirating if it's serious enough.
You can also raise the basking temperatures a degree or two just to help ward off any infection that may
develop.

Tracie

Hi, Thank you for the reply, I woke him up an hour ago, he yawned twice and now hes acting normal so far besides possible weirdish breathing but were gonna watch him. I think he ate a little too much yesterday and thats what caused it

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Be sure when you feed him later in the day, that he has at least 1-2 hours to digest, prior to his bed time & lights out. This helps with him being able to digest better.
I hope he continues to act normal, without any breathing issues thus far.

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

Be sure when you feed him later in the day, that he has at least 1-2 hours to digest, prior to his bed time & lights out. This helps with him being able to digest better.
I hope he continues to act normal, without any breathing issues thus far.

Tracie

Hi, I give him three hours before i shut off lights but i made a mistake and played with him an hour after he ate and thats when he sneezed. Hes been good so far though but he has been stressed (I think its cause hes about to shed). His breathing looks to be okay, hes going to a vet appointment soon for a recheck of his parasite situation.
He has Pinworms and we have him on Panacur

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh yes, shedding will definitely stress them sometimes.
How much longer will he be on the panacur?
I hope he is feeling better. Did he bask a lot today?

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

Oh yes, shedding will definitely stress them sometimes.
How much longer will he be on the panacur?
I hope he is feeling better. Did he bask a lot today?

Tracie

Thank you, he has one more week left of treatment but his stool is still runny and smelly so we think he might be on a low dose of meds. Hes been on the cooler side recently and hes been doing this before he did the sneeze thing (Hes super active in the morning though). He does still bask but sometimes he stays on the cool side for too long that i actually have to move him onto his basking platform

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Hopefully his stool starts improving. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for things to really clear up. Are
you giving some probiotic right now to help get the system back to normal?
Be sure that he spends a decent amount of time basking to help his system metabolize everything.
I'm glad to hear that he has been active for part of the day right now!

Tracie

 

[ethanmelch]

Hello,

Hopefully his stool starts improving. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for things to really clear up. Are
you giving some probiotic right now to help get the system back to normal?
Be sure that he spends a decent amount of time basking to help his system metabolize everything.
I'm glad to hear that he has been active for part of the day right now!

Tracie

Hi, Were sending his stool in for testing tomorrow to see if theres been any improvement (Ill let you know the results when i get them). Were giving him a pea sized amount of Bene Bac probiotic gel every 24 hours that were hoping is helping him. He looked more stressed today, hes shedding and hes also in a 40 Gal quarantine enclosure at the moment so maybe that could be it?
When we take him out he brightens up again

But thank you, He hasn't coughed/sneezed since

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Let us know what the fecal test results are when you get them in, thanks.
The benebac gel should help out his tummy.
Shedding does cause a lot of stress in some of them. Is he in a different tank than he is used to
be in? If so, that could also cause some stress if he isn't used to that particular tank. I'm glad to
hear that he hasn't coughed or sneezed anymore.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie