Ate a rock- vet or wait?

[stinkysmommy]

My boyfriend and I took Stink out to the nature trail yesterday. He's been having tummy aches and has seemed really restless, and we thought he might like the fresh air. At one point during the walk he wiggled down from my boyfriend's shoulder, plopped onto the pathway, and scooped up a pebble before we could stop him. My boyfriend hadn't noticed the pebble in his mouth (somehow, despite all of my yelling... :roll: ) and allowed him to swallow it, so now there's a pebble approx. the size of a chickpea in my baby's tummy. Stink's a pretty big guy at 22~ inches, but he was already unwell/irregular before the pebble so now I'm afraid I can't use not eating enough/not pooping as a sign that he's impacted, at least until I see the pebble (or lack thereof) in his stool for myself. He seems fine this morning, if not better than usual. He actually crawled out of his towel-blanket when I popped the lights on, as opposed to how he usually lazes about :lol:, and is currently basking and doing his beard stretches and yawns. I'm going to try to feed him later (he is NOT a morning person) and maybe sneak him some olive oil. Is this something I shouldn't wait on, though?

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....silly dragons always getting in to trouble. It should pass through just fine, there have been a number of threads on the same problem. You can still feed him too maybe just not very large bulky insects. Feeding + hydrating him him will help keep his bowels moving and the pebble should come right out with the stools.

 

[stinkysmommy]

Hi there....silly dragons always getting in to trouble. It should pass through just fine, there have been a number of threads on the same problem. You can still feed him too maybe just not very large bulky insects. Feeding + hydrating him him will help keep his bowels moving and the pebble should come right out with the stools.

Ok, thank you so much! Time to lube up his insides then I guess :lol:

 

[Betty53218]

From the mom of a stone eater, I would say to wait a couple of days. My beardie has eaten his share of small stones outside and has passed them all. Given that they are roundish, he shouldn't have a problem passing a pebble. Just check his poo daily until you see it. If he doesn't pass it in a reasonable time (a few days or so), then an X-ray might be good.

 

[AHBD]

If he doesn't poo regularly, get any or all of the following : baby food prunes, squash, sugar free applesauce, canned pumpkin [ no spices ] , veg.oil and or raw honey. If he'll take food that way from a feeding syringe you can add a little extra water for extra hydration. And it can take a week or more for something to pass. One poster's beardie ate an entire sandwich bag....it came out weeks later. [ They even had a picture. :lol:

 

[AHBD]

Here's the sandwich baggy thread....it actually came out 2 MONTHS later ! A rock will pass much more quickly, being a much smaller mass with less edges to snag on to things or get stuck.
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=195859

 

[stinkysmommy]

From the mom of a stone eater, I would say to wait a couple of days. My beardie has eaten his share of small stones outside and has passed them all. Given that they are roundish, he shouldn't have a problem passing a pebble. Just check his poo daily until you see it. If he doesn't pass it in a reasonable time (a few days or so), then an X-ray might be good.

Alright! Thanks for the peace of mind :mrgreen:

 

[stinkysmommy]

If he doesn't poo regularly, get any or all of the following : baby food prunes, squash, sugar free applesauce, canned pumpkin [ no spices ] , veg.oil and or raw honey. If he'll take food that way from a feeding syringe you can add a little extra water for extra hydration. And it can take a week or more for something to pass. One poster's beardie ate an entire sandwich bag....it came out weeks later. [ They even had a picture. :lol:

Oh my god, that baggie thread is hilarious :lol: Poor beardie, but I'm glad she's okay. Thank you so much for the advice and peace of mind. I have a little raw honey downstairs for him so I'll try that!

 

[stinkysmommy]

UPDATE!

Stink liked the baby food I've been using to moisten his guts, but hasn't eaten much of anything since swallowing the rock. He's been active otherwise, and we've been giving him baths and belly rubs.
Today (2/3/2016) he's pooped twice- no sign of the rock though, and there was a small amount of blood the second time he went. Unrelated, but he also had diarrhea- I suspect parasites. Does this warrant an emergency vet visit? I really hope not, as I'm struggling financially a bit, but there are so many things going wrong with him and I can't afford to lose him, he's my best friend.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would just give him some extra water via drops on the nose. The extra hydration may help lessen the strain on his system and allow things to pass through more easily without blood.

 

[stinkysmommy]

I would just give him some extra water via drops on the nose. The extra hydration may help lessen the strain on his system and allow things to pass through more easily without blood.

You're absolutely right! He's being really stubborn, though, when it comes to eating or drinking. Worst case scenario, I could always force-syringe a few drops of olive oil down his throat as well but that's really stressful for everyone involved...is blood normal for a beardie trying to pass something particularly large, though? Should I just keep an eye on him rather than rushing him to the vet immediately?

 

[CooperDragon]

I wouldn't rush to the vet. The blood could be from straining due to a larger than usual object or a dryer than usual object. I'd drop water on his nose, head and see if he starts to lick it up and go from there.

 

[AHBD]

If there's any blood it's likely related to parasites more than a small pebble. If he does have parasites then you'd want to treat him for that. A pebble the size of a chick pea is not really a large object [ although it is foreign ] They lay eggs that are about 6-7X the size of a chick pea. I'd just keep an eye on him, but if you at any time thing he's in distress you might then get him in to a vet quickly, but I highly doubt it will cause any trouble. Offer him applesauce + canned pumpkin, too. Feed him as normal to move his bowels.

 

[stinkysmommy]

I wouldn't rush to the vet. The blood could be from straining due to a larger than usual object or a dryer than usual object. I'd drop water on his nose, head and see if he starts to lick it up and go from there.

Ok! Thank you so much

 

[stinkysmommy]

If there's any blood it's likely related to parasites more than a small pebble. If he does have parasites then you'd want to treat him for that. A pebble the size of a chick pea is not really a large object [ although it is foreign ] They lay eggs that are about 6-7X the size of a chick pea. I'd just keep an eye on him, but if you at any time thing he's in distress you might then get him in to a vet quickly, but I highly doubt it will cause any trouble. Offer him applesauce + canned pumpkin, too. Feed him as normal to move his bowels.

We're working on the parasites; we're managing alright with medicines until I can afford a vet visit. Thanks so much for the solid advice!