Baby Napoleon -formerly titled: Suggestions or link?

[shara]

Questions!

I am still feeding Napoleon a mixture of Fluker's Crit Care Formula and baby food (usually apple sauce/sweet potato, squash/pumpkin ect.) every evening. I started syringe feeding when she got sick to get nutrients into her and to sneak the drops of Intraconzole into her, she wasn't eating anything on her own and could barely move. Napoleon is still eating 1-2 ML of the mixture a day, plus her roaches and/or worms and salad morning and night. I don't mind giving the formula to her, and she does still have the lesion/sore from her YF infection. Should I discontinue the formula now that her medicine is finished?

Also, does Napoleon's growth seem normal?
25 grams weight 1/28/2013 (date of 1st doctor's visit)
started Intraconzole on 1/31/2013
37 grams weight 2/20/2013
40 grams weight 2/28/2013
47 grams weight 3/6/2013

As always... thank you all so much!
Shara and sweet potato face Napoleon

 

[Drache613]

Hello Shara,

Napoleon's weight is continuing to go up, steadily.
You can continue to give the formula for awhile longer to help with some weight gain & growth if needed. That is great she is eating roaches & worms too?
Do you have any updated pictures of her?

It sounds like she is slowly improving for you. Are the lesions clearing up slowly & are you still using the silver cream?
That is great her nostril has opened back up now. I am happy to hear she is done with her itraconazole! I am sure that she is happy about that also.

Keep us posted on her.
Tracie

 

[shara]

Tracie!!!

Yes, Napoleon eats roaches and/or worms 2x a day, plus her formula. I'm scared of crickets... they might bite her, or have parasites! I have not recently applied anything topical to her face besides Chlorhexiderm Flush 2x a day. Every time I applied Monistat to her face, the lesion would turn a moist, creamy, puffy, milky color the next morning. It's been steadily becoming more dry and cracking, and seems like it might even flake off a bit (which is what seems to have happened to open her nostril up). Napoleon's cheek also doesn't seem as tender to touch as it was a month ago. There is definately a build up of tissue that extends around to nearly the center tip of her snout and you can clearly see the damage to her ear hole (is that the right name for it?) as the other side is a vibrant pink color inside.

Here's a pic of Napoleon on March 7th, last night. This is her photogenic side:

Here you can see the lesion:

More detail:

Napoleon LOVES watching the ipad (while I feed her), we found Tanked last night. It's her new favorite show, she's obsessed with fish.

Any thoughts, concerns and/or suggestions would be very appreciated!

warm regards,
Shara and Dubia Loving Napoleon

 

[Drache613]

Hello Shara,

Wow, Napoleon is looking better, the lesion is definitely clearing up. Hopefully it will be minimal on the scarring.
How is her appetite doing now?
Yes, it is her ear, basically but they have a membrane over the ear area.
She is so beautiful, too. How old is she now, estimated?

Continue with the treatments, definitely. How long is she supposed to be on the meds?

Tracie

 

[shara]

Napoleon eats well (or so i think). I still give her Flukers critcare formula mixed with baby food in the evening, she usually eats 10 crickets or 5 dubias in the morning, and has access to fresh greens and veg/fruit throughout the day.

The vet said that Napoleon needs to continue on YF meds for a year. As per our pm messages, I intend to continue with Intraconazole. The Intraconazole is really cheap at Target Pharmacy! Napoleon will only have to take it for one week and then have a month off (for the next year).

The vet said that Voriconazole has proven to have a higher success rate but it's terribly expensive and difficult to find. Since she's responded so well to the Intraconazole thus far, I think that it would be reasonable to continue with it.

I can see fresh pretty scales under the edges of the tissue (i cant remember what the doctor called it) build up. It actually seems like a giant scab almost. The vet was scratching at it with her finger nail, it's really flaky at the moment.

We got Napoleon from Petsmart on December 15. She was super tiny then, I'm assuming around 2 months old. So she is probably 4-6 months old now? She's averaging weight gains of 10.5 grams a week currently. The vet was amazed with her progress. Actually, she said she had never seen anything like Napoleons personality. Napoleon wanted me to hold her the entire time there (about an hour) and ran to me to hold her if I put her down.

I started a Dubia colony and we are growing escarole and collard greens.

Many regards,
Shara and baby Napoleon

 

[shara]

New Napoleon pictures! She's growing so quickly. On April 23rd Napoleon weighed 119 grams, so she's well over 130 grams by now. She's still her sweet cuddly self. Her face looks much better, but we're still waiting on it to shed. I still syringe feed her baby food a couple times a week, so she's use to it when it's medicine time. Napoleon is only taking the Intrapozole every 30 days for 1 week as preventative.

Cheers,
Shara aka Napoleon's mum

p.s. I can't remember if I've posted a pic of her blankie before, but it's showing on the 4th pic. I crocheted it for her. LOL

 

[Drache613]

Hello Shara,

She has gained some weight, that is great news!
Has her face shed yet? I am glad that she is doing a lot better. How is her appetite coming along? Is she eating insects as well as the baby food too?
How much longer will she be on the Itraconazole?
The blankie is precious, I am sure Napoleon loves his blankie. :love5:


Tracie

 

[shara]

Hi Tracie!!!

Napoleon eats tons of insects, she's a baby beast! She usually has about 10-12 dubias (1 inch long) every morning, and a bowl of greens with papaya/blueberries and her special salad sauce (baby food) throughout the day. By the time I get home from work... she's ate most of the salad and has blueberry stain on her beard. I try not to feed her crickets, unless my dubia supply is low.

The vet wants to continue intraconazole for another 11 months, but only for 1 week per month. She said that maintenance/preventative dose for 12 months has been greatly shown to reduce reoccurrence. Is that fairly normal?

- Shara, Napoleon's mum

 

[Drache613]

Hello Shara,

That is great little Napoleon is eating so much now!
Eating 10-12 dubias daily is very good with greens & some fruit, too. Does she enjoy her greens then?
That is a pretty long regime, but I can't say that I really disagree with it. I would take it month by month. One week out of the month for the Itraconazole isn't too bad. Maybe the 11 month length can be shortened though if she is doing really well. A low dose, for longer periods of time is very effective & less harsh on the body, too.
Be sure to continue to give a probiotic also to help with offsetting the meds, as well. It sounds like she is doing very good right now!

Post new pictures when you get a chance.

Tracie

 

[shara]

Oh god... We were outside after work getting our natural light, and I noticed a round yellow circular spot on Napoleon's tummy. I gave her Intraconazole and a bath, tried a tooth brush in the bath ... It's still there.

I want to cry.

 

[AHBD]

Oh, that's too bad ! She's come a very long way with your great care, don't get too upset about this, get some cream on it right away and keep it dry as much as possible. Hopefully this will clear up quickly.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Shara,

How is little Napoleon, is she still improving for you? Did the area on the tummy end up being shed I hope?
I hope she is doing well.


Tracie

 

[shara]

Tracie,

No, I think it's more YF. There are 2 spots now. I'll post pics tomorrow, if it's not raining.

Napoleon is still growing and eating well, but she doesn't seem quite herself. She had stress marking on her stomach yesterday and today. I think I'll put her back on a 2 week on, 1 week off, and 2 weeks on course of the Itraconazole.

Can you help me figure the correct dose for her current weight? She weighs 200 grams, and the Itraconazole says 0.125 mg/0.1 ml (i think that's the strength?)

Thanks,
Shara and Napoleon


On a happier note... I sewed a pop-up mesh laundry hamper and pieces of a mesh laundry bag to make Napoleon a hanging out door sun enclosure. I'll take a pic of that too and post.

 

[shara]

I have been using Miconazole Nitrate Cream 2% on her tummy spots. Here's pics I took a few minutes ago.

There's a yellowish circular spot on her lower right side (as looking at the photo) and between her upper arms.

Napoleon's face looks better. You can also see the odd coloring/dried skin in her ear. The spikes below this ear are soft, greyish colored, and oddly stuck together.

Napoleon ate around 30 dubias this morning, they were 3/4 - 1 inch. She's such a hungry baby dragon!

The new prescription is cherry flavored.... it's so much easier to give to her! I'm so glad I asked them to flavor it this time!!!

Thanks,
Shara

 

[shara]

Any ideas why her face has the celluloid build up/growths? There were large ones on the top of her snout too, but they finally came off after a long bath... with a micro fiber towel's help. I've been cleaning the area well 2x a day, and then treating it with prescription antibiotic gel at night. I asked the vet about it, when it was completely obstructing her nostril, and she said it was 'okay'. I assume it's just from the irritation/fungal infection in the area?

Thanks,

Shara, Napoleon's mum