Beard not eating, losing weight quickly, underbite

[stinkysmommy]

Good and bad news, guys! I took Stink to the vet this morning after another round of bloody stool last night. The good news is that X-Rays (pictured below) have shown that not only is Stink unobstructed, but that the underbite isn't a result of a deficiency- he has optimum bone density, visible all the way to his fingernails; the underbite is just something that happens to larger beardies sometimes, apparently :~D. He's also gained weight, contrary to my belief, and has gone from 630g to 718 since I've made this thread. And now on to the bad news- the pinworms haven't returned, but his flagellate levels are off the charts (20+ in a small area vs the 2-5 present in an area of the same size in a normal beardie.) For the next two months he's going to be on Metronidazole and Panacur, and while our vet said it wasn't necessary, I'm also looking to start him on a probiotic and Critical Care. Here's the real downer- my vet bill came out to $640. I couldn't believe my eyes. I literally broke down crying right there in the vet's office because I'd never even been in possession of such a large sum of money before. Thank goodness for Care Credit, I guess :lol: My birthday's in a week, but rather than driving up to Universal Studios with my boyfriend like we'd been planning for months, I'm probably just going to be job hunting. The things we do for our scaly friends...

(P.S the odd white parts are just the metal springs and holes in his harness :lol: )

 

[CooperDragon]

That's pretty good news! Hopefully the Metronidazole wipes out the infection quickly. The probiotics are a good idea. He's at a really good weight right now so I wouldn't worry too much about him losing a bit (for comparison, my dragon is 348g). Perhaps mix some Acidophiliz+ in with a little bit of baby food squash or green beans and see how he reacts. I'll bet once the infection is put down and the probiotics kick in his appetite will come back.

 

[stinkysmommy]

That's pretty good news! Hopefully the Metronidazole wipes out the infection quickly. The probiotics are a good idea. He's at a really good weight right now so I wouldn't worry too much about him losing a bit (for comparison, my dragon is 348g). Perhaps mix some Acidophiliz+ in with a little bit of baby food squash or green beans and see how he reacts. I'll bet once the infection is put down and the probiotics kick in his appetite will come back.

Oh wow, how large is your beardo? 348g seems really small in comparison, honestly :lol: I imagine they're in good health, though.
Acidophiliz+ seems like a great idea. Do you know how it compares to the Flukers or Zilla Jump-Start, though? Those are the only ones I've seen in stores as of yet!
I'm really, really hoping that Metro comes through for us. This entire ordeal has been so stressful for everyone involved :lol: Thanks for your support!

 

[CooperDragon]

Darwin is about 18'' long and about a year or so old but he was malnourished and is quite skinny. He'll always be on the small size but none of my guys have been all that big. Just saying there's more leeway than usual with a 700+g dragon. I like Acidophiliz+ and also have good luck with bene-bac. I haven't tried Flukers or Zilla so I can't really say much about them either way.

 

[AHBD]

Well I'll celebrate the partial good news and gnash my teeth with you at the large chunk of cash that you have to part with. :lol: Once he's dewormed he should be feeling better. His body condition is good, you don't want him much more than 700 grams. They always do better + stay more active when they are lean, just like people.

 

[stinkysmommy]

Darwin is about 18'' long and about a year or so old but he was malnourished and is quite skinny. He'll always be on the small size but none of my guys have been all that big. Just saying there's more leeway than usual with a 700+g dragon. I like Acidophiliz+ and also have good luck with bene-bac. I haven't tried Flukers or Zilla so I can't really say much about them either way.

Oh wow, that's not too small actually. I'm glad he's with you now, rather than someone that won't take care of him... Stink was the same way, actually! When he was 7 months old, the people we'd adopted him from were giving him a single hornworm a day on a single bed of spinach, dusted with expired vitamins... he easily fit into a sandwich tupperware.

He was still such a happy little guy though :lol:

 

[stinkysmommy]

Well I'll celebrate the partial good news and gnash my teeth with you at the large chunk of cash that you have to part with. :lol: Once he's dewormed he should be feeling better. His body condition is good, you don't want him much more than 700 grams. They always do better + stay more active when they are lean, just like people.

Thank you so much!!! And you're right :lol:. It's better to have a lean, happy liz than a chubber that wants to lie around all day, but both of those are better than the wormy, poopy sack of skin that my Stink has been as of late. Hoping that this is the last I'll see of my vet for a while .

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Poor guy, all of those meds! I hope they take care of things for good for him, I am sure he is tired of having problems. His weight is very good though so I wouldn't worry too much about him losing any.
I have to agree, sometimes, their bones do tend to grow a bit off as they get older, for one reason or another. If his bone density is good as it appears to be on the x-rays, he definitely doesn't have metabolic bone disease then which is good news.

Keep us posted on him!

Tracie

 

[stinkysmommy]

Hello,

Poor guy, all of those meds! I hope they take care of things for good for him, I am sure he is tired of having problems. His weight is very good though so I wouldn't worry too much about him losing any.
I have to agree, sometimes, their bones do tend to grow a bit off as they get older, for one reason or another. If his bone density is good as it appears to be on the x-rays, he definitely doesn't have metabolic bone disease then which is good news.

Keep us posted on him!

Tracie

Hi Tracie!
Poor guy, indeed :lol:. But when he makes it through this he's going to be one happy and healthy liz. Glad to hear you think his x-rays look fine as well! I'm honestly not sure what to look for in an x-ray, so I kinda just took the vet's word for it :lol:. Stink's doing well now- he had some squash for dinner with his medications so he's perking up this morning :lol: What a guy. Thanks so much for your support

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am happy to hear he is perking up for you then! That's great news. At least he is taking in some food now & loves his squash.
I hope that he continues to improve daily & is back to normal soon. Keep us posted on him.

Tracie