Reaching out to folks who have experience with bearded dragons or other reptiles who may have experienced similar issue.
My juvenile bearded dragon started developing yellow straw colored fluid in his peritonium. Exotic vet aspirated - cytology didn’t reveal infectious or viral or fungal. Labs all normal- kidney liver blood count. The only differential they gave me was heart failure. Put him on diuretics and enalapril and pimodendan. It’s been 6 months. He is not getting better. Fluid accumulated slowly that he has to get needle aspirations every month or sooner. Starting to wonder it’s a miserable life for my beardie. No mention expensive. He is eating and pooping well.
Have thoughts of putting him down. But this is my last effort to see if maybe we missed something. Vet doesn’t know what else to do. Maxed out on meds.
And advise would be helpful.
Sorry your dragon is having some trouble!
Have they tested him for adenovirus? That is a classic sign of it, but also egg issues, too.
You have a male though?
If possible, can you post a copy of the blood test results too, I'd like to look over them, too.
What type of diet is he on??
Is a boy. He eats crickets, greens- collards, mustard, dandelion. The vet didn’t provide copy of blood work. Just said everything was within normal limits and no abnormalities. I keep him in a 4 by 2 by 2 viv with reptisun UVB lights that I change every 6 months. Hot temps at 95 low temps at 84.
He doesn’t open his mouth to breathe- just mostly stays upright because of the fluid in belly.
Called vet. Vet that saw him Thursday does not think adenovirus. But can get tested again. Have his blood work in the email and picture. Not sure how to post here ? Should I email ?
Has he been tested for adenovirus before? You can post test results but using this https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on the XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post - let page refresh and then check to see if it posted
Karrie
Hi there, please post some pics of your beardie, full body from above as well as the side. What made the vet decide to aspirate the fluids, was beardie looking very swollen ?
He always wants to stay upright. Vet did ultrasound and X-ray. Wanted to culture fluid to make sure wasn’t infectious. He has been filling up slowly every month. Then if don’t aspirate he can’t breathe.
Those are both beautiful beardies, they are both quite overweight though. Did the vet mention that ? BTW, sorry if I missed it but which one is the Haku ? I think he's the zero or Witblit grey dragon. The paperwork is too small to read the print but If the bloodwork is O.K. by the vet and Haku is eating + pooing normally then there really shouldn't be any problem other than being overweight. How much fluid is he drawing out ?