Bearded dragon emergency?

[cassicat4]

Hey guys, I'm hoping someone can help.

I believe my boyfriend's 1.5 year old bearded dragon is impacted.
He hasn't had a bowel movement in over 2 weeks.

Back in March, he was coming out of brumation and decided to eat for several days, but then decided he wasn't done brumating and went back to sleep without having a bowel movement. Over two weeks later, he still didn't have one, and then began drooling and not moving. At this point he (my bf) panicked and rushed him to the vet, who flushed him out and put him on a laxative of sorts temporarily to keep things moving.The vet said that if dragons continue to eat in the absence of bowel movements, they will get constipated, which can eventually lead to impaction so they can't pass anything at all. The dragon has been fine since then.

The same thing appears to be happening now. The beardie has indicated that he wants to brumate (spending most of the day sleeping on the cold side), but he had spurts of activity and eating so food kept being offered. However, it's now been over two weeks with no movement, and tonight he started drooling.

I've convinced my bf that he needs to take his dragon to the vet, and he's agreed to Saturday if nothing happens before then.

We've tried giving him mineral oil, pumpkin, and water by mouth in an effort to get things moving. We've also been bathing him twice a day, giving him belly rubs, and setting him up on a low-temp heat pad.

Is there anything else that we can do? And will he be fine until the weekend, or is this considered an emergency right now?

Thanks

 

[AHBD]

Nothing sounds out of the ordinary except the drooling. How much is it ? Is it after a bath ?

 

[vampy]

What are you feeding him, and what substrate is he on? Most dragons on a proper diet will poop regularly, and with the extra laxatives you've been giving him and the warm baths, if he's eating, it would be unusual for him not to be pooping, unless he's ingested something too big/hard for him, or has eaten some of his substrate. How often does he normally poop?

2 weeks of not pooping isn't normally emergency territory for an adult, provided he seems otherwise healthy, but the drooling isn't normal. Is it only after a bath? Does he make any noises when he breathes?

 

[cassicat4]

He was found drooling on his sleeping spot, before one of his baths. It wasn't a lot, but the concern came from the fact that he went through what seems to be the exact same thing back in March.

He's on tile substrate, is offered veggies daily (butternut squash and collard/dandelion greens), and crickets and/or superworms every 3 days.
He normally goes to the bathroom every 2-3 days regularly, and only occasionally does it in his bath.

And sorry, let me clarify...the laxatives were only temporary (he's not currently on them now)...the vet gave him enough to last for a couple months and that was it. He's been regular since he's been off them though.

I checked on his breathing and it sounds normal...no wheezing, clicking, no discharge from his nostrils...

He's not a drooler, so that did cause some concern. As well, he feels and looks bloated, which is another reason for the concern about lack of pooping. If you rub his belly gently, he squirms a lot and seems quite uncomfortable (vs. usual, when he'll just flatten out and enjoy it). It also gurgles a lot.

I really have no idea what could have caused this. Could it be due to feeding superworms? I know they were implicated last time as he fed them too often, but now, the beardie only gets about 5 every few days.

My other thought is that he was moved recently (about a month ago) and since then, hasn't spent a lot of time (that I can see) on his basking spot. Is it possible he's not properly digesting?

If it doesn't sound like an emergency, then I will leave the vet appt for Saturday and will try not to worry so much.

How often should he be going to the bathroom, on average?

Thanks

 

[vampy]

Oh I didn't mean prescribed laxatives, just the mineral oil and pumpkin should be enough to get things moving. You could also try apple sauce (unsweetened unspiced), that works with a lot of beardies.

The number of superworms you're feeding him shouldn't be a concern given his age, unless he is really really small, but I guess he could just be susceptible to impaction...though if you've been feeding them all summer with no problems, it seems strange that the issue should crop up now.

The fact that he isn't basking much could certainly be a factor. Have you checked his temps since you've moved? It may be that his basking spot is too hot for him so he doesn't like to use it.

There isn't really a standard 'he should poop this often' for adults. Some go every couple of days and are fine, some go every couple of weeks and are also fine. If your guy is normally regular at every 2-3 days and it's now been 2 weeks, it's certainly not normal for him, and should be a concern, but not a panicking emergency concern unless he is looking sick in other ways...the fact that his belly seems tender would be a bit of a concern.

To ease your mind a bit, you could phone the vet and explain the symptoms (lack of poop, drooling, bloating and tender abdomen) and see if the vet thinks he should come in now or wait until the weekend.

 

[cassicat4]

Ok, yes, sorry, you're right, he's been on the mineral oil/pumpkin for at least 3-4 days now so it should have got things moving. So far just a lot of gurgling, but nothing else. Thanks for the suggestion of apple sauce, I'll pick some up and see if that will work.

He's currently 404g...not sure if that's too small?
But yes, he was actually eating more during the summer with no issues. Because he had issues with coming out of brumation in March (and yes, was fed superworms then) I'm wondering if you're right, and he's just susceptible. Maybe should cut out feeding them at all when it gets closer to the brumating months?

Checked the temps, and they're actually on the lower end...around 101F. In his old enclosure, the temps were held constant around 110F. If anything, I would think he would be basking more?

Ok, that makes sense, and yes, the concern was that this is a lot longer for him than usual, plus combined with the bloating and sensitivity and drooling, is cause for concern. He doesn't seem more lethargic than usual though (other than the standard seasonal lethargy) so I take that as a positive sign that it's maybe not emergency-level yet.

I'll call the vet today and see what she thinks. The vet tech I spoke to didn't seem overly concerned, but who knows if that means anything.

Thanks