Bearded dragon Fatty Liver disease Help!!

[Fellowdt23]

Hi my dragon has just been diagnosed with fatty liver disease he is only 500gms and 20 inches long so its hard to explain as vet said normally over weight dragons get this!

If anyone has experiences this please help!

My vet has given me a liver cleanser which dragon happily eats but i have also to give 5ml of water with critical care everyday and i have major issues with giving this tried tonight with no success as 5ml is alot of fluid i tried to force feed and he was a bit sick so thats not an option the annoying thing is if i was allowed to thicken it up and administer 2 or 3 times a day i would manage no problem as he would just lap it up no problem.

He had a RI before this and it went on for 6 months got better now i have this so his eating is all over the place wont touch veg anymore thats why hes on critical care and hes not allowed to many bugs because of fat content!

If anyone can help its appreciated!

 

[Charmaine25]

Hi sorry hear about your beardie! I'm by no means an expert but at the moment im having to syringe feed both my beardies with carnivore Care & give them 3 meds aswell, I tried everything but this works for me really well if you drop a tiny bit onto there nose they will normally lick it (mine have become clever to this and have stopped) so what I do is gently with a finger pull the lip down ever so slightly (I do this on the right side near the back/crease) put the syringe in gently move the syringe whilst near the gum up to the front of there mouth squirt a tiny bit of syringe then they start lapping it up!
Hope this helps

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi thanks for the advice, my beardie happilly laps up anything thats thicker than water, but has become fly to me trying to pull lip down last time antibiotic thats what i done but i tried with critical care thus morning and he just pulls away the minute i go near his mouth and shuts it completely tight.

Ive fed him critical care before but a bit thicker and he loves the taste but because im now doing it like water hes not interested and he needs all that fluid!

Grrrr going to ignore vet and add some mushy veg with it to thicken it up, vet said its important he eats so i dont personaly see the diference between feeding critical care seperate from veg or mixed

Fingers crossed

 

[Fellowdt23]

Result a little mushy veg added to the 5 ml and devided between 3 servings and its scoffed on top of the liver cleanser which he took!

Considering he got cut open and a biopsy done less than 48 hours ago he is very active and eating his all natural bugs! If you wonder what i mean by this vet said in normal circumstances he would avoid outdoor insects but in the case of a lizard with fatty liver disease thats not eating his veg its the best thing for him! As they will contain little fat!

Ive tried everything to get him to eat veg, he used to eat odd bit by hand

So despite the stitches up his tummy he has eaten 2 daddy longleg flies and some woodlice from local untouched woodland Not much but after what hes been through the fact he isnt stressed is amazing

 

[Charmaine25]

I No what you mean there like little Soildiers!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,


So he liked it more with the baby food in it? He definitely needs the fluids though.
Which liver cleanser medication is he on?
It sounds like he is doing pretty well all things considered after surgery.
How are his colors doing?

Tracie

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi Tracie

Im still giving him the same amount of fluid in his fresh veg mix with critical care plus what ever fluid is in the veg!

Vet said fluid was vital because he wast eating his veg and because ive not bath him for 2 weeks until his cut heals. Also that critical care was basically because he didnt have a variety diet And wasnt eating whilst ill so surely i variety fresh veg slush diet is in only a good thing! The important thing is mixed diet but i realy hope i can reverse this worries me sick strangely enough he is eating when he wasnt a week ago but still no veg

His colours are good bright citrus and no stress marks not very keen to bask though

 

[SpikesAgirl]

Sounds like a little trooper....sending healthy vibes out to your buddy today and every day!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I hope he starts eating veggies soon! Some dragons are so stubborn. LOL
At least he will eat the critical care right now that should help out right now.
I agree, hydration is very critical for fatty liver. How long is he supposed to be on the liver medication?
I hope he is doing better!

Tracie

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi
well i bought some frozen locust today instead of live and stuffed 3 large leaves through some holes a made in the back of them and wiggled locust with tweezers and he dived on it and all green gone with it!

Ive also used syringe and liquidised different greens and inject the dead locusts until the yellow bit a the back was full of veg and he eats that also. Im going to feed the locust with leaves hanging out over a bowl of green everyday see if he gets the taste for it.

As for the meds its actualy a supplement rather than a med and it all depends on how well his liver heals, but also said it would maybe benefit him if he stayed on it long term but we will see how it goes, he said the supplement is highly beneficial in helping the liver work under hard conditions and to be honest i dont think the vet thinks i will manage to get him to eat greens on his own and thats why he would like if he ate a wide variety of wild bugs to get the nutrients hes missing!

If i have to stuff frozen locusts for the rest of my days thats what i will do

 

[Fellowdt23]

Struggling now!

Phoned vet today as i havent been managing to get all the fluids in him, vets said its vital.
He told me that i had to put beardie on his back and administer fluids that way but i am failing big time and its so stressful for me and dragon dont no what to do anymore as im not capable of looking after him

 

[Derobmi]

Struggling now!

Phoned vet today as i havent been managing to get all the fluids in him, vets said its vital.
He told me that i had to put beardie on his back and administer fluids that way but i am failing big time and its so stressful for me and dragon dont no what to do anymore as im not capable of looking after him

I've had a lot of luck syringe-feeding using a method similar to this one. Maybe you can try that?

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi thanks for the video link i have used a method similar to this in the past, my main problem is that it a full 5ml i need to get into him so unfortunalty i cant use that method. Also my dragon has lost trust in me so much so that he wont even sit in my hand because of the stress of the last few days

 

[Fellowdt23]

Update

Things have improved still cant get him to eat greens but i have managed a few in his mouth while basking also critical care is now for days he doesnt eat instead of everyday which is good!

So fingers crossed things are looking up!

He did go through a period where he aspirated some critical care but i bumped the temps in his tank for 2 weeks and he has actualy recovered which i didnt think possible

Best i have seen my dragon in 6 months

 

[SpikesAgirl]

I'm glad to hear your little guy is doing better! *Fingers Crossed* that he stays on the "getting better" path for you!