Bearded dragon not eating after parasite treatment

[Claire87]

Back in July my bearded dragon was diagnosed with parasites and so he was put on meds and after he finished them had a retest and everything came back normal. Well while he was on medication he had no appetite and I had to syringe feed him. My vet has been making weekly calls since around september to keep up on his progress. Also in September I took him back to the vet due to him still not eating and they did x-rays and found nothing wrong and also did another fecal which was negative. About 2 weeks ago I tried to syringe feed him less to see if that would encourage him to try eating on his own but nothing. Now I have been trying to open his mouth and put some greens in there but he just spits them right back out. I tried offering all kinds of different bugs and just today tried hornworms which used to be his all time favorite, and nothing, wouldn’t even acknowledge them. I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel like he is just waiting for me to bring the syringe back out so that he can be hand fed. I don’t mind syringe feeding him but for the amount of time I have been and what little it has done to get him eating on his own I don’t want to continue to encourage it (he is more than happy to eat from the syringe). I don’t know if he is just being stubborn/lazy or what. Has anyone else gone through something similar with their beardies or have any recommendations on what else I can do?

 

[NickAVD]

Back in July my bearded dragon was diagnosed with parasites and so he was put on meds and after he finished them had a retest and everything came back normal. Well while he was on medication he had no appetite and I had to syringe feed him. My vet has been making weekly calls since around september to keep up on his progress. Also in September I took him back to the vet due to him still not eating and they did x-rays and found nothing wrong and also did another fecal which was negative. About 2 weeks ago I tried to syringe feed him less to see if that would encourage him to try eating on his own but nothing. Now I have been trying to open his mouth and put some greens in there but he just spits them right back out. I tried offering all kinds of different bugs and just today tried hornworms which used to be his all time favorite, and nothing, wouldn’t even acknowledge them. I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel like he is just waiting for me to bring the syringe back out so that he can be hand fed. I don’t mind syringe feeding him but for the amount of time I have been and what little it has done to get him eating on his own I don’t want to continue to encourage it (he is more than happy to eat from the syringe). I don’t know if he is just being stubborn/lazy or what. Has anyone else gone through something similar with their beardies or have any recommendations on what else I can do?

I think that after a course of treatment for parasites, the dragon’s intestinal microflora could have suffered. Have you been prescribed probiotics? Perhaps a course of probiotics is what you need.
But before giving probiotics you should consult your veterinarian or veterinarians on this forum.

 

[KarrieRee]

Probiotics are recommended when the dragon is on meds for parasites or in my situation he had a liver infection- I had gotten some for blaze from Tracie - it helps w/ the gut flora

 

[xp29]

Meds just about always mess with their appetite. It's always took mine weeks or months to eat right again. The probiotics may help. If you opt for probiotic yogurt make sure it's none dairy.

 

[Claire87]

I think that after a course of treatment for parasites, the dragon’s intestinal microflora could have suffered. Have you been prescribed probiotics? Perhaps a course of probiotics is what you need.
But before giving probiotics you should consult your veterinarian or veterinarians on this forum.

I have not been prescribed any probiotics. I think I might try that, I will discuss it with my vet and see if they agree. thank you!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Most on the forum do recommend some type of probiotic to help their system out after them being
on a harsh antibiotic. It just helps restore & balance out their systems.

Tracie

 

[Claire87]

Hello,

Most on the forum do recommend some type of probiotic to help their system out after them being
on a harsh antibiotic. It just helps restore & balance out their systems.

Tracie

Thank you, I ordered him an probiotic and it’s supposed to arrive today. Hopefully that helps him out.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great! I hope it helps out for him. Let us know how things are going.

Tracie