Bearded dragon vomiting??

[TheLastBaron]

Hey all!

Just 10 minutes ago, Rincewind started vomiting and managed to get up a pretty decent amount of partially digested lettuce and superworms. He's been off for a while which I assumed was due to brumation (and it seemed like it was). I was waking him for baths, he wasn't losing weight, I shortened his light time and bathed him every few days.

He finally got sick, he'd been more active today and it seemed like maybe he was coming out of brumation. He's been basking for the last few hours and after he got sick, I cleaned out his cage and gave him some water out of a dropper, just to clean his mouth out. He readily drank his fill.

Friends, I'm curious as to what I should do now. Any suggestions? A vet trip is definitely not out of the question if this is something serious. I'm hoping his lethargy has been due to indigestion; are there supplements I should know about? Help!

 

[TheLastBaron]

Update: driving to the vet right now. Details to come.

 

[Esther19]

Oh my. Please let us know how he is doing.

 

[mrsphate]

how is he? You are in my thoughts.

 

[TheLastBaron]

Took him into a pretty good vet clinic the local reptile house suggested for him a while ago, they did some prelim diagnostic stuff and said they couldn't say for sure what's going on with the guy, but that it sounded like we were doing the right stuff. They have referred us to an exotic specialist in the area. My father-in-law is a veterinarian as well, he does more of the furry/fuzzy type of work, but he does say this specialist is "the best exotic vet in Oregon," so that's good to know.

Mr. Rincewind barfed up what looked like mostly digested lettuce and veg with some superworm parts as well. I'm honestly not sure what could have caused this to happen; his temps are good, he basked, and it's been almost a month since he ate (I assumed he was going into first brumation and was just moody about it). Anyone whose seen some of my more recent topics is familiar with the story; I'm bumping his temps back up just to be on the safe side.

Seeing him vomit was scary as hell; I hope no one else ever has to witness it. Their muscle systems aren't exactly designed to get sick. I'm really glad I was home tonight to see it happen.

I've contacted the specialist and left a voicemail; I hope to have an appt tomorrow. There's an animal hospital that does emergency but they don't have a herp vet this late on a Friday night (surprise!)

I'll keep you all in the loop. Prayers, good karma, and positive thoughts all appreciated!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about poor Rincewind...I know it must have shocked you. Beardies usually vomit if they don't have a good or long enough basking temp. to digest their meal. Since he was in a slow down or summer brumation, his system probably didn't have time to digest that meal. How is he doing now ? Was he in good health prior to the brumation ? He will probably be fine...you did the right thing by giving him some water. Brumating beardies really don't need to eat during a true brumation, and if they are sleeping hard, don't need much water unless they actually wake up themselves. He really probably vomited because of he was sluggish. There's always the risk that they won't digest the meal, since metabolism has slowed way down.

 

[Oriheme]

oh wow thats scary have u gotten a hold of the vet yet? how is he doing today?

 

[TheLastBaron]

Getting ready to take him into the specialist on an emergency call. This morning he's basking and a little more lively, he took a little more water. Hopefully an x-ray or a blood test can give a bit more information.

 

[TheLastBaron]

Here we go:

Had bloodwork done, no results yet. They gave him a vitamin B supplement as a booster and sent us home with an antibiotic and an appetite stimulant, told us to keep his temps up and that we were doing a great job with him. He was a little dehydrated, but otherwise, seems great. Hoping the appetite stimulant works out for the guy, I haven't really offered him anything just yet, I'm hoping to see that black beard go away a bit today before we offer him anything. He's had a stressful last two days. All the techs and vets loved him, said he was way too friendly and nice to be so sick, so young. Fingers crossed all is well.

Updates to come!

 

[AHBD]

That's good news ! He's probably going to be fine. He may not have needed any meds. at all. Beardies do vomit occasionally, and it takes a day or two before they are eating again, but they recover on their own. Did the vet tell you what the antibiotics are for ? They generally shouldn't be given without an actual reason and they can kill his appetite. Just like with humans, there are too many antibiotics given for conditions that don't really call for them. Be sure to give him plenty of water though...hopefully he'll be on the mend soon, but I would def. ask what the antibiotics are for.

 

[TheLastBaron]

Antibiotics are a safety measure in case anything wound up growing in the veggie/bug matter that sat in his belly for a month-plus. They're doing a blood panel with results to be determined tomorrow; I assume that if the panel is normal, we may be able to cut the antibiotics short. I do trust the vet's decision on this one. His color has stayed good beyond the black beard, and they said his tongue color and the condition of his mouth was pretty good. Overall the vomiting listlessness were of greatest concern. Internal temps bumped up a bit, and I'm going to be offering a spring greens mix, with a lizard kibble to go with. I supplement with a calcium/vitamin powder, and he gets soaked regularly and gets water from a dropper.