beardie going downhill after vet visit

[Fortunate]

Dr Dorianne Elliott in Onderstepoort - she treated my bird and so i just asked if she could see Dylan and she said she could, the are an exotic clinic treating only non-traditional pets.

 

[Fortunate]

ok here are the pictures, today he ate 10mealworms (i think he would have eaten more but i am going to try hold back abit seeing as he hasnt been eating too well and i need him to eat more salads), i think he seems to be on the mend, however his urate was hard and orange and his stool just about fell apart.
Please be honest if i am over reacting about the puffy eyes and increase in black spots on his body.


this was taken in his evening bath tonight


Also taken tonight


This was on the 5th, before I went away


This was on the 30th April - after the 1st vet visit


also on th 30th April


this was the day of the vet visit - 29th April


29th April


this was when I first knew there was a problem (25th April)


Dylan before any problems were noted. (5th March)

 

[jingles]

Dr Dorianne Elliott in Onderstepoort - she treated my bird and so i just asked if she could see Dylan and she said she could, the are an exotic clinic treating only non-traditional pets.

That's great to know. Luckily the vet I see for Roger is also an excotic pet vet. But if I ever need a second opinion I will know who to contact

 

[Fortunate]

Who do you take Roger to?

 

[jingles]

Who do you take Roger to?

Ì take him to Dr Darryl de Beer at Roodekruin

 

[chubdragons]

Sometimes vets just do extra things to make up for your visit.

I really don't believe there was anything wrong with your dragon
to begin with.

I heard of vets that kill injured dragons because they didn't know what
they were doing. In this case, Vit A shot is not necessary, and the kidney
diagnosis is questionable.

 

[Fortunate]

Thanks for your imput Chubdragon.

I had Dylan at the vet today for a full work up, his heart is failing, this is causing the puffy eyes (as the blood is not draining from the extremites) he does have a calcium deficiecy and he is over weight - I thought he was skinny, lol.
Dylan has been put on a strict diet (for his heart and weight) he is only allowed crickets for the next 4 to 5 months and if he doesnt eat them then he will have to be force fed every 2nd day to maintain his strength and get his greens in (as he is not eating them)
The vet said there are meds we can try but the side affects are bad and its all guess work on the dosages so we decided to keep him happy and comfy and I dont want to risk over dosing him and killing him prematurly, my motto with my animals has always been "quality over quanity" to a limit of course, please dont judge me about my decision, I know how much Dylan gets stressed by vet visits and meds and I dont want the rest of his life to be spent stressed out and miserable - typing this out I see how creul it sounds.
I will keep him on his diet to keep him comfortable, vet doesnt really know how long we have but I will just be taking it one step at a time.
starting to doubt my choice now.....

 

[chubdragons]

I'm not sure what your vet is saying, but whatever he's been telling you is pretty much,
the same old stuff you can read off any internet about how to feed your bearded dragons.

IMO, this vet is just claiming heart failing, and blood clogs around the eyes. It could very well be a genetic thing,
the eyes are definitely bulging, and a better diet is the way to go regardless. I still don't believe
that diagnosis was worth the trip, you could easily have saved that money for better lights, cage fixtures, or
something else.

You should check your temps and starve it until it eats a proper diet. That is what it always need, the light, food,
and exercise. You should make your dragon more active so its heart strengthens. My dragon fell from 15 feet and is
fine, if I had took it to the vet, they would have wanted to give it some shots, xrays and a bunch of fees to make it
worth their time.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry he is still going through some issues.
Do you have a copy of the blood tests possibly? Are they positive on the heart problems?
Is he eating & basking on his own?
Did the vet give anymore injections? I hope not, I don't think he needs anything else right now. Were you able to get some liquid calcium, as well?
Which UVB light are you using?
Have his eyes gone down at all?


Tracie

 

[chubdragons]

I saw above you fed it mealworms.....

Mealworms are not very good for it, do crickets or superworms with lots of greens in them.

Please do only crickets and good greens, none of that watery lettuce or romain lettuce.

You can ask around for the best diet. Also the tail of your dragon looks really fat, don't feed
it too much calcium or vitamins, just proteins and greens!!!

 

[Fortunate]

chubdragon: yes I was feeding mealworms but if you continue reading you will see that the vet has already recommended i switch to crickets (which I have said and done)
the starvation thing doesnt work - he willl starve for weeks on end, i appriciate that you are trying to help but making comments about how incompantant you think my vet is is not helping, i am doing everything you suggested (as suggested by my vet)
Also if you would read my previous posts you will see I have already been drilled (over and over by my vets) about diet and husbandry and i have corrected them, thanks tho for re-iterating

Drache: I didnt not request copies of the tests, didnt think i would need them - he is basking on his own but not eating.
Nothing else was done and he has a reptisol 10.0 uvb light that is changed every 5 months, he can get within the right range of it and temps etc are good (vets and I went through all of this and he agreed they all in good range, however he suggessted i up my humidity levels to 60%)
His eyes have not gone down but now he black beards 24/7 except if he is in his bath.

I have dropped his temps to 31 -33 degrees in the basking side incase he is hot but that didnt help.
His colour is brighter but i am worried he is in pain and if I should just have him put to sleep? I dont want him to be in pain but i want to try everything to make sure im not making the wrong descion. Is it too early to say if I should do anything drastic? how will I know if he is in pain and it is the end?

 

[Bwalter]

Sorry to hear about your beardie. It is hard sometimes to know if they are in pain, since they hide it really well. I am hoping the best for both of you. It is never easy when your pet has problems. I think you are doing the right thing for him. To many meds are not good and you are doing what you feel is right. Sorry I don't have any other advice for you, just wanted to know I was thinking good thoughts for you.

 

[Fortunate]

Thank you, it is really tough - and no one in my family or friends can help me because they dont know anything about reptiles.
Thank you for your support!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Is there any way you could get a copy of the blood test for me to look over?
I don't agree though with increasing the humidity to 60%, that is just too high for a bearded dragon, consistently.
Is he eating anything right now?
His beard is black all of the time now?
It is heart issues, for sure? Did they also check for gout too?
A diet change for him should hopefully help. Keeping him hydrated will help his system flush out a lot of the drugs & supplements he was given in case too much was in his system.
Is he acting lethargic?

Tracie

 

[Fortunate]

I could try and get the tests for you, is there anything in particular you are looking for?

i have only managed to get the humidtity up to 30 for some reason, just cant get it any higher.
He is not eating and is still black bearding all the time, i covered his tank yesterday and he actually moved by himself today but still shows no intrest in food.
I am not sure if they tested for gout, what will the test be for that?
He moves only when i move him and sleeps all day