Beardie showing signs of yellow fungus

[Yolopriorities]

I recently bought a bearded dragon and I don't know much about them. When I bought him he was bright eyed, but had a sore on his tail that looked like an infection. He is still eating veggies and live insects I dust them with calcium 4 times a week and vitamins 2 to three times. The previous owner pretty much gave him to me with everything and has now cut off communication. One day after giving him a bath he was frightened by my dog and bit me. He has never done this and after wards his back was having lots of blue patterns on it and his head was very pale. That was about a week ago and he hadn't let me touch him up until yesterday. He doesn't look any better and this morning when I came down his sore on his tail was white all around it. His back and head were very pale and now the rest of his skin is very dark almost grey. He is normally all orange. If you could help me or give me some tips I am broke until Friday and I don't want to lose my new family member. When i closely examined it the yellowing goes from his tail down to his anus and out to his extremeties.I have him in a 55 gal with a Uvb 15watt bulb and a incandescent bulb of 75 watt about 8 inches from his branch for perching. He has been eating green beans and a mixture of carrots broccoli celery mushrooms and the occasional strawberry . He eats about 12 crickets dusted every other day and always has a fresh Salad.i recently started him on reptiworms. I give him about 3 super worms a week. Please help me.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, hopefully your new buddy doesn't have Y.F, some pics will show what's going on. Here's how to post
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload

 

[Yolopriorities]

Thank you for the instructions on how to upload.

 

[Yolopriorities]

Yesterday a gave him a water down provide iodine bath, and followed up with a generous application of monistat. But those pics are from today and no result yet. How often should I bath him and how often should I apply cream. I just used a glove and rubbed it on and covered all the areas. He recently shed and isn't feeling the best but I was bathing him regularly until I saw the spots.

 

[EllenD]

Hi, and welcome to the forums...I'm sorry, that really does look suspect, very much like Yellow Fungus to me. I want to see what the opinions of others are, but in my experience that looks a lot like Yellow Fungus, it usually appears as spots or patches that are yellow in color, but they are also very rough and almost scabby, which is what usually differentiates the look of Yellow Fungus from other more benign conditions like retained shed. The only way to know for sure is to get him to an experienced reptile vet for a skin scraping test, which you absolutely are going to have to do. I know you said you're broke until this Friday, but I would find the closest certified reptile vet or at the very least an experienced reptile specialist vet to you right now and make an appointment for Friday now. The reason this is so urgent is that Yellow Fungus is extremely difficult to treat and even harder to totally cure, but it can be done IF IT'S DIAGNOSED EARLY AND PROPER TREATMENT IS STARTED EARLY! THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR HIM TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF SURVIVING THIS AND IT BEING CURED. A skin scraping test shouldn't cost too much, and the test itself can be done by an "exotics" vet, but I cannot stress enough that if the test comes back positive and he does in fact have Yellow Fungus, you need a reptile specialist vet that is very experienced and familiar with both Yellow Fungus and Bearded Dragons. "Exotics" vets tend to only make things much, much worse...

In the meantime, stop all baths, no more baths at all until you know what this is for sure, as moisture causes most all fungal infections to grow and spread. You can still dilute the Betadine or Hibiclens, which in my opinion is much more effective than the iodine, as Hibiclens is now used in scrub packs that surgeons use to scrub-in to surgeries with because it kill EVERYTHING including most all fungi and viruses, in warm water and then use sterile gauze or sterile cotton swabs to apply this antiseptic to only the spots themselves, but you do not want to actually submerge him in the water/Betadine solution, as it may very well cause the fungus to spread everywhere. After you cleanse each spot with the antiseptic, pat him dry very, very well, and then apply a small amount of Lamisil to each spot, being sure to rub it in fully. I would do this process twice a day. This will not at all cure this if it is Yellow Fungus, but it can help slow down the external spreading of the infection. You also need to completely disinfect his entire tank, both inside and out, and everything inside and on top of his tank, all the decor and bowls, the light fixtures, the lid, everything, in either F10 disinfectant or bleach and very, very hot water, then rinse everything very well until all odors of the bleach or the F10 is gone, dry it thoroughly with clean paper towels, and then use only clean, dry paper towels in the bottom of the tank as the substrate, being sure to throw them away as soon as they're soiled, and then replace all of them daily. I would wash your hands with antibacterial soap or Hibiclens scrub before handling him and his tank/decor/food, then also afterwards, and wearing gloves while doing it in addition to washing your hands is a good idea as well.

I'm very sorry this happened to you, you were only trying to give a loving home to a beardie who obviously had a prior owner that didn't care one bit about him. He no doubt put him up for sale (Craigslist?) because he was well aware that he had Yellow Fungus or something similar and did not care enough about the poor little guy to help him. That's exactly why he's disappeared. He is hopefully feeling enormous guilt, I would be emailing or texting him every single day, telling him that this poor little guy has a potentially lethal disease. He deserves to be shamed...

I don't know how much you know about Yellow Fungus, but it is highly contagious, so if you have any other reptiles or amphibians you need to keep them in separate rooms and totally disinfect their environments as well, and always wash your hands very well in antibacterial soap before touching any other reptile or it's environment. Yellow Fungus is extremely hard to treat, the reason is that it grows both internally and externally. This is why it cannot be treated in only a topical, external way. In order to completely cure it or to even put a dent in it, it must be treated with prescription daily oral antifungal medications, daily topical antifungal medications, and typically they will also get monthly injections.

****Keep in mind that you may see an improvement in the infection externally while using only topical treatments, or right after he sheds the area. This is a common misconception that has resulted in the deaths of many dragons, because their owners are doing everything they can do to treat the infection on their own using only over-the-counter antifungal topical creams or sprays, often in combination with cleansing with an antiseptic like Betadine or Hibiclens. So they do this religiously 2-3 times a day for a month or so, and the infection seems to be going away, sometimes it does appear to completely go away externally, especially after the dragon has a full body shed, as the external lesions and patches typically are completely shed off. So then the owner is thrilled and either stops the topical treatments or continues the topical treatments just in case, either way the dragon appears totally clear of all signs of an external infection for a couple of weeks, then suddenly BAM!!! they wake up one day and their dragon is completely coated with the fungus all over it's body and is also suddenly very lethargic and refuses to eat. This is because the Yellow Fungus has been growing internally the entire time, and is now coating their internal organs and the entire endodermal layer. This is why I'm trying to create a sense of urgency for you to get him to an experienced reptile vet for the skin scraping test immediately, so that if he does have Yellow Fungus you can get him started on the prescription oral medications and topical medications as soon as possible, as this is his best chance to beat this horrible disease. I'm very, very sorry that this happened to you and to him, you both deserve much better.

 

[Yolopriorities]

I am saving money to go buto the only decent vet in my area wants 80 for the visit 40 for the scrapping and testing and more for treatment.. I just won't be able to afford this in the next few weeks. I have talked to someone to send of scrapings for 19 dollars to find out for sure and maybe be able show those results to a vet and just get his meds. 80 dollars Is what I gave for him and I bought everything to make him feel right and I will continue to care for him but I can't afford to spend 80 a month just to have me told to continue giving the meds and see what happens. I didn't take this responsibility on lightly I knew it would be pricey but never did I think I would be left in such a gruesome situation as this. I do not want him to suffer but I cannot afford a vet and still for everything I have going on at the moment. Other than what I have suggested trying does anyone else have any idea on what I can do ?

 

[Yolopriorities]

Yes he was on Craigslist

 

[AHBD]

If you can have it tested for $19 that would be great. For now though, although it does look suspicious I have also see dragons that were not kept very clean that just get dirty + never bathed , then an irregular shed and they end up looking like this. The hibiclens that Ellen mentioned seems to be a great product, good to have on hand.

But for now, just to see if it's actually poo stains + left over shed you can give him one more bath with the betadine in it, a bit stronger than usual or the hibiclens. Then use a toothbrush to lightly scrub that area . Sometimes if they are uncooperative you can hold them like you're doing in these pics. Do that ASAP for 10 minutes and see how it looks after.

 

[Yolopriorities]

Thanks for the advice I think that could be a cause as well on the an us area but what about the tail spot?

 

[AHBD]

Very common, they drag their tails through poo all the time if it's not cleaned right away.

 

[Yolopriorities]

Okay so used a toothbrush with soft bristles and got some off but gave up half way because in some spots it seemed soggy like and it seemed as though it caused him pain or discomfort.

 

[Yolopriorities]

The painful areas are under his belly and near his legs and begging of tail. Also he has his brach he purches on but he doesn't really leave it unless I feed him.

 

[AHBD]

They generally don't like it to be done at all, it's a bit of an vulnerable position + area for them. Do you have pics of his belly, and new pics of the area that it came off ? Was it stain that came off + now looks clean ?

 

[EllenD]

I understand where you're coming from, this is in no way your fault, and it just sucks all the way around. I would try the toothbrush thing that AHBD has mentioned above first, I doubt that is going to help much because a few of the spots appear to be actual lesions, but it's definitely worth a try.

I was going to mention that a moderator here, Tracie, does testing and could at least send you the swab so you can get a definitive diagnosis, so if that's who you've spoken to about doing the test then yes, absolutely do the test immediately, this is step #1. Any vet will accept the test results from a legitimate lab in writing, which I know Tracie will email you or mail you. So the first step is going to be getting the test done ASAP, maybe it isn't Yellow Fungus. I wrote my post to you first mentioning the need for the test to find out for sure if it is Yellow Fungus, then wrote the rest of my post predicated on the test coming back positive for Yellow Fungus. So take it a step at a time, but please get the test done ASAP, as if it is Yellow Fungus you need to know immediately because it's no doubt growing internally quickly.

So you get the test done and it maybe it comes back as a different type of fungal disease, you take the results to the vet and get whatever the correct medication is to treat that specific disease. This is a situation that you should be able to handle with little trouble. However, if the test comes back positive for Yellow Fungus, then you need to look at all the options you have, because once again, unfortunately, there absolutely is no home remedy or over-the-counter remedy for Yellow Fungus, and you absolutely cannot treat it with only topical medications. All of us here have seen people on the forum insist that they are going to treat their dragon, who has just tested positive for Yellow Fungus, at home with just topical medications due to financial restraints. While we can all sympathize with that problem, it is simply not an option, as the results of people ignoring us and just using over-the-counter antifungal creams and sprays has been nightmarish, and it happens quite quickly...not to be graphic, but we've all seen cases of this where the dragon got no oral medications or injections, only over-the-counter creams and sprays (they typically will try all of them to see if one will work better than the others, out of understandable desperation)...I mean, this disease is horrific in the way it takes over the dragon's body, they actually lose entire body parts and limbs to it. That being said there are still options that you have:

If the test comes back positive then you can take the results to a reptile vet and have them discuss the treatment protocol, how much it's going to cost per month, and how many months minimum he's going to need to be treated, which is a very important question, as most people have to treat their dragons for 6 months to a year at the least. If it's a price you can handle then you start the treatment. If not, then you either need to find other sources for the exact medications in the exact doses the vet describes to you, and people here can sometimes help you with that. I don't know if this would make the treatment affordable to you or not, but we're more than willing to try to help you, as there are places online where you can purchase prescription veterinary meds. The only thing you need to remember if this is a route you take is that you must not deviate from the specific meds the experienced reptile vet says need to be used. There are many cases of Yellow Fungus discussed in the "Infectious Disease" forum here, and I believe there is a certain treatment protocol that people have found to work far more effectively than others, so definitely go to that forum and talk to people who have successfully treated Yellow Fungus so that you can get an idea of how other people have beaten it....

If this still isn't an affordable option for you (and I'm sorry that piece of garbage actually charged you money to take his bearded dragon who is very possibly seriously ill, that's just awful, but happens very often, especially on Craigslist, which is why I mentioned that, I just figured as much), then at that point you need to consider surrendering him to a reputable reptile rescue that has both the experience and the resources to get him the treatment for the disease. I have volunteered at an exotics rescue that takes in only reptiles, amphibians, and birds for years and years, and we have agreements set up with local certified reptile and avian vets, and we get quite a few surrendered reptiles and birds every month that are only surrendered because their owners cannot afford to pay for the veterinary bills to treat whatever illness their pet has. It's extremely sad and unfair, and it breaks my heart every time I do a new intake that is the result of this situation, but the owners know that their pet needs medical help that they cannot provide, and without it their pet will suffer and die, and they don't want that for them, so they surrender them to us so that we can get them the medical help and treatment they need.

This poor little guy you have taken in hasn't had a very great life up until you took him in, I have a feeling he wasn't paid much if any attention by his first owner, and he definitely deserves to be in a family that will love him and take care of him, and that really does seem to be you, you seem to care about him very much. So take this one step at a time, get the test done asap and then go from there, hopefully it turns out to be something you can handle getting him help for. And we will help you in any way we possibly can as well.

 

[Yolopriorities]

Can anyone tag the person who will send the swab? I have lost contact with them and want to get this part done asap. After that I will find out the course of medication and come back for advice. When I brushed him dead skin yellowing and flakes of scale all came off. It was like the spots are soggy