Beardie was given an enema

[aiyoume]

My little girl, Éowyn, has been going through a lot since June/July. She had a URI, which she recovered from, but also parasites.

We are still fighting the parasites to this day. She hasn’t had a normal looking poop in months. It is always mushy and watery and she had been struggling to go even once a week. She has been on lactulose for a couple months now and I’ve given her pumpkin, prunes, squash, water, and daily soaks to try to encourage regular bowel movements. It was only these past couple weeks that her appetite has come back and she pooped at least once a week versus the almost 2 weeks.

I took her to her exotic vet today for a recheck and they felt around her stomach and determined that they needed to give her an enema. I didn’t know that there was such a high risk for enemas and I agreed to it bc even though I’ve been seeing improvements in her, she stayed very bloated even after a bowel movement. I started looking it up when they took her and read all of the horror stories about enema fatalities and now I’m really worried about her.

She had a bowel movement some time after the enema, it was mostly water and some bits and pieces. She has been basking since we got back from the vet and she ate some mustard greens and acorn squash and drank some water. Are there any signs I should watch out for to see if she is reacting badly to it?? She seems alert and not black bearding.

 

[xp29]

My little girl, Éowyn, has been going through a lot since June/July. She had a URI, which she recovered from, but also parasites.

We are still fighting the parasites to this day. She hasn’t had a normal looking poop in months. It is always mushy and watery and she had been struggling to go even once a week. She has been on lactulose for a couple months now and I’ve given her pumpkin, prunes, squash, water, and daily soaks to try to encourage regular bowel movements. It was only these past couple weeks that her appetite has come back and she pooped at least once a week versus the almost 2 weeks.

I took her to her exotic vet today for a recheck and they felt around her stomach and determined that they needed to give her an enema. I didn’t know that there was such a high risk for enemas and I agreed to it bc even though I’ve been seeing improvements in her, she stayed very bloated even after a bowel movement. I started looking it up when they took her and read all of the horror stories about enema fatalities and now I’m really worried about her.

She had a bowel movement some time after the enema, it was mostly water and some bits and pieces. She has been basking since we got back from the vet and she ate some mustard greens and acorn squash and drank some water. Are there any signs I should watch out for to see if she is reacting badly to it?? She seems alert and not black bearding.

Black bearding and lethargy will be what to watch out for

 

[aiyoume]

Black bearding and lethargy will be what to watch out for

Thank you for the quick reply as always. I’ve been looking at other threads and saw where you experienced the vet giving your beardie an enema as well….did he show signs right away that something was wrong??? I’m scared that I’m going to send my girl off to bed tonight and tomorrow she won’t be with me.

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Like XP mentioned, that's what you'd want to look out for.

It's not necessarily that enemas are a death sentence, but like with every medical procedure there are risks and those risks need to be weighed out against the reward of the procedure. That being said, there is almost never a good reason to give a beardie an enema.

It's not uncommon for perfectly healthy adults to go a week or two in between poos. Food needs to be going in for poo to come out. If the dragon isn't eating much because it's feeling a little off due to parasites or stresses, it's not going to poo no matter how much you want it to happen.

You mentioned that only in the past few weeks has her appetite came back and she's started pooing. Like mentioned, you can't poo out what isn't going in .

All this is to say, try not to worry so much about the frequency of the poos. They are going to be infrequent as an adult because they don't eat like growing dragons do. And a diet full of liquid and puree'd food is almost certainly going to cause loose stools too. They likely won't firm back up until whole foods are the bulk of the diet.

In the picture you posted, she looks alert and well fed.

-Brandon

 

[aiyoume]

Hi there,

Like XP mentioned, that's what you'd want to look out for.

It's not necessarily that enemas are a death sentence, but like with every medical procedure there are risks and those risks need to be weighed out against the reward of the procedure. That being said, there is almost never a good reason to give a beardie an enema.

It's not uncommon for perfectly healthy adults to go a week or two in between poos. Food needs to be going in for poo to come out. If the dragon isn't eating much because it's feeling a little off due to parasites or stresses, it's not going to poo no matter how much you want it to happen.

You mentioned that only in the past few weeks has her appetite came back and she's started pooing. Like mentioned, you can't poo out what isn't going in .

All this is to say, try not to worry so much about the frequency of the poos. They are going to be infrequent as an adult because they don't eat like growing dragons do. And a diet full of liquid and puree'd food is almost certainly going to cause loose stools too. They likely won't firm back up until whole foods are the bulk of the diet.

In the picture you posted, she looks alert and well fed.

-Brandon

Thank you for the reply Brandon. I won’t ever agree to an enema ever again but I’d really like her to survive this one and I’m just scared she’ll take a turn for the worse and I didn’t know if signs were immediate or they could happen a week later. She seems to still be bloated even after the enema.

 

[xp29]

Thank you for the reply Brandon. I won’t ever agree to an enema ever again but I’d really like her to survive this one and I’m just scared she’ll take a turn for the worse and I didn’t know if signs were immediate or they could happen a week later. She seems to still be bloated even after the enema.

Sorry for being slow to respond work was hectic today
A few of the parasites they can carry can cause bloating.
With Zen he was off immediately after that vet visit. I knew something was wrong within a couple hours.
Ultimately he survived it, but it was a close call. It think we dodged a bullet that time.

Which parasites is your girl being treated for? Some of them can be tricky to get under control.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yes, do watch for lethargic behavior, black bearding, loss of appetite especially very closely. I hope she
will not show any of those signs.
Enemas are really not necessary & oftentimes do cause bloating. Did the vet not give any medication
for her worms or parasite levels?
Continue giving the soft foods right now, to help her digestion & passing things through easier right now.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[aiyoume]

Sorry for being slow to respond work was hectic today
A few of the parasites they can carry can cause bloating.
With Zen he was off immediately after that vet visit. I knew something was wrong within a couple hours.
Ultimately he survived it, but it was a close call. It think we dodged a bullet that time.

Which parasites is your girl being treated for? Some of them can be tricky to

Sorry for being slow to respond work was hectic today
A few of the parasites they can carry can cause bloating.
With Zen he was off immediately after that vet visit. I knew something was wrong within a couple hours.
Ultimately he survived it, but it was a close call. It think we dodged a bullet that time.

Which parasites is your girl being treated for? Some of them can be tricky to get under control.

get under control.

Originally it was coccidia and she was given Albon. Then she had another type and had
two rounds of metronidazole. Now they’re seeing roundworms and coccidia again in her latest fecal and she’s on toltrazuril and had a single dose of panacur.

 

[aiyoume]

Hello,

Yes, do watch for lethargic behavior, black bearding, loss of appetite especially very closely. I hope she
will not show any of those signs.
Enemas are really not necessary & oftentimes do cause bloating. Did the vet not give any medication
for her worms or parasite levels?
Continue giving the soft foods right now, to help her digestion & passing things through easier right now.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Yes the first time she had Albon and then had metronidazole. Now she’s on toltrazuril and had a single dose of panacur. They’re keeping her on lactulose but she had red in her poop and they said it was like intestinal lining that was shed so she’s also on meloxicam and colon rescue and they want me to give her ceftazidime for 10 doses too.

Should I discontinue giving her solids? Only soft foods? Should I get critical care, I have repta boost.

 

[xp29]

Originally it was coccidia and she was given Albon. Then she had another type and had
two rounds of metronidazole. Now they’re seeing roundworms and coccidia again in her latest fecal and she’s on toltrazuril and had a single dose of panacur.

The round worms I haven't had to deal with. Coccidia however I've fought a couple times. It is hard to beat. The trick to it is in your husbandry. The best way to beat it is to brake it's life cycle. Coccidia has to be pooped out and then reingested in order to multiply. Because beardies test EVERYTHING with there tongue it gives it the chance to do so. To beat it you need to pull out all the decore and sanitize it. If it can't be sanitized it needs to be removed completely. Coccidia is impervious to most cleaners. Bleach will not kill it in any amount. The only thing that is effective it strong ammonia and high heat (over 200 degrees) (extended exposer to intense sun will also kill it eventually). Ammonia or heat either one needs to be in contact with it for roughly 10 minutes to work.
Ammonia is toxic to beardies so if used it has to be rinsed throughly and aired to zero fumes. Decore that won't melt or catch fire can be washed and placed in the oven to sanitize it. Once everything is sanitized you'll need to remove poop ASAP. And then spot clean with an ammonia based cleaner like f10 or wipeout. Or mix you own in a spray bottle. Just be sure to wipe it out with water and air it out after cleaning. That's how I've beaten it when any of my guys had an outbreak. I use chlorhexidine as my spot cleaner now. It's a vet/zoo grade cleaner. You can get that at Tractor Supply or online. The f10 you can get online and wipeout at petsmart (sometimes) of most any reptile store. I hope this helps

 

[aiyoume]

The round worms I haven't had to deal with. Coccidia however I've fought a couple times. It is hard to beat. The trick to it is in your husbandry. The best way to beat it is to brake it's life cycle. Coccidia has to be pooped out and then reingested in order to multiply. Because beardies test EVERYTHING with there tongue it gives it the chance to do so. To beat it you need to pull out all the decore and sanitize it. If it can't be sanitized it needs to be removed completely. Coccidia is impervious to most cleaners. Bleach will not kill it in any amount. The only thing that is effective it strong ammonia and high heat (over 200 degrees) (extended exposer to intense sun will also kill it eventually). Ammonia or heat either one needs to be in contact with it for roughly 10 minutes to work.
Ammonia is toxic to beardies so if used it has to be rinsed throughly and aired to zero fumes. Decore that won't melt or catch fire can be washed and placed in the oven to sanitize it. Once everything is sanitized you'll need to remove poop ASAP. And then spot clean with an ammonia based cleaner like f10 or wipeout. Or mix you own in a spray bottle. Just be sure to wipe it out with water and air it out after cleaning. That's how I've beaten it when any of my guys had an outbreak. I use chlorhexidine as my spot cleaner now. It's a vet/zoo grade cleaner. You can get that at Tractor Supply or online. The f10 you can get online and wipeout at petsmart (sometimes) of most any reptile store. I hope this helps

Yes during her coccidia outbreak I was using a steam cleaner and f10 to disinfect. I wouldn’t put any wood in her enclosure, just things that could be boiled or steam cleaned and wiped down. It’s weird because during her last visit, they said the coccidia looked treated and that it was in the process of breaking its cycle because it was unable to reproduce anymore. But now it’s back :/

 

[xp29]

Yes during her coccidia outbreak I was using a steam cleaner and f10 to disinfect. I wouldn’t put any wood in her enclosure, just things that could be boiled or steam cleaned and wiped down. It’s weird because during her last visit, they said the coccidia looked treated and that it was in the process of breaking its cycle because it was unable to reproduce anymore. But now it’s back :/

Oh it's a tough lil bugger. Once under control though their immune system will keep it in check as long as you can keep them from tracking through the poops.

 

[aiyoume]

Yes the first time she had Albon and then had metronidazole. Now she’s on toltrazuril and had a single dose of panacur. They’re keeping her on lactulose but she had red in her poop and they said it was like intestinal lining that was shed so she’s also on meloxicam and colon rescue and they want me to give her ceftazidime for 10 doses too.

Should I discontinue giving her solids? Only soft foods? Should I get critical care, I have repta boost.

from yesterday, she has been staying on her warm side of enclosure, she’ll stay in the basking spot in the morning and then lay on the side of the rock most of the day and just chills. She’s not going to her cool side or off to any corners really. Her beard does get dark but I don’t think she’s black bearding by any means. Her belly does seem very full still and she hasn’t gone since vet. I gave her pumpkin yesterday and reptaboost and water. I’m still unsure if I feed her solids ???? I’ve been scared to give her her antibiotic bc ik it slows her digestive tract down and I need her to go….but I gave her her first round yesterday :/

 

[xp29]

View attachment 93416 from yesterday, she has been staying on her warm side of enclosure, she’ll stay in the basking spot in the morning and then lay on the side of the rock most of the day and just chills. She’s not going to her cool side or off to any corners really. Her beard does get dark but I don’t think she’s black bearding by any means. Her belly does seem very full still and she hasn’t gone since vet. I gave her pumpkin yesterday and reptaboost and water. I’m still unsure if I feed her solids ???? I’ve been scared to give her her antibiotic bc ik it slows her digestive tract down and I need her to go….but I gave her her first round yesterday :/

She is very pretty and that for sure isn't a black beard
It's not out of the ordinary for adults to go days or even a couple weeks without pooping.
If she passes it without struggling when she does go, she is probably ok.

 

[aiyoume]

She is very pretty and that for sure isn't a black beard
It's not out of the ordinary for adults to go days or even a couple weeks without pooping.
If she passes it without struggling when she does go, she is probably ok.

Thank you! She is my pride and joy.
She ate some bugs, mustard greens, acorn squash and I gave her some baby food prune puree today. Her appetite is still very good. I’m becoming more optimistic, but still watching her closely and also giving her tummy massages and soaks.