Blood test results assistance

[Spider8ait1994]

Hello,

Well, he looks very alert there, that is great news! I'm so happy to hear that he seems to be adjusting
& healing too. He is quite a trooper for going through all of this too.
That's a good amount of food, is that daily? Did he take any water off of his nose for you?
Yes, those puppy pads are very convenient I agree! Is he spending a good amount of time basking
also since he is feeling better?
I hope he continues to improve. It sounds like he is on the road to a full recovery.

Tracie

@Drache613
Yes the first day he was home he has 3ml of formula and then since he passed waste the next day he was moved up to 6ml. Again he passed waste so that meant he’s up to 11ml a day now so as per vet instructions that 11ml of formula is daily.
He’s happy to take water off his nose so the first day he didn’t want any but the second day and yesterday he was happy to have some.
He’s definitely basking as best he can with those bandages.
He had another tramidol dose this morning so today he did pretty much stay in the same spot all day.
He’s also mostly shed his tail now and about 40% of his right shoulder area and I ended up just knocking off what was ready to flake off for him because he was attempting to kick it off and I didn’t want him twisting himself around too much at the moment.
He hasn’t passed waste today though so that’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on so I’m hoping he’ll go tomorrow and it’s just the tramidol dose today that’s slowing his digestion down a bit.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I wouldn't worry too much about him not going potty daily, his system is most likely due to the medications
as they can dry them out some or cause disturbances in the GI tract.
Has his beard been normal color I hope & not dark at all?
I'm happy to hear that he is basking a lot even with his tube in & everything. That's great he has finished
shedding so that helps out with his mood.
That is quite a lot, 11MLS, daily but he definitely wont be hungry!
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

Hello,

I wouldn't worry too much about him not going potty daily, his system is most likely due to the medications
as they can dry them out some or cause disturbances in the GI tract.
Has his beard been normal color I hope & not dark at all?
I'm happy to hear that he is basking a lot even with his tube in & everything. That's great he has finished
shedding so that helps out with his mood.
That is quite a lot, 11MLS, daily but he definitely wont be hungry!
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

He had his 1 week check today with his regular vet and everything looks like it’s healing up great.
That said he did have an instance of throwing up this evening right after I gave him his Meloxicam dose for the day.
I do believe that the cause was too much in his stomach as I had fed him and flushed the tube out this morning before he went to the vets and then while at the vets they also flushed the tube with saline. Additionally it did look like very watered down formula food.
I cleaned him up as best I could with the iodine and saline rinse that the specialist vet sent him home with. Carefully checked his mouth and didn’t see any signs of bleeding as a result of this but understandably he does now have an incredibly dark beard and is a bit unhappy. I’m also hearing some occassional ‘gurgling’ so I’m wondering if he’s swallowed some stomach contents down the wrong way and/or still has some sitting in his beard pouch.
I’ve put him to bed now and I will keep a close eye on him tonight. I’m also planning on giving him only 6ml of formula tomorrow to just see how he goes with that after all this rather than continuing on with the 11ml for now.
I have notified the vets about this and he does have his 2 week check next week which will be with the specialist vets.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing now, with getting less of the formula? I think that is probably a good idea. He may
have been getting too much.
Is he doing ok being on the Meloxicam, no dark beard, etc? It is highly likely that there was some fluids
which went down the wrong way, using the feeding tube. This situation definitely isn't easy. I hope he
is feeling better. Let us know how things are going!

Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

I gave him 6ml yesterday and he also had a tramidol dose and a Ceftazidime injection that day too. He did alright with that so today I tried him on 11ml again which resulted in him throwing up again almost immediately after.
Again he had a bit of a congested/gurgle with his breaths afterward but that’s cleared up now just like the first time around so I’m thinking that’s probably just mucous he’s bought up.
Cleaned him up again and notified both his regular vet and the specialist vet.
Specialist responded and reccomended bumping him back down to 6ml of formula a day at least until next Tuesday when he’ll be seeing them for the 2 week check and depending how things go they may do an abdominal examination if he’s still having issues but they’ve said that potentially 11ml daily is just too much for his stomach and digestive speed so he’s just getting food faster than he can process it.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I totally agree, 11MLS is too much all at once for him. I would
tend to err on the lower end, 4-6mls daily is all I think he needs
via feeding tube. His tummy can't hold that much!
Definitely stick with a lower amount, bless him. Does he black
beard after getting the Tramadol, or not?
The main thing is that you definitely don't want him to develop
a respiratory issue from aspirating food & fluids, etc.
Be sure to keep him warmer overnight, around 75-80F to boost
his immune system & aid digestion.

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

He doesn’t seem to have any issues with any of the medication he’s having.
When he has Meloxicam he bahaves as normal.
With the Tramidol he doesn’t black beard but he does tend to stay in one spot and have little micro-naps throughout the day so usually once I give him a dose in the morning I get him settled in his bed so he’s comfy.
The Ceftazidime injections he also tolerates really well. He stays still for me while I’m giving them to him, doesn’t Blackbeard, struggle or hiss and he’ll wait until I’ve got the syringe capped again before moving around.
He’s definitely bumped back to 6ml of formula now and hasn’t had any trouble with that lower volume.
Maintaining warmth isn’t a problem at the moment because the weather here is really starting to heat up so ambient temp in general has been between 26°C - 32°C so in his actual enclosure with his lamps it’s consistently sitting between 33°C - 37°C with those readings coming from the floor level of the tank since I moved the temp probes down lower to get readings from the level of the enclosure he’s restricted to while recovering.
The post-vomiting sounds I heard with his breaths have all cleared up within around a half hour or so of the throwing up so that makes me think it’s just mucous that’s come up in his throat and such that he’s working on clearing away and the Ceftazidime would be what the vets usually prescribe for aspiration anyway so he’s already on that post-op so if he has inhaled anything at the very least he’s already being treated with Ceftazidime.
At this stage he’s really only had a black beard on the two occassions he threw up and is otherwise his normal coloration with the exception of putting on a greyish beard if the tv is on and a show, person or advert he’s decided he doesn’t like comes on which so far is politicians, one specific quiz show and an insurance advert.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am glad to hear that he doesn't seem to be having any trouble with the Ceftz medication. Be sure to
keep him well hydrated right now. I think that 6MLS daily should be plenty for him, easy on his system
& he shouldn't have digestive issues, either.
That's right, it should be starting to warm up there so the weather is starting to be optimal for him & you
could get him outdoors for some sunshine once he is up for it.
I'm glad to hear his breathing has improved, bless him! Hopefully he is feeling a lot better now.
I can't blame him for not liking politicians especially, he knows frauds when he sees them! LOL
His tank temperatures sound perfect for him. Keep us posted on his progress!

Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

Hello,

I am glad to hear that he doesn't seem to be having any trouble with the Ceftz medication. Be sure to
keep him well hydrated right now. I think that 6MLS daily should be plenty for him, easy on his system
& he shouldn't have digestive issues, either.
That's right, it should be starting to warm up there so the weather is starting to be optimal for him & you
could get him outdoors for some sunshine once he is up for it.
I'm glad to hear his breathing has improved, bless him! Hopefully he is feeling a lot better now.
I can't blame him for not liking politicians especially, he knows frauds when he sees them! LOL
His tank temperatures sound perfect for him. Keep us posted on his progress!

Tracie

@Drache613
It’s been a bit since I’ve updated here sorry.
Spike has had his 2 week check with the specialists and they’ve investigated the throwing up.
They took an X-ray free of charge which showed that the feeding tube is still in ideal position. They also gave him an ultrasound to get a good look at his GI tract and they did find his intestinal motility wasn’t what they’d like it to be.
To address this we’ve stopped the tramidol, switched to injectable Meloxicam instead of oral and he’s having 0.12ml Cisapride via his feeding tube at the same time every day right before he gets fed 6ml of formula.
Additionally they did actually find a small pus buildup right at the very back of the incision in his throat so he has developed a small infection but the Ceftazidime is helping manage that and upon revision by the surgeon who did the proceedure the plan is that he’s going to have the feeding tube removed in 3 days time on the 26th of September.
I’ve also discovered that he’s developed some tail rot at the tip of his tail which was a big surprise given his enclosure is kept very clean and there’s nothing in there that could have damaged his tail in any way. I’m treating that with an iodine ointment I apply daily and visual observation. It doesn’t seem to be progressing and since starting the iodine ointment the affected portion I’m thinking doesn’t look quite as shrivelled as it did prior to the ointment so at this stage we’re prioritising the surgery recovery and just keeping an eye on the tail but if it does need that portion amputated that’s something his usual vet can do and is something I know they can do well (as they did his mangled fingertip a couple years back after it had a bad shed and lost circulation which was expected to happen at some point given the deformity)
Aside from that his behaviour is perking right up. He was sleepy for a good 2 days after the ultrasound since he was sedated for that and while they cleaned up his throat but the last 2 days he’s been up and running around his enclosure. I carried him around the garden today for some fresh air and sunlight which he loved.
He’s tolerating the injections alright which I’m surprised by given they’re all administered in his front limbs and sometimes the Meloxicam and Ceftazidime doses fall on the same day. I alternate which arm I use and when it’s two injections I give one in the upper arm and one in the lower arm. I’m just glad he has beefy little biceps because I can’t imagine trying to give an intramuscular injection to a dragon with little noodle limbs.
He virtually never has a black or even a dark beard now save for after his injections sometimes, he’s basking under his lamps and even the bathroom heat light when I bring him there to clean his incision sites over the sink. He’s much more his usual self again now and still no indications the tumor is returning in the throat or anywhere else for that matter, the stitches are holding both internal and eternal and his external incision looks to be healing up nicely.
Included a photo of him snoozing on the way home from the specialist. Just like a human baby after a few minutes in the car he’s asleep.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's great news he is getting the feeding tube removed, finally.
Hopefully the infection in his beard clears up with the Ceftz, it should. So he is just on the Ceftz &
Meloxicam now?
Injections can be stressful absolutely. How long will you be doing the injections? It's a good thing
he has beefy arms too so hopefully the shots don't hurt too much. Rotating the arms should help
some for him.
At least he seems to have adjusted well to the amount of food given. I'm sure he will be happy to
eat solid food again. Let's hope there isn't anything else that develops again. What a trooper he is!
The tail tip looks like retained shed most likely. Unless he might have gotten it caught in between
something & pinched it. Just keep it clean & doing the betadine & ointment daily should ward off
any infection. It will likely dry up & break off. As you are doing, just watch the area to be sure it
doesn't travel upwards any further.

Keep us posted on him! He looks happy & alert too.

Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

@Drache613
He went back in for the proceedure and there was a bit of a change of plans.
They found that the infection had cleared some but was still a bit present so they cleaned all that out while he was under anaesthesia and found that it was actually the stitches that had gotten infected so they removed as many of those as they could.
They also found that some of the reconstruction had broken down but enough scar tissue had formed that they wouldn’t need to revisit that with another proceedure.
They also took a swab of the pus and have sent it for testing to make sure that it’s not resistant to the antibiotic he’s on so those results should be back soon.
They decided that the best thing for now would be to leave the tube in as a precaution but I can start reintroducing him to solid foods. The tube remaining in was as a backup should he not take to solid food just yet and also to make it a bit easier to give him the oral medication which at this point is just the cisapride.
It’s been a couple of days since this decision now and he seems to be handling solid food alright.
I know with his dental health he’s not supposed to have fruits but I figure just having a bit temporarily shouldn’t be too bad as it’s something that would tempt him and should help his digestive system along.
He’s had solid food on 5 days now so first day he had half a small fig slice, next day was 5 mealworms, day 3 was 4 blueberries, day 4 was one fig slice and today he had 10 mealworms and seemed to handle those a lot better than he initially did.
His short range vision is still bad so I do have to assist him in getting the food in his mouth but he’s happy to eat it once he has it which is great.
He didn’t pass waste for about a week after the 2 week check but that seems to be settling back into a more normal routine nowdays so he seems to be going every second to third day at the most.
His mood has definitely continued to pick up and he’s awake all day, standing up and looking around, moving around his available enclosure space a bit.
The tail rot isn’t progressing and I weighed him at the end of September and his weight is 589 grams so I’m not worried about weight.
The plan with the tube now is dependent on the pathology results from the pus swab so if it comes back that it’s not resistant to Ceftazidime the tube can come out 2 weeks from this latest check but if it comes back as resistant they’ll swap to a more effective antibiotic and the tube will come out in 4 weeks from this latest check.

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

Thanks for the update. When are you expecting the pathology report to come back? I hope that there
isn't more infection going on. That's great he seems to be able to eat solid foods without any trouble
right now. His diet sounds good for now. He is probably really happy to be eating something right now.
So, the reconstruction held for the most part & will be good in the future? Bless him, what an ordeal he
has been through. I really hope he is able to have the tube removed, that has to be getting frustrating
for him. It sounds like he is feeling good & very alert so that is a great sign!
His weight is very good, no problem at all. His tail issue will hopefully clear up without any complications.
Is it going to fall off then? At least there isn't any further degradation of the tail.

Let us know how things are going.
Tracie

 

[Spider8ait1994]

@Drache613
I actually got the results back yesterday and it turned out that his little infection is resistant to Ceftazidime so they’re of the opinion that’s why it’s managed to take hold in the first place and why he had that bit of breakdown of the reconstruction.
We’ve organised for some new antibiotics to be picked up from his regular vet so I’ll be collecting those tomorrow morning but for the most part he’s still doing alright and seems to be recovering well.
He’s finished all his Meloxicam injections so he’s continuing with the Meloxicam every second day only we’re switching back to the oral version and he has 2 Ceftazidime injections left but I plan on asking his regular vets if they want me to give him those last two and then start the new antibiotic or just go straight to the new antibiotic and ditch the last two Ceftazidime injections.
The tail rot definitely isn’t progressing and I’m not sure if it’ll dry up and drop off or require vet intervention to come off because at this stage it doesn’t seem to be drying out any further so it’s kinda halfway between dry and normal tissue.
Given the infection status the tube could come out in 3-4 weeks because the specialist vet wants to see him again 3 weeks after he starts the new antibiotics so we’ll see what happens there.
Feeding wise the vets are happy to continue with regular food and to supplement that with 6ml of formula once a week just to make sure he’s getting everything he needs while he’s getting used to regular eating again particularly because I’m giving him smaller portions than he used to have prior to the surgery and tumor because I don’t want to risk him overdoing it with his stomach capacity.
All in all though he seems to be doing good which is a big relief given the nature of the type of tumor he had with regards to what little we do know about it. So if this continues to go well I wonder if his treatment methods might end up being a standard for dealing with this sort of tumor in future cases in dragons.
Attached here are some recent photos I’ve taken just a few days ago to document the healing and recovery. He was a little moody but that’s just because he’d just had an injection.

 

[Spider8ait1994]

@Drache613
Just picked up the new antibiotic and it’s Ampicillin to be given once a day intramuscularly for 3-4 weeks until recheck examination.
Gonna have to be extra careful I don’t get any of this one on me because of course I have an allergy to penicillins
Now I know the specific day he’s starting this new antibiotic I’ll call the specialist today to get his next check booked in.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He looks great! It appears he is very happy there, also! I hope the Ampicillin does well for him. Be sure
to keep him well hydrated, too. You may have to wear gloves if you are sensitive to penicillins. I am so
happy that he is doing so well right now!

Tracie