Bloody Stool

[Fidorocks]

Yesterday afternoon, my bearded dragon began to have diarrhea and had a runny stool. He pooped about 2 or 3 times. Today, his stool is very bloody and he pooped twice, one he laid in, and I only discovered it after school. The other was solid and had a lot of blood on it. Recently he hasn't been eating very much, pooping about every 3 days or so, and I just figured it was because of the winter. Now and worried and I'm not sure what to do. I figure I'll call the vet in the morning, but is there anything I can do now and does anybody know any likely causes?

Edit: his diet is mostly superworms

Edit2: He just pooped a large amount of blood.

 

[Vacren]

red color or blood? What's your dusting schedule?

 

[RowenJade]

Only thing I can think of is how long is he and you're only feeding super worms? Are there any undigested worms in the poo? Sorry I can't be of more help and hope the vet can shed some light. :|

 

[jcorey1]

From the information provided I'm going to guess it may be due to the superworms. How big/old is your dragon? If he is younger, superworms are a bit difficult for them to digest. The hard shells may be causing cuts in his GI tract. Alternatively, it could be he is straining too hard during a BM which can also cause bleeding. Is there a large amount of undigested superworm exoskeleton in the poo? I would suggest maybe switching him up to a softer diet, silkworms/butterworms etc.

 

[jcorey1]

oops. what they said!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Usually heavy loads of parasites or hookworms can cause bleeding or blood in the stools.
If there is that much blood, I highly suggest that you get him to the vet as soon as possible. It could be something else a lot more serious that needs to be addressed.
What are the temperatures in the tank & what type of thermometer do you use? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?

Tracie

 

[Fidorocks]

red color or blood? What's your dusting schedule?

I believe it's blood, unless its a red color liquid. Thourghout the night he bled more with no poop at all.

From the information provided I'm going to guess it may be due to the superworms. How big/old is your dragon? If he is younger, superworms are a bit difficult for them to digest. The hard shells may be causing cuts in his GI tract. Alternatively, it could be he is straining too hard during a BM which can also cause bleeding. Is there a large amount of undigested superworm exoskeleton in the poo? I would suggest maybe switching him up to a softer diet, silkworms/butterworms etc.

My bearded dragon is 4 1/2 years old, and about 17 inches if I remember correctly. His diet is mostly superworms, but I do feed him greenbeans as well.

Hello,

Usually heavy loads of parasites or hookworms can cause bleeding or blood in the stools.
If there is that much blood, I highly suggest that you get him to the vet as soon as possible. It could be something else a lot more serious that needs to be addressed.
What are the temperatures in the tank & what type of thermometer do you use? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?

Tracie

I'm taking him to the vet in a little bit. Honestly its been a while since I measured the temps in his cage, but about 2 years ago I used a digital probe and found them to be around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[xebo]

I'm taking him to the vet in a little bit. Honestly its been a while since I measured the temps in his cage, but about 2 years ago I used a digital probe and found them to be around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you should be measuring the temps in his viv more regularly, not at two year intervals...

 

[Grogshla]

replace his uvb tube. They need to be replaced every4-6 months. This will help him digest his food better and help him with general health including strong bones. very important.
switch to medium crickets they have a softer shell, more protein and dont make any cricket noises (only the big ones do)

 

[Fidorocks]

I took him to the vet yesterday morning and she thinks he has parasites. I got some medicine and he's hanging in there, though still very weak. What would you suggest that he eats while recovering? I bought baby food for now.

replace his uvb tube. They need to be replaced every4-6 months. This will help him digest his food better and help him with general health including strong bones. very important.
switch to medium crickets they have a softer shell, more protein and dont make any cricket noises (only the big ones do)

I replaced his UVB tube around 2 months ago.

 

[Fidorocks]

He just passed away. Thanks for trying to help.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am so sorry that he passed away! He must have had liver failure, because of all of that blood.
If you need anything, let us know.

Tracie

 

[Fidorocks]

Hello,

I am so sorry that he passed away! He must have had liver failure, because of all of that blood.
If you need anything, let us know.

Tracie

What generally causes liver failure?