Bloody Stool?

[Sweetheart1016]

Sorry if this isn't an ER post, but for me it seemed appropriate...

So I woke up this morning to find my beardie Soul Patch had gone to the bathroom and it was somewhat filled with blood. Red, liquidy, reddish urate even.


(excuse the old greens, unfortunately finals week kicked my a**)

Background:

Fecal is at the vet's now being tested.

As of 2 days ago, I decided to give him Reptaid XL to help him fight a possible respiratory infection til I could afford a vet visit.

He hasn't been eating as well since it got colder, but he does still happily down supers and collards when I hand feed them. He's always been a lazy eater.

I am moving in the next few days. Originally, it was going to be tomorrow, but with the fecal test being run, I've moved it to Saturday so I can pick up meds if needed.

He eats superworms 3-4x per week, calci-coated, and escarole/endive/butternut/collards everyday. He's on paper towel (he did eat a small piece of that with a green a week ago).

His temps have been a little wonky since the house is, as we have had weird weather lately here in Rochester.

I did notice a hair in it when I went to grab the sample for the vet.

In July, he had a round of panacur for a high number of pin worms.

So my question is, what could have caused this? Should I continue the Reptaid until I hear from the vet?

 

[CooperDragon]

That doesn't look good, but it may just be a bit of "upset stomach". It's good that you have a sample being tested at the vet. That will probably tell you more than we can here based on a photo. I don't see anything listed in the diet that would cause a reddish color to the poop, but don't want to rule that out as a possibility. Perhaps others have some more thoughts on what could be going on here. What are the temps inside the tank now that the weather has cooled off? Might be a good idea to keep the nighttime temps boosted to 80 or so with a CHE if you can. Please do let us know what the vet says about the fecal test. Continuing with the Reptaid for the time being probably won't cause harm and could be helpful.

 

[Sweetheart1016]

Honestly with moving this weekend, I've already packed the infrared thermometer up somewhere. I don't believe the temps have dropped below 75 anywhere in the tank, and in all reality, he spends most of his time on the warm side, which held fast at 95-100 from sept to early Dec (so I would imagine it held there the past two weeks). He has been sleepy, but I assumed it was simply brumation kicking in (he's 2 years old this month), as my other dragon (3yo) was sleepy as well.

 

[CooperDragon]

If you're getting temps up near 100, then that's fine for a 2yr old. Other than the sleepiness, have you noticed anything unusual with your other dragon? I'd try giving him a bath tomorrow to try and force another poop so you can see if this was a one off issue or a trend. Other than that, I'd just wait for the results from the vet, that was the right step to take. Have you been getting a lot of lake snow so far? I grew up in Rochester and miss the snowy winters there =)

 

[Sweetheart1016]

from the day I got him in June, he has never gone to the bathroom more than 1x a week. I thought he might have a respiratory infection since he has been gaping pretty often when he couldn't be hot (hanging out outside the tank). Other than that, no strange behavior.

We've had two big snows, but nothing stuck. Better than buffalo!

 

[CooperDragon]

OK, if he doesn't go often, you may not be able to get another sample for a while. That's OK. No other strange behavior is good. I've seen them gape outside of the tank sometimes. I can't explain it, but it's not necessarily a bad sign. If he's having respiratory problems you'd likely see thick mucous in his mouth and watery eyes. Maybe hear some bubbling or clicking while breathing and gaping. From my experience, respiratory issues tend to show themselves in some clear ways. Dundee coughs pretty regularly and it sounds like a hiss. His mouth gets crusty and needs to be cleaned regularly too. That may be an extreme example, but I think you'd see some level of those symptoms along with the gaping.

That big Buffalo snow was really something. I was in Australia when it happened and it was all over the news there. Some of the bartenders were even commenting about the Bills game being moved to Detroit.

 

[Sweetheart1016]

Well that's good, because I was convinced he had a respiratory infection even though the only sign I saw was the gaping, and trust me, I watched and listened closely.

Buffalo was ridiculous. I think we got about 8" that night. Funny that only an hour away was getting pummeled.

 

[CooperDragon]

If it's only the gaping, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I usually associate that with temperature regulation, but perhaps someone else can shed some light on why they do it when they're away from the basking spot sometimes.

It has always kind of worked that way with the lake snows. I e-mailed my dad when I heard about it and asked about what they had (in Pittsford) and he said they only had a dusting.

 

[Sweetheart1016]

UPDATE: vet reported no parasites in his stool. I have a tentative appt with them tomorrow. Unfortunately, since I'm moving, I won't be able to pick up meds out anything if needed. Should I wait to make an appt with a new vet when I'm moved, or find out now? Would a blood test be a good idea?

 

[CooperDragon]

Are you moving far? Meds can be shipped. I've had my vet order special anti-fungal meds from a place in Phoenix and they just shipped it to the house - really easy. Is there a good reptile vet where you're moving? You could have the current vet do a workup and send meds to you as needed or transfer the records to a new vet, but that would likely require a second appointment.

 

[Sweetheart1016]

I'm moving about 6 hours away from here. I cancelled my vet appt for today, made one at the new place for the 29th, and will be continuing the Reptaid and watching closely until the appt.

 

[CooperDragon]

OK that sounds like a good plan. Please keep us posted on his progress =)