Brick's thread- no more surgery hopefully!

We've had our dragons since the beginning of August and Brick has been at my house for about 2 weeks; it's about time His Highness got his own thread!
For those of you who don't know, my fiance and I got Lady and Brick from his mom's friend's son (or something along those lines) who was moving and couldn't keep them. He gave us the vivs and lighting too, which was awesome! Their setups are great (except for the crushed walnut substrate! It didn't cause any problems but I don't want to risk anything so I switched to shelf liner when Brick moved in with me. Lady is still on walnut because my fiance thinks it's fine. :|), and they were well taken care of. So we got two healthy, happy dragons. They didn't have names, but we fixed that. The female is now Lady Fromage, and the male is Captain Brick Bordeaux (fromage is French for "cheese" and Bordeaux is a type of wine. Get it, wine and cheese? I'm a dork I know ).

About two weeks ago I finally convinced my dad to let one of the lizards live here (Yep, I'm 26 and I still live at my dad's. For now anyway. I do kind of like it though, since it's good food and cheap rent and sane company, plus my younger sisters are here as well). Anyways. My fiance is already quite attached to the sweet, cuddly, sociable Lady; so I got Brick. He's kind of a grump but I love him all the same. And without further ado, pictures!

Coming to my house! I waited til after lights-out and burrito'd him up, and he slept through the whole car ride and moving process. Sorry about the bits of scale and substrate lol-

Showing a bit of (shedding) sexyleg. I feel bad for moving him during a shed though. All that stress! I totally wasn't thinking. Luckily he's handling everything like a champ.

And a few pics of him exploring (the walls look extra-bright green in these pics! I definitely didn't paint them or choose that color, haha)

And here is my current favorite picture of him. It was his first bath in the bathtub instead of his shallow rubbermaid container, and at first he acted like I was trying to put him in a tank full of sharks! Of course I had to get a picture

He's still going through a bit of relocation stress, but is doing great overall! And now I have to go make dinner. I'll post more if I think of something, thanks for reading! <3 <3

 

[zandi202]

I'm pretty sure Brick isn't little anymore :lol:

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm glad you're finding the courage to try the needles, it's important to Brick and you came through for him, even if you had to sit down afterwards. You're not the only one who's sensitive to needles, my son passes out and his father used to, too. I know a lot of people who have this problem, so you're not alone.

So glad he's home where he belongs!

 

[snazzyglasses]

I'm pretty sure Brick isn't little anymore :lol:

This is true! Lol He is a bit shorter these days though, poor guy. I hope he isn't going to want a sports car to "compensate" for his smaller tail...
And speaking of little ones I would love to see baby pics of Brick and Lady <3 <3 I've scoured the internet in case the old owners had put baby pics up somewhere, searching by their old names (Brick used to be "Wizzer" or "Wizard" or something along those lines. And Lady didn't have a name at all they just called her "girl"), but no luck on the baby photos. Drat.
I'll just have to get my own baby beardie and take plenty of pics.

So glad he's home where he belongs!

Me too!! I think Brick is also And last night was my first "do it yourself" Fortaz injection.... totally rocked it. No nausea or lightheadedness! And the very best part: Brick didn't freak out or act like it hurt!!!! (I was so sure he would). I got home from errands a lot later than expected so he didn't get it until about half an hour after bedtime, so his sleepyness could be part of the reason. (Vet said it's fine to give him his Fortaz after bedtime )

Sorry I haven't been updating! Work is insane, and taking care of my scaly friend is rather time consuming. (Plus, tbh, all I really want to do is be near him/keep an eye on him. And his viv is in my bedroom but the computers are in the basement). He's been eating a tiny bit of Critical Care but still not drinking. :? I know he needs extra water while he's on his pain meds and antibiotic though! So I made a makeshift tub out of a shallow tupperware container so that his vent is submerged but his tail sutures aren't getting wet. His back feet/legs and vent are in the water, and his front feet/legs are on the basking spot. Bath problem = solved, as long as he continues to be good about staying where I put him :lol:

 

[Esther19]

Congrats on a successful injection. I would have wimped out.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Pictures of my darling! I'll do an update after the photos so the update doesn't get "lost".
His tail on July 24th, the first day I noticed scales falling off. It's shiny from Neosporin, and I think those hairs either belong to me or one of our furry critters lol. Oops.-

Tail on August 7th, 5 days before surgery. (Sorry I know it's not as zoomed in. Phone camera was having issues focusing). Those "knobby" spots are actually his vertabrae the vet said. It's "withered" but not infected fortunately-

Monday August 12th, about 7 hours after his surgery, at the vet's office. My poor Bricklebottom was so out of it! He opened his eyes for a little bit when I came in the room and started talking to him, but he didn't really seem to be "noticing" anything.- He fought the anaesthesia so much that they had to leave him in the little Isoflurane-gas chamber for longer than average, so of course it took him longer to recover. :? He spent the night with the wonderfully caring staff of Ness Exotic Wellness Center in Lisle, IL.

Tuesday the 13th in the evening at home, still rather out of it. The blurriness in front of his eye is from a smudge on the glass of his viv- It's all newspaper and towels in there, the towels are covered by pillowcases so his tail-sutures don't get snagged.

Look at him 4 days later!! Alert and eating hornworms on the 17th

And after he finished his hornworms on the 18th His newspapers and towels and pillowcase do get changed daily, don't worry just not exactly every 24 hours apparently.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Congrats on a successful injection. I would have wimped out.

Thank you! <3 so far so good with those nasty evil needles every 3 days. I'm still surprised. And it's also quite liberating. I'm not going to go get needle-stabbed on purpose or stab everything I see with a needle, but it's nice to not get nauseated and/or lightheaded every time I even see a picture of one anymore.

And my little "patient" has admittedly not been the easiest. :? The vet wanted him on Critical Care for 3 to 5 days, because it's extra-good for him plus it's soft and we wouldn't have to worry about him biting down on something crunchy and hurting the sore spot where his mouth-lump was laser'd off... Yeah. He stopped accepting or even tolerating anything dripped on his nose the day after I brought him home. Not even yummy babyfood, water, diluted juice, etc. He won't drink or eat them out of a dish on his own, either. Even with the daily painkillers he doesn't want anything on his snout. I wonder if his mouth feels weird now that the lump is gone?
I did discover that he'll eat hornworms though! Those are soft, therefore safe on his mouth. I know it's not Critical Care, but "the mom" (me) made an executive decision. He's still refusing CC but eating hornworms, and I'm just relieved there's something in his tummy! His colors are so much better and he seems much happier with a full tummy.
And of course he's not drinking, but I can't get the sutures on his tail wet. So I rigged a makeshift bathtub out of a shallow tupperware container. His front feet and legs are on the basking spot, and his vent and back feet/legs are in the water and his tail stays dry. Now that he's feeling better he won't stay in the "tub" when he's awake. But he'll stay put after he's asleep, so I soak his bottom after bedtime now. :twisted: sneaky human wins again!

 

[sweetiepie9]

What a stubborn beardie, not to want any c/c, but you've done what you can & hornworms are good for him anyway. He looks good & I'm glad you're not having any issues giving him those needles, good for you!
Us sneaky slaves have to do what needs to be done and he needs the water, so if it has to be done after he's asleep, so be it! Good thinking on your part, I'd never have thought to do that. Well done!

 

[morphmom]

Great update! I'm so glad he's safe and well! I'm also super happy that he's eating, what ever it is, it's a good sign! Great job on the injection! Wow! You are far braver then me! Far braver! 8) If anything ever happens to Mylo (heaven forbid) Imma flying out to your place for inspiration!

 

[zandi202]

Brick looks great and, even though he hasn't said it, I'm sure he's glad to be home!

 

[BrendaKay]

Was reading your whole thread and was going to suggest maybe maybe doing the needle after he's asleep and covering his head. But I see you are now a pro! Congrats! Glad hes doing well!

 

[snazzyglasses]

Thank you everyone!! Hugs for you all :love5: Sorry I haven't been on much. Work is insane, plus the internet died for about a week because AT&T is lame.

I have not-so-great news though: Captain Brick Bordeaux' tail is still "withering". I knew the vet didn't take off enough of his tail to get rid of the constricted area. But I was trying to be hopeful/positive about it! :? Our post-op appointment on the 23rd went well and she took out his tail sutures though. And the area in Brick's mouth looks good too. And he pooped on the table again :roll: so they ran another fecal to check his pinworm count.... and found that his Coccidia levels are high. NOOOOOOOOOOO!
I ordered some Toltrazuril from Tracie, because the only thing this vet office has for Coccidia are Albon (ew no thanks) and Bactrim. Toltrazuril hasn't been around long enough for the vet professionals to be comfortable with prescribing it, apparently. Vet didn't/wouldn't prescribe Toltrazuril at Brick's tail appointment today, but he didn't mind too much that I expressed an interest in trying it on my own when I gave him my researched reasons why. But I did get the "be careful, because non-professionals don't always know what they are talking about; that includes other dragon owners" speech... clearly he has never met Tracie or Deb!

Everything I've been reading says Toltrazuril is easier on the organs than Albon, and it actually kills the coccidia instead of only halting their growth so the immune system can "pick them off". What's not to like?? The vet even wrote down the name so he could look it up later. I like him already! My old vet is leaving in a couple weeks so she can start her own practice. So that eliminated my dilemma of whether or not I was going to try a different vet. Actually, I think this new vet has been an exotic veterinarian for longer than I've been alive! He's also really big into holistic and alternative therapies (I am too!), and today he prescribed a supplement called DMG or Dimethylglycine, to help Brick's circulation. He's leaning towards a circulatory issue as the cause of Brick's tail problems. And I'm just at a loss, so I'm glad someone has an idea about what's going on with that tail :shock:

 

[zandi202]

Poor Brick and poor you! Neither of you are getting a break!

I hope everything gets settled soon.

Will you have to pay for a second operation since it was the vet's fault for not taking off enough tail the first time?

 

[snazzyglasses]

Poor Brick and poor you! Neither of you are getting a break!

I hope everything gets settled soon.

Will you have to pay for a second operation since it was the vet's fault for not taking off enough tail the first time?

That's a good question! I'm reeeeeallyreally hoping not. :? I didn't have to sign a surgery estimate today like I did when I scheduled the first surgery, but that could just be because they were super busy and someone forgot to print one up? I'll ask about it when I get my pre-surgery phone call on Wednesday I guess. :?

I'm super upset for my poor baby but so far I've literally been nothing but nice/polite about this whole mess. And I really like this new vet we're seeing at that office! (technically he's not "new"-- he started the clinic and it is named after him ) If I don't at least receive a hefty discount for my previous vet's screwup, however, I'll most likely get bitchy... :silent:

 

[zandi202]

And you should. That stress was not fair to you or Brick especially since they failed in their promise. I wish you both best of luck and hope you get something!

 

[morphmom]

Poor little guy. Poor tail. Well, I hate to suggest this...but...We always docked the tails of our boxer dogs with super strong, tight elastics. It's not something I would do without consulting a knowledgeable person or persons, but I'd take that over another surgery myself. Just an idea.