Brought Beardie to Vet 3x! Really need help!

[BeardieMommy85]

Hi everyone! I am going to introduce myself in the introduction section just after I write this post, but this is very urgent! I switched my beardie's tank 2 weeks ago and he WAS eating and pooping on a regular basis and then he stopped pooping and then he eventually stopped eating and he has lost a ton of weight! I brought him to the vet TWICE already this week and the first time the doctor said he was constipated and took some stool out of him with a catheter. The second time she said there was no stool in his belly but his belly is really bloated and she could not get any stool out. She thought it may be parasites so she de-wormed him but he STILL refuses to eat or poop! I have tried EVERYTHING from applesauce to olive oil to baby food etc...I am completely devastated because he is my lovebug and I don't know how to help him! I am bringing him back to the vet AGAIN tomorrow for an x-ray to see if something is wrong inside his stomach. I have been syringe feeding him prune baby food and critical care, but he is very lethargic, especially today, he will barely move his head. I am at a loss and don't know what to do! I called the vet today and she had no idea what to say so It was my idea to get him an x-ray tomorrow but it costs 130 dollars and I had to ask my Dad for money to pay for it because I already used my last 2 pay checks on his last 2 visits and I have no more money! I love my beardie SO much and can't stop crying because I am afraid he will die. For some information, he is in a 40 gallon tank with a 10.0 Reptisun tube for UVB light, he has a 50 W Halogen bulb for the basking spot which gets up to 106 degrees, and it is 85 in the cool side. Also, he has a hammock that he absolutely LOVES but he refuses to move from it and go to the basking spot which I suppose could be a problem but when I first put him in the tank he was going on the basking spot fine. I cannot afford anymore vet bills but I also cannot watch my beardie slowly die, if ANYONE has any clues or ideas on what is wrong with him or what other tests I can have done on him while I am there tomorrow, I would appreciate it IMMENSELY!!!!!! I am heartbroken right now, and really need some advice! Thanks everyone!

 

[vampy]

Generally I'd say slowing down and not eating at this time of year could be brumation, but that wouldn't make him bloated or cause a lot of weight loss. Did the vet actually check for parasites or just treat for them? Some parasites can be pretty stubborn.

If you're using sand or walnut shells as substrate, or feeding mealworms, it could be impaction.

You might wanna PM Drache613 with all the info you gave here and ask if she has any insight into what could be wrong with him and what tests to ask for, I think she used to work as a vet tech or something, and is certainly a beardie expert.

I really hope your little guy feels better soon.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....I'm so sorry to hear about this trouble you're having. A couple things to consider....when you change a beardies tank, they can go through re - location stress and stop eating,even though they have never left your house. Another thing....do you use sandy or any loose substrate ? He could have swallowed something + become impacted. Do you have any fake plants in the tank ? Some beardies will eat a leaf because it looks like real food. One more thing....do you know exactly or at least roughly HOW much weight he has lost , and can you post a picture ?

 

[AHBD]

Another thing, the procedure that your vet did is somewhat invasive, very uncomfortable, and would also add to the problem because if a beardie is not pooing for a week or two, it's not always an emergency [ for an adult] at this time of year, and he may have gotten back on track on his own, especially if he was just going in to a semi brumation,as Vampy suggested. It's very important to keep offering water for hydration right now. Hopefully things will turn around for you !

 

[BeardieMommy85]

Thank you so much everyone for answering me so fast! I would just like to say that I have repti-carpet for bedding, I don't have any sand or loose materials. Also, the vet did NOT test my baby for parasites, she just assumed. She said she could not test for them because he did not give her a stool sample. So, basically I do not know what else to ask the vet. It is frustrating that I am the one who has to figure out what tests to do because I believe the Vet should know everything there is about reptiles and should know the correct tests to do, but unfortunately I don't think they know. And I have no idea how much weight he has lost, but he is really skinny now and is a lot thinner than he was. He is still only 4 months old so he is still small to begin with, but he was just starting to get bigger when he stopped eating and pooping. And this may sound like a stupid question, but how do I PM someone?

 

[vampy]

Is your vet just a general vet or a herp specialist? If the latter, then I agree they should know what to do! If they aren't used to seeing reptiles though, i can understand them being a bit out of their depth.

If you click this link, it should take you to Tracie's profile. There's a "Send private message" link half way down on the left.

 

[snazzyglasses]

No stupid questions on here!
To PM (private message) someone, click over to the User Control Panel and there will be a tab labeled Private Messages. Put Drache613's name in the "To" box, compose your message, and voila! (just make sure to hit Submit instead of Preview. Once I accidentally hit Preview instead of Submit and closed the window, assumed it had sent, then wondered why I couldn't find the message in my outbox or sent folder the next day haha)
Sending lots of happy thoughts and well wishes to you and your beardie! <3 <3

Edit: looks like vampy beat me to it!

 

[morphmom]

Hmmm... It seems I can't find the age of your Beardie. Bearded dragons who are under 1yr of age, do not typically go through brumation. There are many different types of parasites and most take a min of 2 doses to cure. (Coccidia usually takes more) I really do not like how your vet has handled this situation, in fact, I'm rather upset by this vet. The stool from the catheter should have been tested period.(I don't believe the procedure should have been done in the 1st place) It sounds like your baby had stress from the new tank. When BD's are stressed, their immune system "crashes" and small amounts of parasites (that the BD's body would fight off and control) turn into large amounts as the body can not fight them as well. This is very basic knowledge that ANY vet should know.
My honest advice, PM Tracie and Get rid of that ________(insert cuss word here) vet!
(Also, work on hydration by bathing often)
Please do not feel bad over anything. Any animal can get sick and it sounds to me like you're doing everything right. I'm sorry I couldn't give a better answer and I'm sorry your vet seems very unknowing. Hang in there, we're all hoping for the best :wink:

 

[AHBD]

O.K., I see he's only 4 months old....you can rule out brumation. Did he by chance possibly eat an insect at some point that was too big ? Or too many mealworms ? That could have caused impaction.

 

[BeardieMommy85]

No I have never fed him a cricket that is bigger than the space between his eyes, that's what I don't understand! And I tried to PM Tracie but she didn't answer me back so does anyone else here know any other tests I could get done for my beardie?

 

[MissFirefly]

No I have never fed him a cricket that is bigger than the space between his eyes, that's what I don't understand! And I tried to PM Tracie but she didn't answer me back so does anyone else here know any other tests I could get done for my beardie?

Tracie gets a lot of messages so I'm sure she will answer as soon as she can.

I agree with many others that the vet took some evasive steps that probably compounded your dragon's relocation stress and might have made the situation worse. I would continue to offer food, and do hand feeding if necessary (squash baby food with critical care could be used), and try to keep stress to a minimum. Also, on top of the apple sauce + olive oil trick I would try giving him baths 1-2x day with belly massages (rubbing their belly from their shoulders back down to their vent). Usually a combination of the belly massages and the olive oil will get my rescue to poop.

Once there is a fecal, I would get a test done. I know you can mail them to Cheryl at bd.co and she does the tests for $5.

 

[BeardieMommy85]

I have already tried that....I have given the applesauce and the olive oil and gave him baths and massaged his tummy, and I have tried prune baby food as well. This little guy just does not want to poop!!!! I am bawling my eyes out right now because he's doing worse and worse everyday and it's already been 2 weeks since he has ate or pooped and I am so devastated and extremely irritated with my Vet that they have supposed reptile specialists but yet they cannot figure out what is wrong with my Baby. I am so afraid he is going to die

 

[MissFirefly]

I have already tried that....I have given the applesauce and the olive oil and gave him baths and massaged his tummy, and I have tried prune baby food as well. This little guy just does not want to poop!!!! I am bawling my eyes out right now because he's doing worse and worse everyday and it's already been 2 weeks since he has ate or pooped and I am so devastated and extremely irritated with my Vet that they have supposed reptile specialists but yet they cannot figure out what is wrong with my Baby. I am so afraid he is going to die

Are you feeding him anything else aside from the apple sauce and olive oil? If he hasn't eaten anything in 2 weeks he might not have anything to poop out at this point. I would start with baby food squash and mix in some critical or carnivore care if you have any on hand.

Medications for parasites can be very harsh on their systems and can lead to dehydration and a loss of appetite. I'd continue giving him baths daily and would try giving him some probiotics (you can use specific types of yogurt or order some from bd.co) to get his digestive system back on track. This paired with the hand feeding will hopefully help stabilize him.

 

[warac67]

I am so sorry to hear about your beardie. I have been having some problems with my beardie too. The *****s at the petstore gave me the wrong lighting and my beardie wasn't getting enough UVB or heat to digest his food. Thank god the people on this site helped me out and I was able to fix it. But during that time my beardie wasn't eating and wasn't pooping and I was worried that he was impacted. But as soon as I fixed the lights he started eating again and then he started pooping again too. So I would say he is probably not pooping because he is not eating. He could simply not be eating because he is so stressed out. He most likely just needs to relax from all the vet trips, force feedings, tank changes, and baths. Even one of those things can be very stressful for a beardie so all together is probably too much for him. So hopefully it is just stress. Does he have any strange marks on his scales? Are his eyes clear?

 

[BeardieMommy85]

Hi everyone! I have a WONDERFUL(Well, I hope!) update! I brought him back to the vet yesterday and he did not have a good outlook, he was very thin and he couldn't even keep his eyes open...she told me to give him a week and if he wasn't eating then I would probably have to put him to sleep. She also gave me a medication called Flaygl to help incase of parasites and she said it increases their appetite. Well....today, not only did he eat 5 crickets, but he POOPED! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Those were both great signs for me! I know 5 crickets isn't a lot, but its a lot better than nothing! And his poop today was his first one in almost 3 weeks! Then I went out with my Mom for the morning and came back and got worried because he had his eyes closed, so I decided I would give him his bath, and he was SOOOO thirsty he drank a ton of water and then he perked right up and he is even better now!(I am hoping I am not getting my hopes up!) But I am super excited and am starting to think he is getting better!!! Unfortunately I have to work tonight from 5-midnight so he'll be asleep when I get home, but he has a timer on his lights so its set for 7 pm and set to get up at 7 am so he will have lots of sleep to get better! I admit I usually snuggle with him before bed, but the vet told me not to for a little bit and to leave him alone until he gets better, which as all of us beardie lovers know how hard it is not to snuggle with them! I truly believe this is a miracle because he was literally almost dying and now he has shown signs of life again! YAY!!!!!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who supported me, and I will definitely update everyday on his progress, lets all keep our fingers crossed he continues to get even better!!! <~~Doing a happy dance!