Brumation in beardies with renal disease

[desit0]

Hi everyone,

My beardie is 2 years old, male. He got diagnosed with renal disease when he was 9 months old and has been on Allopurinol ever since.

It seems like he is getting into brumation and is napping most of the time, he does not really want to eat and is hiding most of the time. This is the first time he is going into brumation and was not sure how to handle it since he needs his meds. I was hoping someone might have experience with this type of situations. His uric acid levels has been in the norms for the past 4 months and he got his blood and fecal test checked about a month ago and everything was in the norms.

Thank you in advance

Dessi

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi everyone,

My beardie is 2 years old, male. He got diagnosed with renal disease when he was 9 months old and has been on Allopurinol ever since.

It seems like he is getting into brumation and is napping most of the time, he does not really want to eat and is hiding most of the time. This is the first time he is going into brumation and was not sure how to handle it since he needs his meds. I was hoping someone might have experience with this type of situations. His uric acid levels has been in the norms for the past 4 months and he got his blood and fecal test checked about a month ago and everything was in the norms.

Thank you in advance

Dessi

We need Tracie to advise on this- she's the vet tech on here
@Drache613

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is such a hard situation. I have had a dragon in the past who had gout & was on Allopurinol.
Trying to balance out brumation & meds is tricky. Since this is his first brumation, you can try to let
him rest some, but attempt to keep it at a minimum. Try to get him up & around a few days weekly,
for a few hours to get his meds into him.
I realize it isn't an optimal situation but it should be just enough to allow him some extra rest but still
get his body to process medication to some extent. Watch for any signs of swelling, or other things
like black beard or dehydration.
I am glad that he is doing well overall! Do you have any pictures of him?

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[desit0]

Hello,

That is such a hard situation. I have had a dragon in the past who had gout & was on Allopurinol.
Trying to balance out brumation & meds is tricky. Since this is his first brumation, you can try to let
him rest some, but attempt to keep it at a minimum. Try to get him up & around a few days weekly,
for a few hours to get his meds into him.
I realize it isn't an optimal situation but it should be just enough to allow him some extra rest but still
get his body to process medication to some extent. Watch for any signs of swelling, or other things
like black beard or dehydration.
I am glad that he is doing well overall! Do you have any pictures of him?

Tracie

 

[desit0]

Hi Tracie,

Thank you for the prompt reply. Thankfully, he is responding well to his medications. I have been waking him up every day for like an hour or two to bask so he can process his medication but also giving him the dose daily. Do you think it's ok if I just give him the meds a few times a week so I can let him rest more? Our vet recommended us trying to steer him away from getting into brumation if possible but I honestly don't know how to stop the process so I wanted to see if someone has been in a similar situation.

He is not completely out and not sure how exactly brumation works. Still waking up and making a few circles around his enclosure before he goes into hide and napping, looking for food and sometimes just basking and hanging out.

Is it also ok to keep on giving him baths? That has been the one thing that worked for him for keeping his uric acid in norms because its the only way he would drink any water.

I've attached a picture of Coco and btw he is your client and fan and we have chatted before through emails so I must say: thank you for your help with his health journey. It has been a tough road but you have helped us so much with advises and supplements

Thank you,
Desi

 

[Drache613]

Hello Desi!

Coco looks so sweet. Oh ok, you are up on the eastern seaboard, right? Don't want to give your
location away. I'm so happy that he is doing so well being on the meds right now.
Since you are managing a health condition, you can definitely continue to give him baths if that is
how he likes to drink! It sounds like he wont go into brumation fully & will probably be in & out so
that will be fine.
Great to see you on here!

Tracie

 

[desit0]

Hi Tracie,

Yes, that is us - your East Coast friends.

Thank you for the advise, I will continue giving him baths and meds and hopefully he is out of brumation soon.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones (and scaly friends).

Desi

 

[Drache613]

Hello Desi!

Ok, great! Happy holidays to you as well, it is coming up fast!
It makes is hard when they go into brumation, to monitor them the entire time. I'm very
happy that he is doing so well!

Tracie