Oh I'm so sorry you're dealing with this, especially during the holidays, but I totally agree with AHBD, that looks like a very serious fungal infection. Tail sheds can be very stubborn, my rescue boy did his first full-body shed with me about 4 months ago, and he ended up with a very thick portion of his tail shed from the base down about 2" that stayed for about a month, regardless of what I did. It did eventually just come off on it's own, but this also sometimes does result in bacterial and/or fungal infections.
I agree, he needs an experienced Reptile Specialist Vet, not an "exotics" vet, as he needs someone who has see this before, knows that he must absolutely do a Skin Scraping test and send it off to correctly diagnose the microbe that is causing the infection, and to also find out the specific medication that this exact infection will be sensitive to. Do not just let a vet prescribe a medication without doing a Skin Scraping test (which must be sent off to a lab for the tests to be done), because if they wer50 e to give you the wrong medication (say an Antibiotic for a fungal infection, or vice versa, or the wrong Antifungal or Antibiotic, it can make the infection spread like wildfire).
He does look quite thin, and his eyes do appear to be at the least bothered, at the worst infected, and unfortunately this is no doubt due to the 18" Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVB tube you are using. Petco signed Zilla as it's "House-Brand" early this year, and apparently since then have been making all of their products in China, no doubt on the cheap. I have several friends who used to use Zilla Desert 50 UVB tubes with no problems for years (they absolutely had to be mounted underneath any mesh lids and could not be obstructed by anything, and must be at least within 6" of the basking spot for any adequate UVB light to get to the dragon, as they have always been extremely weak but were not "harmful" prior). Unfortunately, not only both of the friends I speak of but also just last weak a member on here ( look in the Beardie ER forum under the topic heading "Sealed Eyes") who had been using the 18" Zilla Desert 50 UVB tubes, and his dragon developed such serious eye issues his vet actually had to surgically remove one eye completely, and now the other eye is doing the same thing.
Unfortunately the vet didn't spot the Zilla UVB tube as the culprit, but after doing research online we found out that at least during this past year the Zilla UVb tubes are apparently emitting harmful light rays (no doubt a by-product of the cheaper manufacturing process, just as the All Living Things brand and the Reptile One brand lights emit). So I would turn off the Zilla UVB tube immediately, he can go for a few days without any UVb light, just keep his bright white Basking Bulb on as usual, until you can run and buy a better UVb tube.
The quick fix here is just running to your nearest Petco or PetSmart and buying an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube, as it will fit right into the Zilla Slimline fixture you already have. Keep in mind that even the Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube must be mounted underneath the mesh lid and not obstructed by anything at all, and still must be within at least 6" of the Basking spot/platform to emit adequate UVB light, and must be replaced once every 6 months, as all T8 strength UVB tubes do. But they are very safe and do provide much stronger UVB light than the Zilla ever did, which is also what I'm attributing his thinness to, his appetite and energy levels should perk up considerably within a day or two of getting him under the Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube as long as it's mounted correctly, and his eyes should start to recover as well.
Again, please shut that Zilla UVB tube off immediately before his eyes and yes, his skin get worse. It's not unheard of for bad lighting to cause skin/scale issues, and at this point, after now seeing 3 cases of this myself in less than a month resulting from the Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVB tubes (one where the dragon actually lost an eyeball and had the other seriously damaged), I'm betting that the Zilla UVB tube may also be the culprit for the retained shed and the infection as well. That's why I say turn it off immediately. Also, I'd completely disinfect his entire tank inside and out, and everything in it, in very hot water and either bleach, or better yet Hibiclens, which kills everything. Then rinse and dry well, bake any rocks or wooden decor at 250 degrees for 40 minutes in your oven to kill any microbes inside the porous material, and then just put down paper towels for now.
******Also, a tip on buying an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube that will fit directly into the fixture you already have (both of my friends just did this to replace their Zilla tubes and they saved a small fortune): The retail in-store for the 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube is $37.99 at both Petco and PetSmart, but both have them on their websites for around $18, and both stores will price-match their online pricing. So just find the Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube on the Petco or PetSmart website, save the page offline or keep it up on your phone, and then bring your phone with the page up to the register, they'll honor the discount from $37.99 to $18...
I agree, he needs an experienced Reptile Specialist Vet, not an "exotics" vet, as he needs someone who has see this before, knows that he must absolutely do a Skin Scraping test and send it off to correctly diagnose the microbe that is causing the infection, and to also find out the specific medication that this exact infection will be sensitive to. Do not just let a vet prescribe a medication without doing a Skin Scraping test (which must be sent off to a lab for the tests to be done), because if they wer50 e to give you the wrong medication (say an Antibiotic for a fungal infection, or vice versa, or the wrong Antifungal or Antibiotic, it can make the infection spread like wildfire).
He does look quite thin, and his eyes do appear to be at the least bothered, at the worst infected, and unfortunately this is no doubt due to the 18" Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVB tube you are using. Petco signed Zilla as it's "House-Brand" early this year, and apparently since then have been making all of their products in China, no doubt on the cheap. I have several friends who used to use Zilla Desert 50 UVB tubes with no problems for years (they absolutely had to be mounted underneath any mesh lids and could not be obstructed by anything, and must be at least within 6" of the basking spot for any adequate UVB light to get to the dragon, as they have always been extremely weak but were not "harmful" prior). Unfortunately, not only both of the friends I speak of but also just last weak a member on here ( look in the Beardie ER forum under the topic heading "Sealed Eyes") who had been using the 18" Zilla Desert 50 UVB tubes, and his dragon developed such serious eye issues his vet actually had to surgically remove one eye completely, and now the other eye is doing the same thing.
Unfortunately the vet didn't spot the Zilla UVB tube as the culprit, but after doing research online we found out that at least during this past year the Zilla UVb tubes are apparently emitting harmful light rays (no doubt a by-product of the cheaper manufacturing process, just as the All Living Things brand and the Reptile One brand lights emit). So I would turn off the Zilla UVB tube immediately, he can go for a few days without any UVb light, just keep his bright white Basking Bulb on as usual, until you can run and buy a better UVb tube.
The quick fix here is just running to your nearest Petco or PetSmart and buying an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube, as it will fit right into the Zilla Slimline fixture you already have. Keep in mind that even the Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube must be mounted underneath the mesh lid and not obstructed by anything at all, and still must be within at least 6" of the Basking spot/platform to emit adequate UVB light, and must be replaced once every 6 months, as all T8 strength UVB tubes do. But they are very safe and do provide much stronger UVB light than the Zilla ever did, which is also what I'm attributing his thinness to, his appetite and energy levels should perk up considerably within a day or two of getting him under the Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube as long as it's mounted correctly, and his eyes should start to recover as well.
Again, please shut that Zilla UVB tube off immediately before his eyes and yes, his skin get worse. It's not unheard of for bad lighting to cause skin/scale issues, and at this point, after now seeing 3 cases of this myself in less than a month resulting from the Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVB tubes (one where the dragon actually lost an eyeball and had the other seriously damaged), I'm betting that the Zilla UVB tube may also be the culprit for the retained shed and the infection as well. That's why I say turn it off immediately. Also, I'd completely disinfect his entire tank inside and out, and everything in it, in very hot water and either bleach, or better yet Hibiclens, which kills everything. Then rinse and dry well, bake any rocks or wooden decor at 250 degrees for 40 minutes in your oven to kill any microbes inside the porous material, and then just put down paper towels for now.
******Also, a tip on buying an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube that will fit directly into the fixture you already have (both of my friends just did this to replace their Zilla tubes and they saved a small fortune): The retail in-store for the 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube is $37.99 at both Petco and PetSmart, but both have them on their websites for around $18, and both stores will price-match their online pricing. So just find the Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube on the Petco or PetSmart website, save the page offline or keep it up on your phone, and then bring your phone with the page up to the register, they'll honor the discount from $37.99 to $18...
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