Concernee with my 6-7yo beardie

[Thel1ght]

So the last year has been rough on my end and in result has led to some negligence and or inability to care as diligently as I once did prior to that.
Most importantly i hadnt changed out the uvb10.0 bulb for close to 2 years... smh
For the last 3 or 4 months ive been noticing symptoms of MBD with her as shes been sluggish with front limbs when she trys chasing crickets. (Never thought id let it come to this ?)
Ive begun being more diligent once again, with her tank maintenance, food, lighting temps etc...
A while back i was hoping i could help reverse this matter.
Over the last 6 days shes become completely imobile... (as far as moving from where she is) shes still very alert and is intrigued with food but isnt moving her position too much... I immediately brought her in to the Vet following the holiday after caring for her vigilantly over the weekend in distress.
To my suprise after a brief check up the vet said she looks good other than her lacking the VD
I wasnt able to bring a poop sample and he didnt do any blood tests but said her bone mass and overall condition felt good.
He basically said try to bring her uvb down lower ans trying getting her our in direct natural sunlight daily as much as possible and her condition should improve over thw coming weeks.

I found that a tad overly simple of a prescription but ok...

The other thing is tho she gapes and closes her mouth quite often throughout thr day, even in her sleep.... and shell occasionally twist her neck down and around as if in discomfort or cramped... although of course she did none of this while at the vet. (This was tough to watch over the past weekend. Hate seeing her like this and especially due to my own negligence. ?

Is there any way i can reassure shes getting enough uvb in her tank? I have a standard 40g breeder with a basking lamp and a new reptisun10.0 ive been trying to figure out how i can set it up to hang lower in the tank but to no avail.

Any thoughts on the matter would be helpful thx in advance.

 

[Thel1ght]

Here is a photo of how i have the uvb light over her cage and a video clip of said movements.

https://youtu.be/5bTP-Q6_0QE

 

[AHBD]

Seems like she's choking on something + trying to get it down. She isn't producing mucous though ? Possible resp. infection but I'm leaning towards something in her throat. How was she being hydrated ? Offer water via syringe, eyedropper or spray bottle directly in her mouth [ not forcefully ] Add a bit of calcium powder too if she's not getting much food.

And I agree that you should get her out in the sun. Poor girl, hopefully she'll bounce back ASAP.

 

[Gormagon]

Wow! That was hard to watch. I agree with AHBD, it looked like she was struggling to swallow something.I believe she could bounce back from this but you are going to have to be diligent with her feeding, watering and her over all care. You need to get her out in the real sun in the morning and evening for about 20 to30 minutes every day and keep her hydrated. This is sad in more ways than one. Such a pretty girl.

 

[Thel1ght]

Yes very difficult to watch and see indeed. I was by her side all weekend, tending to her, adjust her positions, feeding her papayas and the occasional cricket dusted.
Im not sure shes choking on on anything tho...i dont see anything as far back as I can see in her mouth unless its something further in. I made sure she took all the tidbits of food i did give her recently.... and yes she is such a beautiful sweeeet girl.
I used to take her on rides in the car, harnessed and pearched on my shoulder, shed never leave my shoulder....
Id also regularly take her outside in the summer for bask sessions... ?
Im going to do my best and more! Ill keep you guys posted!

 

[Thel1ght]

Yea no mucus or discharge of any sort btw....

 

[CooperDragon]

Is there anything stuck under her tongue or in her beard? Maybe a stem from a green or something like that?

 

[Varalidaine]

It seems to me more like a nuerological thing, like a twitch. Whenever my cat would turn her head too far to one side, she would start twitching like mad. She could just have some sort of nuerological damage either from genetics or possibly ADV?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is a hard one to watch, poor girl.
Could she have hurt her beard by chance? Are any other parts on her going through any twitching movements?
It could be neurological, perhaps. You can get the 3M Command hooks to get the Reptisun 10 tube mounted underneath of the screen. It looks like it is too far from her right now.
How often do you give calcium for her?

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

VERY NAUGHTY !
I hope you have learnt your lesson and look after her properly from now on.

Not sure about what would be causing the "choke" or throat stretching .... kinda looks like skin stretching prior to a shed but could be something else. Is she showing any other symptoms ?

Regarding VitD deficiency and MBD , a very good high intensity (minimum of 10%UVB or even a 14%UVB tube or MVB are going be needed for her I think as well lots of time in bright natural sunlight to boost her metabolism and her VitD.

If she's not eating a lot I recommend maybe getting some BugPie (made from phoenix worms) and this will help with her calcium deficiency, or maybe include live phoenix worms (large size) in her diet (give them daily for a while)
Also perhaps buy a bottle CalciVet solution , this is very nice tasting (sweet) solution that contains heaps of calcium , you dose by the lizards weight and give orally by syringe if the lizard isn't a drinker.

 

[AHBD]

That's not a pre-shed stretch or anything neurological, she is just looking straight ahead as she opens her mouth in discomfort, like there's a small piece of something stuck in her throat or possibly even a small growth. How far can you see down her throat and if she is still doing, have the vet look down.

Has she has anything to drink lately ?

 

[Thel1ght]

No other part of her is twitching, ive looked down her throat numerous times, the vet opened her open to look in it briefly and said she didnt seem like she had any calcium deficiency. She has always gotten water regularly via the dripper method as much as she can drink until shes no longer interested. I will look into those 3m hooks asap thanks. As far as how often i give her calcium she has always gotten the grunt of it from food sources as well as the occaisional cricket dusting. Ive had her roughly 7 years and she was thriving healthy and vibrantly up until these past 5-6 months due to my unintentional neglect during the past year and a half... im deeply troubled and dissapointed in my actions or lack there... I work 8-8 i get to go for a little under 2 hours betweem that time. Im going to rectify her uvb lighting for closer range and be as diligent as possible to get her in the sun daily especially on weekends... ?
Shes such a sweetheart, and if i have it my way she will return back to her glory if it kills me.

 

[Varalidaine]

I'm glad you seem so determined to help fix the mistake.

She might benefit from daily slurries, just to help boost everything. This is the mix I give my dragon every day:

1. 1/4 Teaspoon Pangea (any flavor. My dragon LOVES the taste of this stuff and will eat anything mixed in it). I'll be getting this one after I finish my current bag because it's made with organic insects and fruit instead of all fruit, so it suits a dragon a little more: http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/pangea-fruit-mix-with-insects.html
2. 1/4 Teaspoon Repashy Grub Pie or Veggie Burger or SuperVeggie - This is to give a little extra protein and veggies instead of having an all fruit-based slurry: http://www.store.repashy.com/superveggie-4-oz-bag.html
3. One tiny scoop of Milk Thistle Seed Powder - Helps detoxify the liver, boosts-immune function, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties: http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=623
4. Tiny pinch Sugar Free Electrolyte powder (you can always follow the solution instructions on the packaging, but it makes too much for my little dragon and I was wasting a lot so I just do a teeny pinch) - Helps with keeping them hydrated and also contains water soluble B vitamins to boost energy metabolism: http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=255
5. Serrapeptase - To get the dose, take your dragons weight and divide by 1000. For example, my dragons weighs 327g, so 327/1000 =.327, and that's how many mL he gets, .327mL. Serrapeptase is one of those magic things that helps everything, but it thins mucous for respiratory infections and helps prevent bacterial infections in the lungs. It also reduces inflammation so things can heal properly and are less painful, and it digests non-living tissue and breaks down fibrin in scar tissue. : http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=399
6. 1 drop Vitamin B - boosts energy metabolism and aids in muscle and nerve function and growth. : http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=251
7. Tiny Scoop Bee Pollen - Another wonder supplement, only substance in the world that contains every element in the human body. Essentially an all-natural multi-vitamin and super drug. Also helps immune system function. He gets this added in 3 days a week. http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=272
8. Collodial Silver - I follow the directions on the package, but the place I buy from no longer sells it, so if are interested in it, I would PM Drache as she works with the stuff in helping find a cure for ADV and is great with helping figure out a dosage. Collodial Silver is one of those cure-all remedies, it's ionically very small, so it can absorb directly into the blood stream and organ tissue instead of having to pass through the gut. A lot of people will use it in a nebulizer when dragons have URI's. I use it as it has given some dragons a negative ADV test result when given on a schedule, and my dragon is ADV positive. He gets 15 days in a row, then gets the rest of the month off.
9. Probiotics - I give .25ml per 100g body weight because my dragon is recovering from medication, but healthy dragons can have just .1ml for daily use while sick ones up to .4ml for a shorter period. Probioitcs are great when dragons have things like ADV destroying their healthy cells or are on medication. It's also just a good daily thing to take, as most people could use more good gut bacteria: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Acid.html
10. Tiny Scoop Alfalfa powder - Added in just so he always gets some good greens in him as he doesn't really like salad: http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=135
11. Filtered water mixed to achieve desired consistency. I like a little on the thin side as it's easier to get out of the syringe and drip into their mouth.
Supplies I use:
Tiny Scoop (this is what I mean for the Bee Pollen, Alfalfa, etc.): http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=327
3ml Feeding Syringe: http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=294

I KNOW that all seems like a lot, but my guy has ADV, so I have to treat him like a special needs dragon. And you can always cherry pick from what you have and what's available to you. Beardeddragon.co is SUPER cheap, so that's a great place to order from. But a daily slurry with bee pollen and serrapeptase might really help your girl. Those are probably the first two I would try to give an over-all immune system and vitamin boost and then go from there. For the base slurry, you can always try the Fluker's ReptAid, which they sell at Petco, if that's all that's available to you. I just mix because my dragon loves Pangea but I don't want him having so much fruit.

Let me know if you have questions!

 

[Thel1ght]

Thanks for the insightful post i will be looking into it...

So in this past week I havent seen any real improvement. The head movememtd have subdued a bit but shes just been very uninterested in general.
There were a few days where she entertained food (peas, crickets, papaya,) but even so it was hand fed, she doesnt seem interested in anyway shape or form to want to use her arms. I have both lowered her uvb light so it now sights 6-8inches above her and ive also brought her outside with me to bask on my knee while i read 30-45 minutes.....
Whats the likelyhood that shes simultaneously dealing with going into brumation and that the process is making it difficult to assess? Do beardies all generally brumate at the same time of year?

 

[Thel1ght]

Heading back to the vet tomm. She doesnt seem to want to keep her eyes open and ive narrowed down her mouth gaping and neck agjusting to anytime she consumes anything, even now when i try to give her water its almost as if shes choking or struggles to take it.... this is depressing to say the least ??