Dude needs help. - R.I.P.

[Rachella]

Hello everyone!

It's been a loooong while since I've posted anything in these forums, kinda miss the place. And the reasons for my return could not be more shameful.

Real life has a way of catching up and forcing things on you, and it's because of all these distractions that my care of my beloved beardies has been much less than up to par. As a result, they are suffering. Our newest addition Gunz and our sweetheart Girl seem to be recooperating just fine.

However, my beloved Dude seems to be needing a lot of extra help. He's becoming thinner and thinner despite his feedings. His hip bones are sticking out very noticeably and he has no noticeable fat pads.

I've been feeding my beardies superworms lately, and he gobbles down about 2 or 3 per feeding (I -try- to do up to 2 feedings a day). I've been extra careful feeding him as I don't want him to get sick and throw it all back up. He's having bowel movements with the worms.

Last night when I got home from Christmas, I noticed he was sleeping in a different spot than usual with his beard, shoulders and some of his chest pitch -black-. I haven't seen him blackbeard in agggeeees. This morning close inspection revealed his eyes had sunken in a lot, almost terrifying to see. And when he was picked up he was really weak. Still moving, just without much strength behind his movements.

I plan on snagging up some pedialyte to mix in with some baby food to give him. Some green beans and maybe chicken baby food. I'm also planning on cutting back on the superworms for him for now, and to try and bathe him at least once or twice a day as opposed to a week.

My first and immediate reaction was to take him to a vet, but I quite -literally- do not have money for it. I blame not only the holidays, but cut back hours at work. There isn't much I can do for him, and it's very frustrating to know that not only can I help him more, but that I was a cause of this due to shameful, sheer neglect.

I really hope to help him pull through and restore him to his former, big guy health. Any and all help & advice would be appreciated.

 

[fez09]

Sorry to hear that Dude isn't feeling well, can you run through your setup with us.
What is your UVB and temps? Is he pooping every day? What type of substrate is he on?

 

[Rachella]

He uses a Megaray bulb. His cool side temps range from high 60's to about mid 70s. His warm side temps range from high 80's to mid-to-high 90s (depending on time of day and room temperature). He doesn't poop everyday and never has for the three years I've had him. My beardies have always tended to poop about.. 3 or 4 times a week, and it's just something I've accepted as a quirk as they seem to be okay with it. His substrate is sand and I am fully well aware of the dangers of using sand, but I do take necessary precautions with it. His environment has remained largely unchanged for the past year or so.

I don't believe this is a result of any of the specifications on his setup, but merely through my own sheer neglect. For the past few months I've been unable to care for them as I used to, and they've suffered because of it. Less feedings, less waterings, less handling.

I really wish I could take him to a vet. It's very scary to look at him now. He's still moving around, as he's changed spots since I last checked in on him, but he's still blackbearded and his eyes are of course still sunken in.

I plan on giving him some pedialyte mixed with baby food green beans for the next few days, 2-3 times a day. This is entirely guesswork on my part. I don't know how -much- pedialyte to mix in with the baby food, or how much to give him. He usually loves green beans, and enjoys baby food. I don't know of anything else I can do.

 

[Rachella]

I gave Dude a warm bath, and the poor guy tried so hard to drink but had a tough time keeping his head up. Afterwards I wrapped him up and held him, and he did this weird twisting thing in the towel, much like you'd see a crocodile or alligator do when they got ahold of something. Twisting his whole body around. I assumed he wanted out, so I loosened it up really good and from then on he just laid in there. He looks super weak. The black of his beard is the darkest I've ever seen it, spreading down to his chest and past his shoulders towards his arms. It's been black since last night at least. He -never- blackbeards. I'm so worried.

In lieu of this, I had one of my paranoid moments and ended up renovating his entire tank. I cleaned it out, took all of his sand -out- so I wouldn't worry about him twisting around in it again in case it was more of a "get out of the towel" type movement. I put down a regular towel and paper napkins on top, as well as adjusted the height of his basking rock.

He's laying in there now resting. He sometimes moves and turns around, but for the most part remains unchanged. I will be getting the pedialyte and baby food in a couple of hours and bringing it home to him, I hope he'll eat it. I'm afraid to disturb him too much, as I don't want him to expend too much energy.

Again, I'm not sure how much pedialyte to mix in with the baby food.I plan on giving him mostly the green bean baby food and maybe a single superworm today, just to try and make everything easier on him.

 

[Rachella]

Okay, just tried feeding him some green bean baby food with pedialyte mixed in. He ate.. -maybe-.. a quarter of a millimeter. Not much at all. He didn't really seem too enthusiastic about it, and I don't know if I should try prying his mouth open or if that'd just cause him unnecessary stress. I'm going to try one more time tonight and then let him sleep.

On a good note, despite how weak he is, he still manages to try and headbob. Makes me wanna cry. I really hope I can find out a way to make him more receptive to this pedialyte/baby food mix. Should I still attempt to give him a hornworm or not if he'll take it?

 

[Grogshla]

get your basking temp up to 110. Get a reptisun 10.0 or arcaria 12 tube. They are better.

Don't feed worms feed small to medium crickets they are soft shell and lots of protein.

 

[mickeysmomma]

If you have a vet near by, maybe you can go purcahse some powdered Crital Care food for him. I had to give some to my Louie when she had eggs and didn't eat for weeks. It fattened her up pretty quickly and this bag has laster FOREVER.

I would keep bathing him, and also giving him some liquid calcium. You can always use the dry calcium powder, and add some water too it...not the ideal way, but at least you know he is getting some.

Both of these will require youto either squirt directly into his mouth, or drip it on his nose and let him lick it off. I know it isn't the funnest thing to do, but it's over so quickly,then he can go right back to resting.

Has he pooped recently?? He could have paracites....



Hopefully every day will see an improvement.

I am glad to hear you took out the sand.

 

[fez09]

I'm glad that you got rid of the sand too, it's not just impaction that causes concern, it's bacteria. If you haven't been keeping up with feedings and waterings then I'm sure the cleaning hasn't been on schedule either. I would say he needs a fecal asap. Keep up with the daily baths and babyfood with his vitamins for now, a little bit is better than nothing. How old is his MVB? That may need replaced...Good luck, continue to keep us posted.

 

[AHBD]

Sounds like he was slowly starving to death, also dehydrated. If he was eating superworms before and still having regular b.m.'s I would give him a small hornworm.Since the hornworms are so soft bodied, I would go ahead and give him one if he has the strength to chew.

 

[quigleysmom]

I would get chicken or turkey stage one baby food to mix in with the green beans. They also make a squash one you could mix in with it too. If you can get to a vet it would be great. In the mean time the is a product called repti-aid that petsmart carries I would mix it with the baby food and calcium and give this to your beardie 2 to 3 times per day along with daily baths. Again a vet would be highly recommended. Good luck and I hope Dude fees better soon.

 

[discojan]

I agree with earlier poster that the temps seem low. Depending on the size of your dragon, the basking temp should be 100-110 degrees (100-105 for older beardies, 105-110 for younger ones). It's hard for these guys to digest their food when the temps are so low. Also s/he needs UVB light. I'm no expert, but from what I've read on other threads, the squirming could be indicative of a lack of calcium or the beginnings of MBD.

It's good you changed the substrate--paper towels are much easier to clean. Have you tried dropping some water on your dragon's nose? If his or her eyes are sunken, your critter is probably dehydrated. If you have a heating pad at home, you might wrap it in a towel or soft pillow case and let your dragon rest on it to warm up/stimulate digestion. Also it might help ease pain your dragon is experiencing.If you dragon doesn't want to drink straight water, you might boil an apple, sweet potato, or some kind of winter squash and either blend to make a smoothie or use the flavored (and nutrient-enhanced) juices to feed your dragon.

I hope your dragon feels better soon, but I must say a vet visit sounds like it is in order. Good luck!

 

[AHBD]

Yes, the higher temps. are CRITICAL. Also, just give short baths for him to drink....no more than 5-6 minutes...this is stressful in itself for him no doubt, and then pat him dry quickly. No need to hold him, even a healthy dragon would be cold after a bath, they need to go straight back in the heated enclosure.

 

[Rachella]

The light he uses is a Megaray, which is a MVB bulb and from what I understand, unless research has indicated otherwise in the past year or so, is better than a regular UVB bulb.

I can try to get the temperatures up by adding a regular housebulb for heat. I only hesitated to do so before because it's been a temperature they've all enjoyed for the past few years I've had them, and they tend to shy away from anything too warmer.

..I don't think he's going to make it though. I'm not giving up on him, but this morning he is in a -much- weaker state. I don't even dare to put him in a bath right now, but we did trickle some water over his nose. He didn't drink any of it. He lays limp when he's picked up, and he's doing weird things with his mouth. He'll open it up -just a little- and leave it there, and while this -sounds- like it'd be a good thing, for some reason I don't think it is. I put some baby food/pedialyte mixture on his tongue and I don't think he even has the strength to swallow it.

I'm not sure what to do. I think he swallowed one tiny bit, but he keeps opening his mouth like that and just -leaving- it, like he can't close it. I keep putting food on it when it does, but I wonder if he's having a hard time breathing? I'm afraid he won't be able to swallow it and end up -choking- on it. He did for a moment flare up his beard with an audible inhale of breath, but immediately went back down again. His eyes are barely open.

I appreciate all of the advice given so far. I quite literally do not have the money to take him to a vet, though, otherwise that would've been the first thing I did. When I -did- have money, I wouldn't hesitate. I took him to the vet once because of cricket eggs in his poop making me panic.

I don't know what to do with a lizard that's too weak to -eat-. I'm beginning to wonder if it's also something internal, as three days ago he definitely wasn't looking so bad. It was like we woke up and he'd deteriorated overnight. When his mouth opened, he had saliva? I guess sticking from the top teeth to the bottom teeth. His tongue doesn't look as pink anymore, either.

I just don't know what to do. I'm going to keep trying to see if he'll swallow some food.

 

[AHBD]

Very sad....the months of being run down have taken a toll. Not to sound discouraging, but when they are too weak to eat or hold their head up, plus black beard and open mouth breathing it sounds like he is not going to make it. You are right, no baths in that state....even a very experienced vet probably couldn't save him. At the same time, where there's life, there's hope. But sounds like a combo of problems and a possible resp. infection.....further weakening an emaciated dragon.

 

[Rachella]

I don't believe he's going to make it. He's just laying there, weak as can be. We expect him to stop breathing anytime now. It's killing us. My fiance is holding him as I can't even bear to look at him in such a state. He's crying and I'm trying really hard not to. We don't even have the money to get him humanely euthanized at a vet. The only thing we can do is watch. I feel so horrible, so guilty that I wasn't able to notice any signs or symptoms beforehand, that I let this happen to my wonderful Dude, the most laid-back chill guy ever and my first beardie. To see him in such a state is breaking our hearts.