Dying Lizard :/

[Pleaides]

ok ive PMed diamc, tracie, zebrafalvencs and beardie osk, hopefully someone wont be long to reply.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He doesn't look comfortable at all. How often is he opening & closing his mouth, often or just every once in awhile?
Does he open his eyes at all right now?
How MUCH food are you giving him & how often are you feeding him?
When was the last time he went to the bathroom, do you remember? Sometimes the medication messes with their system quite a bit & can screw up their intestinal processes too.
Which antibiotic is he on & what is the dosage of it? Do you know the concentration of it?

Tracie

 

[diamc]

I agree that he looks very uncomfortable. He also looks VERY bloated. Filling us in on how much food & how often you're doing it would be helpful. About how long does it take for you to do one of the feedings, 5 minutes, 1/2 hr? Does he seem to be swallowing when you're doing the tube feeding or does it seem like he is just about choking the whole time? Do you have any probiotics on hand, even soy yogurt?

*Edit: I just read back through all your posts and noticed that you never mentioned that you're using any type of thermometer at all. That is critical because if he isn't digesting properly, he is going to be able to poop either. You really need to get either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end asap. Since he is in only a 10 gallon, that small size tank makes it just about impossible to get the temps right to allow him to thermo-regulate properly. Is the 50 watt basking bulb you're using now a flood light or spot light? Is it a reptile basking bulb and is it a white or colored bulb?

Also, what did you end up doing about the UVB, is the 2.0 coil turned on or off now? Were you able to order a Repti-Sun 10.0 fluorescent bulb? Did you remove the crushed walnut shells?

 

[daggerz]

@ Pleaides: Thank you!

@ Tracie/diamc: He only opened it once last night and once this morning. He opens one eye again. Would it hurt him to continue with the saline in his eyes? We're giving him up to the 3 on the syringe/tube (sorry, don't know the proper term for that number...) and we're giving that to him 4 times a day, every 4-6 hours (what the doctor told us to do). It only takes us about 3 minutes to do it. He seems like he's doing both choking and swallowing. Is that normal? Or is it a sign of overfeeding? We skipped a feeding last night because of his problem. He went to the bathroom the day we took him to the vet (Tuesday morning), but he JUST went a few hours ago, so that's good... He is on (I think it says) Baytril & we give him 0.2cc of that once a day. No, we don't have any soy yogurt. What does that do? No, we don't have a thermometer. I think it's a spotlight? It's a basking bulb. The long one that we had on before? I took it off and put the new one (basking one) on because it wasn't warming him up at all; it was more like a regular light. We still have the walnut shells, but he stays on his log most of the time.
I have a heating pad for my gecko that I put on the bottom of her cage. Would that help Spike if I got one for him? Would it help with his digestion any? Or is it a bad idea?

Here's a picture of him with his mouth open; he only opens for a few seconds to a minute: http://s721.photobucket.com/albums/ww220/L-and-N-Photography/Spike/?action=view&current=SANY2335.jpg
Here's the stuff we are using: http://s721.photobucket.com/albums/ww220/L-and-N-Photography/Spike/?action=view&current=SANY2330.jpg

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I think perhaps you should decrease the amount of the feeding at the moment until we figure out what is going on. Maybe just feed 2 times per day until we get this problem fixed.
How is his breathing doing today?
Overfeeding can cause bloating & if he is not going to the bathroom regularly that will cause bloating.
The Baytril dosage looks ok, but how much does he weigh? The soy yogurt will help his tummy if he is having intestinal upset & while he is on the meds.
What are his temps in his tank? You do need a thermometer otherwise, you cannot monitor his temps & as Diane said he wouldn't be able to digest his food properly either.
The basking light, is it a white one or a colored light? A regular lightbulb is fine. You can use a floodlight or a spotlight.
The long tube bulb, would be the UVB light. You will need to get a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb for a better UVB light for him.
No, it is fine to continue using the saline solution in his eyes, that is no problem.
Please let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[daggerz]

Yeah, I think that's what we're going to do, feed him 2 times a day.
He's breathing mostly normal; though, when we pick him up or bathe him he seems to be breathing heavily. Maybe it's because he's scared/nervous?
It's a tan color. I don't know if the pictures show it that well.
I have a heating pad for my gecko that I put on the bottom of her cage. Would that help Spike if I got one for him? Would it help with his digestion any? Or is it a bad idea?

 

[spurlee01]

I've always heard that heating pads are a no-no. Beardies don't sense heat from below so they can be burned especially if it malfunctions. Until you get a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun we won't know if he is warm enough to digest properly.
Sara

 

[Pleaides]

hey
i hope he starts feeling better really soon for both your sakes, i understand how heartbreaking it can be when a very loved pet is sick.
i agree heat rocks are known to give burns as the dragon cannot feel the heat underneath them, however you could try a beardie burrito, cannot remember how to do them now though so hopefully someone will know and explain for you.
good luck and keep us posted!

 

[daggerz]

We just tube-fed him and there's a problem.
He's not digesting for sure.
A mealworm that we gave him on I believe Monday came up as we were feeding him, but he swallowed it back down.
Now what?
How much are those temperature things?

 

[beardie osk]

Hello daggerz,

Anny/pleaides pm'ed me, and I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner, but it looks like your getting great help from Tracie and Diane. I'm so glad that your answering all of Tracie's questions, because she's very well versed in critical care of beardies.
I'm glad your cutting down on the feedings for a while, and that he had a bm, we just need to get him through this difficult time.

As far as the heat rock, you should never use them with the beardies, they can burn and are not dependable with their heat fluctuations. There are heating pads that you can purchase that stick on the outside of the tank, some put them on the side, others on the bottom.
Beardies can go as low as 60 degrees at night, and it's good for them to do that, however when they are ill, it may be beneficial to keep them a little warmer than usual so the pad on the tank can work. HOWEVER, YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL THAT THERE ARE LAYERS OF NEWSPAPERS/PAPER TOWEL ABOVE THE PAD IN THE VIV, WHEN YOU PUT YOU HAND ON TOP OF THE LAYERED PAD IT SHOULD ONLY FEEL WARM NOT VERY WARM OR HOT. I have used these with both my boys d/t their illness, and they have worked well.

But more than that, you MUST purchase a digital thermometer (they sell them at Walmart for 12 or 13 dollars), to monitor his basking area and cool side. This is so important for digestion, and now with him ill it's even more critical.

The burrito wrap that Anny mentioned will not have any effect on warmth, because beardie's are cold blooded. But it's a great hold for feeding, and cuddling. If you use the wrap and put him on your chest, then he'll get your heat and warmth. I usually just put my beardies on my t-shirt, and they get nice and warm, I save the "wrap" for syringe feeding.

This may not show a full veiw of the burrito wrap, but you can see that their arms are restrained so you can feed, etc. I usually just start with one edge under the belly with their hands at the top curled over the edge on the first layer, and keep wrapping until I'm at the other end of the linen cloth, then walah......burrito wrap! It truely looks like a bean burrito wrap that you would eat. :laughing6:

I hope things are going well, I know this is a scary time, but your doing well, so keep up the good work, please keep us posted, we're all here,

I just read your last post, don't worry about the meal worm, he's just not digesting well, the temps may be off, so the digital thermometer will be good.

Bugs and hugs, :love5:

 

[zebraflavencs]

Yes indeedy, Amee called in the troops !

Okay do you by chance have a Walmart or Lowes Or any hardware store close ?
If so, you will want to go and get a probe therm or a temp gun so you can indeed measure accurate temps. This is terribly critical for this guy, seeing as he is having major difficulties.
Also, no no on heat pads, or rocks.
Next, probiotics (soy yogurt) is almost essential for keeping the stomach bacteria balanced with the medications.

How is he doing today ? How much has he eaten ? Has he poo'd yet ?

We are all here for you, and your dragon. Take a deep breath, slowly release. You must remain calm, as your dragon can pick up on your emotions !
Keep us posted !
Thanks again Ams !
Janie.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Any updates for us? How is he doing today?
I hope he is doing better.

Tracie

 

[zebraflavencs]

Edit:
Meant Anny !
Janie.

 

[daggerz]

He's still opening and closing his mouth randomly (i have a link to a picture of it somewhere).
We fed him, like I said, and the worm came up.
He keeps his head up after we feed him. Does that mean he's trying to keep his food down?
He's leaned against the tank so he can keep his head up when he's trying to sleep.
He's randomly sliding off his log, but maybe that's because he's falling asleep?
Is it bad to put mulch bedding on the bottom instead of the walnut shells?

 

[diamc]

Here's a picture of the digital thermometer with probe that we're talking about that costs about $12.00. It should be in the area of the store where the plastic thermometers are sold, at least that's where it is in our Walmart. It comes in a transparent plastic package.

It is critical that you find out what the temperatures really are, important to know if they are too hot or too cold, especially when he has some other issues going on too. I will explain how to use it so you can check the temps as soon as you get it. You will need to also pick up a triple A battery. After you have inserted the battery, place the probe end so that it is resting on (actually touching) the basking log or rock and place the thermometer part on the floor of the opposite end, wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising, then the "out" reading will be for the basking & the "in" reading for the cool side. It also has a humidity readout that is also helpful to know.

Since he is in only a 10 gallon tank, a spot light or flood light may be too hot in such a small tank, which can cause all sorts of other issues, like rapid dehydration, possible seizures, heat stroke, etc. That's why you must find out what the true temps are. With a 10 gallon tank, you should really only need about a 75 watt or at the most, a 100 watt. It depend on how high he is on his basking area to the basking bulb and also what the room temps are. You can even use a standard household light bulb for the basking bulb.

When he had a poop today, was there very much or only a small amount? Was there a white part (the urates) and also a brown part? If the white part was hard like chalk, rubbery or quite yellow in color, that means he is dehydrated. Did you notice if there was any sand or walnut shells passed today? I suggest you don't use any type of loose substrate at all because there is the chance that he has ingested some and is impacted. You would be better off with paper towels, non-adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet or slate tiles. It might be a good idea to put some big fluffy towels around his basking log in case he falls off his log and that will prevent him from getting hurt.

It's possible that he has some more mealworms in his throat area or some that have not been digested that are causing even more stomach upset. Here's some info about soy yogurt that you should be able to find in your grocery store. http://www.stonyfield.com/OurProducts/AllNaturalCulturedSoy.cfm Antibiotics kill off the good gut flora which can cause vomiting, nausea, excess saliva, stomach pain, etc just like us humans experience from antibiotics. So, giving a probiotic like the soy yogurt, Acidophiliz+, Benebac, etc. helps restore the good gut flora which in turn calms the stomach down. He may be sitting upright with his head like that because he feels very nauseous from the antibiotics so the sooner you can start giving a probiotic, the better. Cutting back to 2 times a day of the tube feedings is a good idea until he gets straightened out. Please be sure to not offer any more mealworms or any other live food right now. Please keep us updated and let us know if you have any questions.