Egg binding- what can the vet really do?

[NorstatX]

My wife breeds bearded dragons and she has her first egg bound dragon. Let's just assume that my wife did everything right. The dragon is healthy, has enough nutrients to lay, and is definitely egg bound. I can't answer all the questions I see people ask on here about weight and temperatures, etc. This is her thing, not mine.

But I don't want to see her get her hopes up and spend a ton of money trying to fix a dragon that can't be saved. The way she explains it, reptile veterinary care is limited at best and she has done "everything there is to do" for an egg bound dragon except take her to the vet. But what can the vet do? Is there a surgical option?

I have seen the dragon she is concerned about and I do agree there is something wrong, but what EXACTLY does the vet ACTUALLY do to get the eggs out? Shots, surgery, massage, probing? And honey, if you see this, I told you I was going to ask around for advice! :mrgreen:

 

[Gail]

Surgery is a option but I'm sure there are other things to try first. As long as the dragon is still healthy and not distressed to badly, there is no reason she can't be saved. Reptile medicine has come a long way in the last few years, just make sure to find a qualified vet.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

The vet can administer fluids, and medicines that may help. Surgery may be the only option.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Are you using a UVB light & calcium supplementation?
If she is truly egg bound, if it is an early caught case, she has almost 100% chance of it getting resolved. The longer it goes unchecked, the less chances she will have of surviving depending on the severity of it.
I would say to get some x-rays to see how bad the egg binding is, first to determine a course of action.

Tracie

 

[RinsReptiles]

Hi NorstatX,

I joined this forum specifically so that I could respond to your inquiry. I recently went through this with my female - she was egg bound and my vet was able to do surgery to remove the bound eggs (and spay her). This procedure was quite expensive, however it is 8 weeks post surgery and my little girl has recovered 100%. My vet had said without the surgery she would not have made it. I would be more than happy to give you more information on my personal experience. Just know, one of the biggest reasons that my girl DID make it through surgery is that I realized almost immediately that there was a problem and she was in surgery within hours.