RioReptiles
Sub-Adult Member
I don't know if anyone has experienced this first hand, but I lost a very loved dragon to egg yolk peritonitis yesterday and feel I should try to make everyone more aware of how to identify the problem early on if possible. The scary part is that it can happen to any female whether she is bred or not and can go unnoticed until it is too late. Cooper was almost 800 grams at her peak, a huge female who had layed clutches before and seemed to be a pro. Her last clutch was 31 eggs, 29 of which were good and have all hatched successfully. I left to go out of town on Friday and she was a little low on weight but was eating regularly and basking daily. My husband texted me saying she wasn't feeling well on Saturday but I had no idea her beard was black and she was lethargic, he left that part out 
. When I got home late Sunday night she was tucked in, wrapped in a blanket and I didn't get a good look at her. When I woke up Monday and saw her black beard, the fat pads on her head were sunken in and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in months. I immediately called the vet and made an appointment for after lunch and made her a warm bath. I could feel a hard lump in her belly that seemed unusally large and very hard. Maybe she got dehydrated, ate too much and was impacted, something wasn't right. She pooped a little after that but was listless and going down hill fast. I ran to the store to get greens before the vet appointment and when I got home she was barely with us. I scooped her up and ran to the vets office, tears in my eyes, knowing she didn't have a chance. She was my husbands baby and I felt for his loss, having lost my favorite dragon only a month ago to cancer. The vet speculated about possible diagnosis of the lump and checked her heart beat. We decided to help her passing and make it a little easier for her and the vet said she would be happy to let me know what the lump was later if I donated her to the hospital so she wouldn't have to charge me. I asked if I could watch and she checked her appointments, after a few moments she came back with gloves on and scalpels, turned her on her back and made the cut. It was huge, the size of a flattened chicken egg almost an inch thick and two or more inches long. What started as a tiny egg yolk was being rejected by her body and had layer upon layer of protective tissue around it, it even had a blood vessel going through it. All her organs were inflammed and the room smelled of egg yolk, the fluid was throughout her thoracic cavity. She never had a chance. Maybe if for some reason I had taken her in a couple months ago and we found it by accident, surgery could have been done, but it was a chance in a million and it sucks it had to be her. I'm only telling this to everyone because I had to know for the sake of others and possible prevention somewhere down the road. I would have gladly paid $1000 to fix her if I had the chance, if I would have caught it sooner somehow. I will be feeling my girls abdomens and educating myself whenever possible about what lumps should be there and what lumps shouldn't. If you have a girl that has recently layed, fertile or infertile, start checking them regularly. Hopefully this will help someone, someday, and save a favored dragon. Our house feels very empty, even with almost 30 dragons, and will never be the same.
Cheryl
. When I got home late Sunday night she was tucked in, wrapped in a blanket and I didn't get a good look at her. When I woke up Monday and saw her black beard, the fat pads on her head were sunken in and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in months. I immediately called the vet and made an appointment for after lunch and made her a warm bath. I could feel a hard lump in her belly that seemed unusally large and very hard. Maybe she got dehydrated, ate too much and was impacted, something wasn't right. She pooped a little after that but was listless and going down hill fast. I ran to the store to get greens before the vet appointment and when I got home she was barely with us. I scooped her up and ran to the vets office, tears in my eyes, knowing she didn't have a chance. She was my husbands baby and I felt for his loss, having lost my favorite dragon only a month ago to cancer. The vet speculated about possible diagnosis of the lump and checked her heart beat. We decided to help her passing and make it a little easier for her and the vet said she would be happy to let me know what the lump was later if I donated her to the hospital so she wouldn't have to charge me. I asked if I could watch and she checked her appointments, after a few moments she came back with gloves on and scalpels, turned her on her back and made the cut. It was huge, the size of a flattened chicken egg almost an inch thick and two or more inches long. What started as a tiny egg yolk was being rejected by her body and had layer upon layer of protective tissue around it, it even had a blood vessel going through it. All her organs were inflammed and the room smelled of egg yolk, the fluid was throughout her thoracic cavity. She never had a chance. Maybe if for some reason I had taken her in a couple months ago and we found it by accident, surgery could have been done, but it was a chance in a million and it sucks it had to be her. I'm only telling this to everyone because I had to know for the sake of others and possible prevention somewhere down the road. I would have gladly paid $1000 to fix her if I had the chance, if I would have caught it sooner somehow. I will be feeling my girls abdomens and educating myself whenever possible about what lumps should be there and what lumps shouldn't. If you have a girl that has recently layed, fertile or infertile, start checking them regularly. Hopefully this will help someone, someday, and save a favored dragon. Our house feels very empty, even with almost 30 dragons, and will never be the same. Cheryl
