Endoscopy to remove aquarium tubing (yes, tubing)

[oatmeal]

Hello, everyone! So my old lady is going in to the vet on Wednesday for an endoscopy to remove a piece of aquarium airline tubing from her upper GI tract.
On Apri 7th (her 13th birthday... or hatchday?) I decided to give her a bit of juice through a syringe as a treat. On the end of the syringe I had stuck approximately 1 inch of tubing on the end to act as a sort of "nipple" for them to bite on to. I usually give the beardies oral fluids and supplements via this set up every day, so I didn't think anything of it. However, that day Ryu somehow got the tubing off and down the hatch it went.
I immediately called my local herp vet, who said to give it a week, feed soft food, and watch for it in her stools, and call if there were any changes.
Long story short: It never showed up in her poops, but her appetite and energy has remained good. Took her to the vet for an x-ray a few days ago, and there it was! It hadn't moved very far down, and it appeared to be stuck in such a way that the food was passing through the tube inside her intestines :? which is why she hasn't been blocked up, but her stools are very soft. Lucky I guess? The vet suspected that there was some irritation to her intestinal lining, so she has been started on 2 types of antibiotics orally for 7 days (I dropped the rx off yesterday, but I believe they are baytril and metronidazole).
The vet I saw is not my usual herp vet, as I've moved around a lot lately, but she seemed very knowledgeable. She suggested that after the procedure that we invest in a new UVB bulb to maximize the amount of the UVB she will have available, and to make doubly sure that her viv temperatures are appropriate. She also said that after the procedure she would be giving her subcut fluids to prevent kidney damage from the general anaesthetic, and that I should make sure I have soft food available for her (babyfood, repashy omnivore gel, etc.). Does anyone have any other suggestions for aftercare? I don't know anyone personally who has had a reptile undergo a procedure with general anaesthetic, so I'm a little nervous!
Even if no one has any tips, please think happy thoughts on May 6th She's my little buddy, and I would feel just awful if my "hatchday" gift resulted in her untimely demise!

Thanks everyone!

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor girl. I hope the procedure goes smoothly and she makes a quick recovery. One of my dragons had a lung wash done and was under anesthesia. He was a bit groggy afterward but I didn't notice any lasting effects from the procedure. I'd stick with the doctors advice to keep with soft foods to minimize irritation in the area and just have her take it easy for a bit and give extra cuddle time. You may want to pick up some bene-bac to help replenish gut flora which may be knocked out by the antibiotics.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....I can't imagine how shocked you were when that happened. :shock: I just thought I'd mention that there have been several threads here about beardies swallowing objects that eventually passed through, one was a sandwich bag that took almost a month and with no ill effects. Another was a coin [ I can't recall if it was a penny or a dime ] There is another one that swallowed a 5 pence coin and passed it after a month. If you search you can find these on here, or Google " my bearded dragon swallowed" and you'll see it. In general it seems that if you feed the dragon as you would normally that these things pass through. So in the event that the vet can't get it [ but they probably will ] it will probably pass through on it's own.

I'm glad that your vet is knowledgeable, your dragon will probably be fine.

 

[oatmeal]

Poor girl. I hope the procedure goes smoothly and she makes a quick recovery. One of my dragons had a lung wash done and was under anesthesia. He was a bit groggy afterward but I didn't notice any lasting effects from the procedure. I'd stick with the doctors advice to keep with soft foods to minimize irritation in the area and just have her take it easy for a bit and give extra cuddle time. You may want to pick up some bene-bac to help replenish gut flora which may be knocked out by the antibiotics.

Thanks so much! A lung wash? What does that entail?? Sounds invasive! Thankfully I already have some nutribac kicking around for my other dragon, so I've been using that with repashy omnivore gel Her intake time is tomorrow morning, so wish us luck!

 

[oatmeal]

Hi there....I can't imagine how shocked you were when that happened. :shock: I just thought I'd mention that there have been several threads here about beardies swallowing objects that eventually passed through, one was a sandwich bag that took almost a month and with no ill effects. Another was a coin [ I can't recall if it was a penny or a dime ] There is another one that swallowed a 5 pence coin and passed it after a month. If you search you can find these on here, or Google " my bearded dragon swallowed" and you'll see it. In general it seems that if you feed the dragon as you would normally that these things pass through. So in the event that the vet can't get it [ but they probably will ] it will probably pass through on it's own.

I'm glad that your vet is knowledgeable, your dragon will probably be fine.

A sandwich bag??? That's impressive! I'll have to do some searching around to quell my anxieties... I guess I'm lucky she hasn't gotten anything inedible until now! Seems dragons are notorious for snacking on non-food items! Thank you for your words of encouragement. I really appreciate it, especially as her appointment gets closer (tomorrow morning). Hopefully it all goes smooth!

 

[AHBD]

Yes, a sandwich bag....and the poster included a picture of the " end result. "

 

[oatmeal]

Yes, a sandwich bag....and the poster included a picture of the " end result. "

I looked it up! Impressive! The photos didn't work anymore though lol. Well, I was hoping that the tubing would pass, but on the xray it appeared as though the tube had only just left her stomach after being in there for nearly 3 weeks :s she's also very petite for am adult beardie, so that probably doesn't help.
I looked around on the site for other weird things people's dragons have eaten, and I feel a bit better lol