Norbert, my bearded dragon, has had to go to the vet a couple of times for parasites and diarrhea. Ever since a bout with Coccidia a couple months ago he has had pretty consistent diarrhea. I took a stool sample in and they prescribed a probiotic to help fix any issues (this was right after the coccidia was killed, about two months ago) and his poop returned to normal and, aside from really hating the meds, Norbert was fine. Fast forward to the present and another stool sample hasn't shown any parasites, so the vet once again gave me Baytril (three days ago). It has worked wonders for his poo, but Bertie has steadily gone downhill otherwise. He's been semi brumating since it's winter here, but he was eating some veggies pretty much every day. Now, his beard is constantly black, his eyes are sunken, and he almost always has his eyes closed. I have seen that these symptoms can be a signs of bad dehydration so I have started giving him water through a syringe (which he hates, but he won't drink in the bath, from a bowl, or when sprayed). He never drinks water normally anyway, but since he hasn't been eating he isn't getting moisture from his salads. He also threw up after his second dose of medication yesterday, which I attributed to the medication in an empty stomach.
He has also been moving his beard as though swallowing, but when there's no food or water in his mouth.
He is my first beardie and I am so scared for him, any advice about whether this really is just dehydration or if it's something worse would be appreciated!
Hi there, just wondering why Norbert was given Baytril if everything was O.K with him ? How many meds. was he on and for how long ? Baytril actually can cause diarrhea and it can wipe out his gut flora. The black beard and vomiting indicates that he's sick and the Baytril probably was the reason he vomited. I'd stop the Baytril, continue with hydration, but not too much at once. Can you post pics to show Norbert's condition and also pics of his tank set up and lights ?
Hi there, just wondering why Norbert was given Baytril if everything was O.K with him ? How many meds. was he on and for how long ? Baytril actually can cause diarrhea and it can wipe out his gut flora. The black beard and vomiting indicates that he's sick and the Baytril probably was the reason he vomited. I'd stop the Baytril, continue with hydration, but not too much at once. Can you post pics to show Norbert's condition and also pics of his tank set up and lights ?
He was given the Baytril because of really watery, persistent diarrhea. He was on the coccidia medication for two weeks (two doses a week) a couple months ago and then a different regimen of Baytril right after that (for one week). Is there something I can give to help balance out his gut health?
Here is his set up:
His lights:
The tube light is reptisun, the cage is a ceramic heat emitter for nighttime, and the other light is his heat bulb.
Here's Norbert now:
He was already rather skinny because he of the diarrhea combined with semibrumating, but the black beard and closed eyes just started three or four days ago.
That's a beautiful tank , set up nicely and with all the right bulbs. His size is perfect, he's not skinny at all but he is stressed or sick for some reason. I'd stop the Baytril and put him back on a probiotic. What is he eating ?
That's a beautiful tank , set up nicely and with all the right bulbs. His size is perfect, he's not skinny at all but he is stressed or sick for some reason. I'd stop the Baytril and put him back on a probiotic. What is he eating ?
Since he is kind of brumating his eating has been really minimal. He generally eats some peas, yellow squash, and just to give him some more variety I offer the pellet food from Fluker's which he eats. For bugs he gets crickets, though I might switch to Dubia's since they offer a lower risk of carrying parasites and he seems to have a weak tummy.
Thank you for your responses, I've been beside myself with worry. And I did call the vet to see what they think of this kind of response to the medication, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.