genetic problem?

[gzambran]

About two and a half years ago, three of my class mates and I all got 6-week old baby beardies from the same clutch. They were from a private "backyard" breeder, not from a reptile show or reputable/ experienced breeder. The babies were all normal and healthy at the time of purchase. They all did well for about one year. Since then, my beardie Alejandro got cutaneous Aspergillus. We thought it was the dreaded yellow fungus at first, but Asper is much less serious. However Apsergillius is a ubiquitous organism in the air, and usually only colonizes immunosuppressed individuals. His husbandry and diet were optimal and there was no reason he should have acquired an infection just from being exposed to the air... He was treated with Miconazole, Ketaconazole and MONTHS of Betadine baths. It took almost 8 whole moths to resolve. He has since recovered nicely. I am concerned today because I learned that one of his clutch mates died of a necrotic hepatic abscess. Hepatic lipidosis was present as well but was not thought to be the cause of death. The necropsy report just came in today. Another clutch mate died suddenly in May but the owner did not want to do a necropsy. Alejandro and one other dragon are the only ones left alive from the clutch. I am very concerned that they may be inbred and have a congenital / genetic immunodeficiency. Has anyone heard of any cases of this? I am trying to look through the literature but have not found anything. I may post something on VIN as well and try to see if any veterinarians have documented cases. Alejandro appears completely healthy at the moment, but I am extremeIy worried that he could face an untimely death like his brothers did. Both dragons were only 2 years old at the time of death . I'm not sure if I should bring him in an have a CBC/Blood Chemistry done just to see if we find anything... or just assume this is all a conincidence and be thankful that he is currently healthy and happy. I will definitely buy my next dragon from a proven breeder with a solid reputation.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....it's hard to say for sure. That's pretty sad to hear. I just hope your dragon continues to remain healthy. I guess you just want to enjoy him every day that you can...maybe with the excellent care that you've given he'll be around for a long time!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It could benefit your peace of mind to get a blood test just to see what his liver & kidney enzymes look like. It will give a good baseline for you.
There are some things that you can head off if you know ahead of time & can avoid some of the health issues that could arise from genetic problems.
Were the other clutch mates tested for Adeno virus?

Tracie

 

[gzambran]

Hi Tracie,

Thanks for the reply, I agree that I probably would feel better if I knew his baseline values were OK. The other siblings were unfortunately not tested for Adenovirus. Adeno would definitely be a concern. Is there a test they can do on live animals, or is it only post-mortem? It is my understanding that there is no treatment or cure for Adenovirus. If it is adeno virus, I guess I would just have him supportive care as long as possible. Hopefully he will be lucky and not have the same fate as his clutch mates.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Actually, I believe they can test live animals as well. A blood test is one method, and a swab test of their enclosure is another. There may be more, but I know there are at least two ways to test
I can't even imagine how scary/unsettling it must be to know that about his poor brothers. Human and beardie fingers & toes crossed that Alejandro turns out just fine though! <3

 

[gzambran]

Thanks! I will get him tested!

 

[snazzyglasses]

Thanks! I will get him tested!

No problem. Reallyreallyreally hoping the results show he's healthy!!
Also, I believe I remember hearing a few stories about Tracie (Drache 613) catching things on test results that the vet missed, so I'm betting she wouldn't mind if you got a copy of Alejandro's results and asked her to look them over as well

 

[Esther19]

Tracie can do an adeno test for you quite inexpensively. I would PM her for instructions. Best of luck!