GNT Cancer

[resamille]

Micah has recently been struggling to poop and there's been regular blood in his urate/stool. His vet ran bloodwork (I'll add the results at the end of this post) and it came back with high glucose levels. She suspects GNT. I'm considering getting an ultrasound to confirm, but Micah's current vet doesn't have the proper set up for it, and the nearest place to go is 3 hours away. As of right now, he's not eating, black bearding on-and-off, and seems dehydrated (but won't drink water). I've managed to get a little bit of Fluker's Repta Boost in him earlier today. His energy levels are low but not unreasonably lethargic (he isn't going out of his way to run around, but I brought him out to cuddle a bit and when he was done with me he wandered back over to his cage & climbed up to his basking spot without any trouble).

Could anyone provide a second opinion on Micah's diagnosis? Micah's vet isn't a certified rep vet as far as I know, but the next appointment with the nearest certified vet isn't until 6/13. I'm pretty resigned to it being GNT, so I don't expect good news, but I figure it can't hurt to have more information. I really have no idea how long as he has left, and I'm just sort of heartbroken about the whole thing, but any info anyone has would be helpful, including any advice to make the rest of his time comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

Here are the blood test results. I'm not super great at interpreting all of these, but I've noted which ones are outside the expected range according to the lab.

Total Protein (TP) 6.7 g/dL
LDH is 627 U/L
Albumin (ALB) 4.3 g/dl
Globulin (GLOB) 2.40 g/dL - higher than expected range 0.1-2.3 g/dL
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) 60.0 U/L
Total Bile Acids (BA) 9.0 umol/L
Uric Acid (UA) 8.0 mg/dL
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) 3.0 mg/dl
Glucose (GLU) 567.4 mg/dL - higher than expected range 140-282 mg/dL
Total Calcium (CA) 15.01 mg/dL
Phosphorus (PHO) 5.0 mg/dL
Sodium (NA) 113.9 mmol/L - lower than expected range 131-165 mmol/L
Potassium (K) 3.25 mmol/L
Chloride (CL) 83.0 mmol/L - lower than expected range 90-130 mmol/L
Cholesterol (CHOL) 164.0 mg/dl
Creatine Kinase (CK) 2421.0 U/L - higher than expected range 61-1500 U/L

RBC Evaluation
PCV 41.7 %

WBC Evaluation
WBC 35937.0 /uL - higher than expected range 5640 - 19100 /uL

Heterophil
Heterophils 1646 /uL
Heterophil Differential 4.6 % - lower than expected range 5-60%
Toxic Heterophils 0 /uL
Band Cells 0 /ul

Lymphocyte
Lymphocytes 31137 /uL - higher than expected range 1450-12400 /uL
Lymphocyte Differential 86.6 %
Reactive Lymphocytes 0 /uL

Other WBC
Metamyelocytes 0 /uL
Azurophils (reptile) ↑2469 /uL - higher than expected range 0-1980 /uL
Azurophil Differential (reptile) 6.9 %
Monocytes 0 /uL
Monocyte Differential 0.0 %
Basophils 685 /uL
Basophil Differential 1.9 %

 

[KarrieRee]

Micah has recently been struggling to poop and there's been regular blood in his urate/stool. His vet ran bloodwork (I'll add the results at the end of this post) and it came back with high glucose levels. She suspects GNT. I'm considering getting an ultrasound to confirm, but Micah's current vet doesn't have the proper set up for it, and the nearest place to go is 3 hours away. As of right now, he's not eating, black bearding on-and-off, and seems dehydrated (but won't drink water). I've managed to get a little bit of Fluker's Repta Boost in him earlier today. His energy levels are low but not unreasonably lethargic (he isn't going out of his way to run around, but I brought him out to cuddle a bit and when he was done with me he wandered back over to his cage & climbed up to his basking spot without any trouble).

Could anyone provide a second opinion on Micah's diagnosis? Micah's vet isn't a certified rep vet as far as I know, but the next appointment with the nearest certified vet isn't until 6/13. I'm pretty resigned to it being GNT, so I don't expect good news, but I figure it can't hurt to have more information. I really have no idea how long as he has left, and I'm just sort of heartbroken about the whole thing, but any info anyone has would be helpful, including any advice to make the rest of his time comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

Here are the blood test results. I'm not super great at interpreting all of these, but I've noted which ones are outside the expected range according to the lab.

Total Protein (TP) 6.7 g/dL
LDH is 627 U/L
Albumin (ALB) 4.3 g/dl
Globulin (GLOB) 2.40 g/dL - higher than expected range 0.1-2.3 g/dL
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) 60.0 U/L
Total Bile Acids (BA) 9.0 umol/L
Uric Acid (UA) 8.0 mg/dL
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) 3.0 mg/dl
Glucose (GLU) 567.4 mg/dL - higher than expected range 140-282 mg/dL
Total Calcium (CA) 15.01 mg/dL
Phosphorus (PHO) 5.0 mg/dL
Sodium (NA) 113.9 mmol/L - lower than expected range 131-165 mmol/L
Potassium (K) 3.25 mmol/L
Chloride (CL) 83.0 mmol/L - lower than expected range 90-130 mmol/L
Cholesterol (CHOL) 164.0 mg/dl
Creatine Kinase (CK) 2421.0 U/L - higher than expected range 61-1500 U/L

RBC Evaluation
PCV 41.7 %

WBC Evaluation
WBC 35937.0 /uL - higher than expected range 5640 - 19100 /uL

Heterophil
Heterophils 1646 /uL
Heterophil Differential 4.6 % - lower than expected range 5-60%
Toxic Heterophils 0 /uL
Band Cells 0 /ul

Lymphocyte
Lymphocytes 31137 /uL - higher than expected range 1450-12400 /uL
Lymphocyte Differential 86.6 %
Reactive Lymphocytes 0 /uL

Other WBC
Metamyelocytes 0 /uL
Azurophils (reptile) ↑2469 /uL - higher than expected range 0-1980 /uL
Azurophil Differential (reptile) 6.9 %
Monocytes 0 /uL
Monocyte Differential 0.0 %
Basophils 685 /uL
Basophil Differential 1.9 %

@Drache613

 

[Jessss]

Hi!
I wanted to add some input just from personal experience.Bruce was my first ever beardie and was a rescue,he is still very missed.About 2 years after I got him his toe started to swell up,we got it removed and the vet said she thought it may have been a insect that had bitten him and that was stuck in his foot.He went through surgery well and made a full recovery.About 8 months later he started getting a black beard and he was loosing weight,he started to go to the bathroom without even knowing he was going and refused any food or water.After going to the vets we discovered a big mass in his belly and the vet said it was most likely cancer but we could do a blood test to make sure.We did the blood test and it came back as cancer.She offered surgery but my boy was weak and tired,I chose to bring him home and look after him until he needed to go.I syringe fed him slurries and he only ate waxworms for the last 3-4 weeks but he was happy.He had been black bearding on and off but one morning he was pitch black and this lasted all day,I put him to bed at night and checked on him in the morning and he was still as bad and dark.I made the decision to take him vets and help him pass over.I hoped for him to go in his sleep but once he was that dark I knew he needed help,towards the end he was very skinny and his beautiful eyes were so sunken.I do not mean to be a downer or sound like I’m saying your situation will end the same at all! Bruce was a lot further gone that your little one when we found out about his cancer and unfortunately he was quite old (8-9 years) and had awful care before he came to me.I really do hope it all gets sorted,it’s great that you’re doing all of this to help him he’s a lucky boy

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your boy Micah. I did notice that his uric acid levels are higher than what they
should be really. That is probably due to the other issues he is going through.
Do you have any pictures of him you can post or have you already posted some?
This type of health problem seems to be becoming more common & I'm not sure why. It could be
the food or environment, I just don't know.
Is he on any medication right now?
I hope he isn't feeling too bad. Are you able to keep him warm overnight also?

Let us know how he is feeling.
Tracie

 

[resamille]

Here's some pictures of Micah.

He's not currently on any medication. I'm in Texas & have a CHE in his cage, so the lowest it really will get at night it 75F. Would it help to keep him warmer?

In a small win, today he ate a hornworm & a few bits of banana! They're some of his favorites and yesterday he was refusing to eat them entirely, so I'll take what I can get.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Micah is certainly beautiful! I love his colors & his overall physical condition looks really good
as well. Being in Texas, it definitely isn't cold right now. You can keep him a bit warmer overnight,
75-80F to help boost his system.

That's great he did eat a little bit, that is always positive. Keep trying, hopefully his appetite will be
improving. Is he on medications right now? Since his uric acid levels are a little higher than I like it
to be, you can get some black cherry juice extract in liquid or powder, to give to him daily to help
with his renal function.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[resamille]

Micah update: Sunday I got him to eat another hornworm, and yesterday I finally convinced him to drink water. Today I got him some black cherry concentrate. He wasn't exactly happy about it lol but I did get him to drink some. He's still active and basking, but I have noticed his eyes are sunken (though they've stayed about the same the past 3 days rather than worsening). The past couple of days he's been at a constant but slight black beard, but today it's been darker. Still not a full black beard, but definitely stressed He's lost about 15g over the week since his visit to the vet, which is honestly less than I expected considering how little he's eaten.

He's not currently on any meds, and I'm planning to call his vet tomorrow to figure out a game plan. The other vet got back to me about an ultrasound, but I don't really think it's worth the cost/trip if confirming his diagnosis still doesn't mean it can be treated.

I guess the biggest question I have right now is what signs are indicators I should take him to get euthanized? I don't think he's improving, but it doesn't seem like his health is drastically declining either. I'm just not really sure what to look out for, and I don't want him to suffer.

 

[Jessss]

Micah update: Sunday I got him to eat another hornworm, and yesterday I finally convinced him to drink water. Today I got him some black cherry concentrate. He wasn't exactly happy about it lol but I did get him to drink some. He's still active and basking, but I have noticed his eyes are sunken (though they've stayed about the same the past 3 days rather than worsening). The past couple of days he's been at a constant but slight black beard, but today it's been darker. Still not a full black beard, but definitely stressed He's lost about 15g over the week since his visit to the vet, which is honestly less than I expected considering how little he's eaten.

He's not currently on any meds, and I'm planning to call his vet tomorrow to figure out a game plan. The other vet got back to me about an ultrasound, but I don't really think it's worth the cost/trip if confirming his diagnosis still doesn't mean it can be treated.

I guess the biggest question I have right now is what signs are indicators I should take him to get euthanized? I don't think he's improving, but it doesn't seem like his health is drastically declining either. I'm just not really sure what to look out for, and I don't want him to suffer.

Hi!
It’s good he’s eating,with Bruce I found that he got upset more when he had eaten or moved about,he had his cancer belly so I assumed it hurt for him to do much (eating included).I would 100% get him on pain meds and anti inflammatories,maybe even antibiotics although again it may cause upset getting him to take them.Bruce’s eyes sank fairly quickly,they didn’t seem to noticeably change or sank more but over time they did and towards the end you could notice it a lot.You can try him with the meds and they should help ( the pain meds 100% should be a given,it will help make him a lot more comfortable) without them he can’t be feeling very good bless him.It’s a very sad time and a very difficult and heartbreaking decision to make.My rule was once he refused food fully ( I did hospice care for about 2 weeks with slurries and a syringe but he started refusing it and spitting it back up) and had a persistent black beard I helped him out,towards the end I admit I kept him with me because I couldn’t part with him but I could see/tell he was tired and hurting.It’s such an awful situation but i do take comfort in knowing I helped him have a peaceful ( as ever can be) transition,instead of in the wild it would’ve been slow and painful.It sounds harsh and morbid but your boy could survive for many more months but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing if he’s just getting worse.It’s absolutely heartbreaking and takes me back to when my boy was struggling I would 100% get the meds sorted ASAP,also try waxworms to feed him! Bruce lived off these in his last 3-4 weeks and he thought it was Christmas everyday small easy to digest,high fat content as well which hopefully may help with his weight loss.Keeping your Boy in my thoughts,please do keep us updated,I am so sorry you and your little one are having to go through this

 

[resamille]

Hi!
It’s good he’s eating,with Bruce I found that he got upset more when he had eaten or moved about,he had his cancer belly so I assumed it hurt for him to do much (eating included).I would 100% get him on pain meds and anti inflammatories,maybe even antibiotics although again it may cause upset getting him to take them.Bruce’s eyes sank fairly quickly,they didn’t seem to noticeably change or sank more but over time they did and towards the end you could notice it a lot.You can try him with the meds and they should help ( the pain meds 100% should be a given,it will help make him a lot more comfortable) without them he can’t be feeling very good bless him.It’s a very sad time and a very difficult and heartbreaking decision to make.My rule was once he refused food fully ( I did hospice care for about 2 weeks with slurries and a syringe but he started refusing it and spitting it back up) and had a persistent black beard I helped him out,towards the end I admit I kept him with me because I couldn’t part with him but I could see/tell he was tired and hurting.It’s such an awful situation but i do take comfort in knowing I helped him have a peaceful ( as ever can be) transition,instead of in the wild it would’ve been slow and painful.It sounds harsh and morbid but your boy could survive for many more months but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing if he’s just getting worse.It’s absolutely heartbreaking and takes me back to when my boy was struggling I would 100% get the meds sorted ASAP,also try waxworms to feed him! Bruce lived off these in his last 3-4 weeks and he thought it was Christmas everyday small easy to digest,high fat content as well which hopefully may help with his weight loss.Keeping your Boy in my thoughts,please do keep us updated,I am so sorry you and your little one are having to go through this

Thanks for all the advice! I'll definitely talk to his vet about getting some sort of medication. I'll see if I can get him to eat some waxworms. I've had mixed results before. When he was much younger he snatched them up like they were candy, but when I last tried to feed some to him maybe 6 months ago he was completely uninterested. I haven't quite committed to slurries/baby food yet since I've had on/off success with the hornworms and bits of fruit, but I might have to soon. Do you have any advice for slurry mixes?

 

[resamille]

So I think this is truly the beginning of the end. Micah has been refusing to eat anything solid for the last few days (I did get him some waxworms, and he looks at them like he's interested in them but then never eats them). I've been trying to syringe feed him baby food and Repta Boost, but he is not a fan and always blackbeards at me when I do. I've only ever managed to get maybe 1-2ml of anything in him (if that), and today I noticed his fat pads are starting to sink. His vet did get me some painkillers, and his overall blackbearding seems less intense, so I think they're definitely helping. He's still active and willing to clamber over things (and me, to avoid the dreaded baby food syringe). But he's lost another 7g since Tuesday, and is still struggling to pass stool even when it's just urate/liquids. His beard always goes especially dark after, too. I assume it's painful for him to eat & poop. I'm thinking about taking him in for euthanasia early next week.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I hate to hear that poor Micah is having such a hard time, I know it's an emotional roller coaster for
everyone around him. So sorry that he isn't wanting to take much of the baby food, his tummy is
probably bothering him. I wish that there was something more I could do to help. Keep him as
comfortable as you can, but I'm sure that he feels loved.
Hopefully he wont continue to lose weight. It is always hard to have to see them decline & my heart
goes out to you & for him.
Keep us posted on how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Jessss]

So I think this is truly the beginning of the end. Micah has been refusing to eat anything solid for the last few days (I did get him some waxworms, and he looks at them like he's interested in them but then never eats them). I've been trying to syringe feed him baby food and Repta Boost, but he is not a fan and always blackbeards at me when I do. I've only ever managed to get maybe 1-2ml of anything in him (if that), and today I noticed his fat pads are starting to sink. His vet did get me some painkillers, and his overall blackbearding seems less intense, so I think they're definitely helping. He's still active and willing to clamber over things (and me, to avoid the dreaded baby food syringe). But he's lost another 7g since Tuesday, and is still struggling to pass stool even when it's just urate/liquids. His beard always goes especially dark after, too. I assume it's painful for him to eat & poop. I'm thinking about taking him in for euthanasia early next week.

My boy Bruce didn’t realise he was pooping when he was unwell and would sit there.He was the same as Micah with food but enjoyed his waxworms.Have you been giving baths or handling? If he doesn’t seem to be in distress or pain when being moved I would suggest a bath,it may offer some relief and help him relax a bit.If you feel it would cause upset to move him then I would leave the bath and let him stay inside his viv.
I’m so sorry you’re both in this situation,please do know you’re doing everything right that can be done to help him and keep him comfortable.I felt very helpless with Bruce but knew I was doing all I could for him.
Keep offering water and food in small amounts,keep him comfy with some blankies and give him loads of love(which I’m sure you have been)

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Hi there, my precious girl taro had suspected GNT, we even went through the xray which showed the mass. She had surgery to remove the mass and it was biopsied. It turned out though that it wasn't GNT at all, it was an abscess. She had a fair chance of recovering at the time but she also had fatty liver disease and her liver was not functioning well. High glucose can also be indicative of infection. Definitely go for the second opinion. Fingers crossed for your sweetie

 

[resamille]

This response is long overdue, but I choose to have Micah euthanized a few weeks ago on the 9th. At that point he had stopped eating and drinking water, and his fat pads were sunken. I felt that keeping him longer would have only prolonged his suffering. Thank you to everyone who replied and helped! I really appreciate it. At some point I will probably make a memorial post with lots of cute photos but right now I just have so many pics of him that it's taking a while to organize.

 

[Blevan81]

Micah has recently been struggling to poop and there's been regular blood in his urate/stool. His vet ran bloodwork (I'll add the results at the end of this post) and it came back with high glucose levels. She suspects GNT. I'm considering getting an ultrasound to confirm, but Micah's current vet doesn't have the proper set up for it, and the nearest place to go is 3 hours away. As of right now, he's not eating, black bearding on-and-off, and seems dehydrated (but won't drink water). I've managed to get a little bit of Fluker's Repta Boost in him earlier today. His energy levels are low but not unreasonably lethargic (he isn't going out of his way to run around, but I brought him out to cuddle a bit and when he was done with me he wandered back over to his cage & climbed up to his basking spot without any trouble).

Could anyone provide a second opinion on Micah's diagnosis? Micah's vet isn't a certified rep vet as far as I know, but the next appointment with the nearest certified vet isn't until 6/13. I'm pretty resigned to it being GNT, so I don't expect good news, but I figure it can't hurt to have more information. I really have no idea how long as he has left, and I'm just sort of heartbroken about the whole thing, but any info anyone has would be helpful, including any advice to make the rest of his time comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

Here are the blood test results. I'm not super great at interpreting all of these, but I've noted which ones are outside the expected range according to the lab.

Total Protein (TP) 6.7 g/dL
LDH is 627 U/L
Albumin (ALB) 4.3 g/dl
Globulin (GLOB) 2.40 g/dL - higher than expected range 0.1-2.3 g/dL
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) 60.0 U/L
Total Bile Acids (BA) 9.0 umol/L
Uric Acid (UA) 8.0 mg/dL
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) 3.0 mg/dl
Glucose (GLU) 567.4 mg/dL - higher than expected range 140-282 mg/dL
Total Calcium (CA) 15.01 mg/dL
Phosphorus (PHO) 5.0 mg/dL
Sodium (NA) 113.9 mmol/L - lower than expected range 131-165 mmol/L
Potassium (K) 3.25 mmol/L
Chloride (CL) 83.0 mmol/L - lower than expected range 90-130 mmol/L
Cholesterol (CHOL) 164.0 mg/dl
Creatine Kinase (CK) 2421.0 U/L - higher than expected range 61-1500 U/L

RBC Evaluation
PCV 41.7 %

WBC Evaluation
WBC 35937.0 /uL - higher than expected range 5640 - 19100 /uL

Heterophil
Heterophils 1646 /uL
Heterophil Differential 4.6 % - lower than expected range 5-60%
Toxic Heterophils 0 /uL
Band Cells 0 /ul

Lymphocyte
Lymphocytes 31137 /uL - higher than expected range 1450-12400 /uL
Lymphocyte Differential 86.6 %
Reactive Lymphocytes 0 /uL

Other WBC
Metamyelocytes 0 /uL
Azurophils (reptile) ↑2469 /uL - higher than expected range 0-1980 /uL
Azurophil Differential (reptile) 6.9 %
Monocytes 0 /uL
Monocyte Differential 0.0 %
Basophils 685 /uL
Basophil Differential 1.9 %

I’m currently going through the same situation.Don Carlos is just at 3yrs of age,I got her from a breeder which I thought was reputable.She has always been a super active healthy active beardie until thanksgiving of this year.She started acting strange digging a lot and running back and forth across the tank.At first I thought she was egg bound so I brought her into the Rep Vet did an X-ray and an ultra sound and came back with no eggs but a large black mass.we ran bloodwork and her glucose came back extremely high.1100+ and red blood cell count is at 41k.so I’ve been force feeding her with a syringe,but her body just can’t seem to keep up.Her beard has turned black so I know she is struggling.I’m super bummed but in this situation the best thing I can do or anyone else is have them out down.She has truely been one of the sweetest pets I’ve been owned and I’m going to truely miss her.The one piece of advice I can offer from this is make sure you get your bearded dragon from a good breeder and have her/him checked out early with a vet.I was unaware of this condition and learned a lot through this.So for anyone else struggling the best and only solution for GNT currently is have your beardie sent to beardie heaven unfortunately..