Had seizures-Vet says maybe Kidney issue? Need help

[spike5]

Hi-

I tried to ask in another topic so apologies if this is seen twice-trying to figure out thoughts/ suggestions because I am worried and I am wondering what others experiences can help.

(update at bottom)

Just yesterday, our 3.5 yr old Spike had three seizures back to back all with in 7 minutes. Pretty awful looking and scary. I thought he was actually dying in front of me. His head shook crazily, he was bending over backwards while his tail curled toward him. Mucus was coming from his mouth.
I rushed him to the vet and he thankfully was alive.
After 7 hours of observation, and tests, they did not have any real diagnosis. Here is what I was told (which I may say things incorrect for I was jotting the info down and am not familiar w the jargon) and some description of what he is/has been like:

-He may have had a seizure OR a stroke'
-He is PALE; his tongue is a ghostly color gray/white (ironically I took video (yup) 10 days ago of him having his crickets since he didn't have all winter...and his tongue was very healthy looking there)
-His creatine kinase result is OVER 6000...the normal range is under 400 (I am told) but this would make sense I am told since he was traumatized my the seizure episodes.
-His calcium levels is unusually high (which ruled out metabolic bone disease) He is over 16 (and could be higher it just didn't count higher than 16) when the normal is up to 12
-His phosphorus levels were high (don't have number)
-His Liver function is normal

-He has been lathargic for a few days leading up to it...but still ate but not his normal appetite
-He seemed and still is extremely dehydrated-Have been bathing him and feeding him water.
-Was active on and off through winter but wasn't very active the last few days leading up to seizures.
-Was very constipated the last week

Enclosure-
-Has Reptisun 10.-just ordered a new one-the last was more than 6 months
-Heat-his enclosure hot spot may not have ever reached over 97 during winter-Thought that was OK but in reading posts I see that at his age he still needs high heat-very concerned this low heat has caused any issue
-Other than that-he has water, greens, eats phoenix and repti worms, has branch limbs to climb, a pool to chill out in and a zilla bridge to rest on

Any other thoughts what to do/ what is wrong?

The vet says it may be his kidneys?

Thanks-
Suzy

Update:
Update: My gut tells me something is very wrong-since Thur / seizures he won't eat-I have syringed fed him each day/ He is extremely thirsty-His black beard has been on for days, which he rarely turned black...so I am guessing he is in distress.

We replaced the repti sun w a new bulb, increased his temps in his basking area and have had him soak for at least 20 min in a bath...and then he keeps going to his pool in his enclosure.

If anyone has experienced anything similar please let me know what I could do to help him-thanks so much for your time.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Suzy,

Just wondering if you had made any progress with your dragon?
Do you have any copy of the blood tests I could see?
The seizures definitely could have cause the CPK levels to elevate from stress & or muscular injury or trauma.
It is a possibility with that high of calcium levels, it could be renal or it could be a tumor also. Have any x-rays or ultrasound been done?
What is his age?
How far is the Reptisun 10 tube bulb from him & is there a screen or plastic in between the light & him?

Tracie

 

[spike5]

Hi Tracie,

Thanks so much for the info on both feeds. We have been nursing him a ton the last few days....I feel in my gut he overall is getting better (we have had no repeat seizures or breathing issues) but he is definitely still not feeling well. He is very dehydrated still-he will drink every time we give him water and then some, he has a black beard all day and his body feels firm. His lethargy has decreased and he does move from his basking to his cool spot or his pool a few times during the day.

He seems strong-he certainly try's to move swiftly out of my hands when I try to feed him the baytril-but will joyfully take the baby food.

Glad to hear the baytril can cause the black beard-and the tummy upset-his bowl movements finally started on Sat although small, which makes sense since he is not eating much. Plus they were yellow/orange which I am hoping is just from the meds?

He still won't eat on his own though, not even his beloved worms. As far as baby food, we did get him sweet potato which he seems to like, we will get the chicken or turkey today.

Spike is 3.5yrs old. The repti sun (new bulb came Sat) does sit on top of the metal screen (which I see now that is no good) and he was less than 6 inches from it most days...he would jump on a branch we have for him that brought him close to the repti bulb. I thought it was bc he needed the UVB but now I wonder if it helped produced too much calcium? He spent most of his day on his branch near the bulb prior to the seizures.

Waiting for the blood tests to be sent to me, the weekend delayed it. Will post the info when I get it.
No xrays or anything of that nature. If he doesn't seem better than I can take him to the humane society for the xrays.

Thanks so much for your very helpful words and advice.

Best
Suzy

 

[Esther19]

I'm sorry Spike is not well. Are you giving him a probiotic? It helps restore the beneficial gut flora that the meds remove. You can use non-dairy soy yogurt, or a commercially prepared product. My favorite is Acidophilous+. It may be available locally, or you can order it online. I get mine from: http://www.bug-de-lite.com/index.html

 

[spike5]

Hi Tracie-

Here are the results-I copied and pasted so hopefully it's clear. Update from this morning-we fed him collards now 4x when his mouth was open and he ate them...won't eat on his own but ate these when we fed him. I am hoping this is all a good sign! His spirits seem much better.

06/05/2014

Baytril suspension 7mL-Give 0.12 cc by mouth once daily for 14 days.

Avian/Reptilian Profile
06/05/2014 01:24 PM
AST 135HIGH 10-80 U/L
BA
CK 6059HIGH 50-400 U/L
UA 6.2
GLU 194HIGH 40-140 mg/dL
CA >16.0 8.0-13.0 mg/dL
PHOS 7.5 5.0-8.0 mg/dL
TP 5 3.3-5.5 g/dL
ALB 3 g/dL
GLOB 2 g/dL
K+ 2.4 1.5-5.5 mmol/L
NA+ 149 130-150 mmol/L
QC OK
HEM 0
LIP 0

Weight: 640 gr
Age:3.5 yr
Eyes: open and clear, no ocular abnormalities
Ears: normal ear appearance, no discharge
Nares: clear with no discharge, normal air passage
Oral cavity: normal shape/appearance, normal tongue movement
Lungs: clear and eupneic
Musculoskeletal: normal body condition, ambulatory
Abdomen: normal palpation, no masses felt, no ascites
Integument: normal skin/scales
Neurologic: alert and appropriate, normal mentation
UG/vent: normal vent appearance, no growths/masses
A: Open
r/o calcium disorder vs other
P: Diag profile
PCV = 24%

Best
Suzy

 

[Drache613]

Hello Suzy,

So he is doing somewhat better today?
The liver (AST) enzymes & calcium are high, I agree. The uric acid is slightly elevated also but not bad.
This could be caused by supplemental problems, a possible thyroid issue, or a tumor. Hopefully the baytril will help out if he has a slight infection.
At least he is taking some baby food & did eat some greens, too. The meds do change the color of the stools as well as the consistency, also.
He can be 6-8 inches away from the UVB alongside of a bright white basking light.
I am glad he hasn't had anymore seizures though, that is great!
The x-rays could also help to determine what the bones look like as well as if there could be a tumor or anything else to that effect going on.

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[spike5]

Thank you again....the time you have put into helping everyone on this site is highly commendable..it helps tremendously and much appreciated!

Last night he was almost like is old self...even climbed up on his fave branch...this morning, he is quiet again -won't eat/drink...so I can see it's one day at a time ;-( Will have to wait and see how the baytril treats him-Will keep trying.
Ques (when ever you get a chance) -when you said supplemental issues...could that mean we did not get him enough vitamins? We didn't sprinkle the vitamins on his food all the time-In reading more it looks like we should sprinkle at least 3x/ week?

Thanks for all-
Suzy

 

[JaffaCake]

I'm sorry to hear your beardie is feeling so unwell I also had a beardie named spike who had kidney problems but he didn't have seizures, he wasn't eating,drinking and only moved around sometimes, the vets didn't do anything all they said was to keep him dehydrated

 

[spike5]

Thank you- My son picked the name We love this little guy- still not sure what is exactly wrong- but he doesn't eat on his own-and moves around a bit- we are trying to keep him hydrated- It's hard to know what we are doing that works ....keeping out fingers crossed! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello Suzy,

That is wonderful, he at least had a good day yesterday. Being on medications that can cause moodiness also.
The calcium should be supplemented 3 times per week for him, as an adult. The vitamins can be given just once per week for adults.
How did he do today, did he bask normally?

Keep us posted on Spike!

Tracie

 

[spike5]

Hi-

Update on Spike -still concerned but maybe some good signs? Positive signs-He is alert mostly, seems to snooze a little more than usual but he looks around, hears us looks at movement etc., He likes his baths and is having daily poop again-However, the negative is he is not eating on his own-I have been feeding him baby food every day 3x / day and now I have to even feed him water. He doesn't seem to want it. I show him his worms and his collards , he tilts his head to stare but doesn't flinch to eat on his own. So he has only had baby food for 11 days-I am very worried.

He does seem to move about a bit on his own and has climbed on his branch the last two days again, which takes effort on his part. He is still on his antibiotics for 3 more days (Baytril).

The vet that I took him to doesn't want me to feed him and they want me to bring him in so they could feed him through an IV...but they are a private vet and it's costly unfortunately. I can bring him to the Humane Society for I am told there is a reptile specialist there.

I wanted to check in here first bc I feel that everyone here knows Beardies very well....whats the thought or experience with his eating habits right now? I want to help him feel better and I am afraid I may be harming him by feeding him the baby food myself?? (which by the way I give a first drop thought the syringe then he will start licking for me to drop on his tongue and take it from there-I feel with the bowl movements recently he must be getting good nutrition?)

Lastly, the tip of his tongue is still very very white/dry looking...vet doesn't know what that means.

Thanks for any further help or advice-so worried about Spike.

Best
Suzy

 

[Drache613]

Hello Suzy,

Feeding him baby food is fine for him & shouldn't hurt him. He will take it from a dropper or syringe?
How much ml wise are you feeding him?
What you could do is cut down the amount of baby food you are feeding him to see if his appetite comes back. That is sometimes effective for helping their natural appetite come back.
How do the fat pads on top of his head look, are they full or sunken in?
Do you have a picture you could show us of his tongue?
They normally have a whitish/grayish tip of the tongue, but how much of the tongue itself is actually white?
It sounds like he enjoys his baths which is helpful! At least he is somewhat active. Does he have a black beard?
I hope he is feeling better!

Tracie

 

[spike5]

Hi Tracie-

Thanks for always getting right back with great advice and thoughts-Sorry I took a few days-I have been taking care of spike, working, the kids...life ;-)

I thought about what you said and tried to have him eat on his own-I sat with him while he just stared at his repti worms and collards. Even when I held off feeding. We gave him butter worms which he loves-and which he didn't flinch for...

He Baytril is finished as off yesterday-He oddly appears better except for the fact that he won't eat on his own nor has back all his strength. He tries to move about but I can see his body is a little weaker-probably from just eating baby food for two weeks? I gave him calcium im his food today bc I am worried that his calcium will be another issue bc he has not eaten his worms etc.,

I took a photo of him but can't remember how to post-His black beard has subsided dramatically in the last few days-even today I felt he was almost all white when hanging out-yet he won't eat.

He wants to soak all day in his pool-I have a picture of him today doing so and basking. I actually don't know what his fat glands are but under neath is lower jaw he is shedding...poor guy.

Now that the baytril is done, if he won't eat on his own through the weekend I will take him to the other vet and get in theory a second opinion. He's just not our little guy.

Best
Suzy

 

[spike5]

Forgot to add-he takes the baby food with a syringe-I feed him a few drops and then he starts licking and I drop it on his tongue-He doesn't like the syringe in his mouth though I don't blame him!

The tip of his tongue was a gray white-not sure why the Dr felt it wasn't normal unless it was more than usual-hard for me to tell.

Best
Suzy

 

[spike5]

figured it out!