Hi, I was wondering if anyone can advise how often I should be force feeding the wee one? I’m using critical care powder mixed with water and try and give him 10ml a day. Is this too much or too little? And still no test results back :-(
See this : amount is determined by the body weight of the dragon , up to 4 ml / 100 g body weight per day
1/4 his max gut capacity per meal, so several times per day would be best and lots less stressful and less chance of upchucking and aspirating some if overloaded/ overfilled ( which would be bad ).
How is your boy doing tonight?
I would be happy to help out with more care if needed, when you find out about the
Adeno results. Any idea when they may come in?
Is he doing alright with the feedings then? You could add a small bit of molasses in with
it for some nutritional help & for taste, too.
Definitely keep him a little warmer at night right now, to help him out. He is a nice looking
boy. Let us know how he is doing.
So I’ve not had a good day with him today (hence the late replies). I had been feeding him some slurry like was suggested and he had what looked like a seizure (fell onto his back and breathing funny). I took him to the emergency vets but they didn’t have a reptile specialist so I have him home for cuddles before he goes back to his vets tomorrow (where I’m dreading the outcome). The ADV results still weren’t back today. I’m asking for a copy of his bloods and requesting to know if they tested for any toxicology. I’m just faking each hour as it comes and praying for the best but preparing for the worst.
So the ADV came back negative, which is as much as relief as a surprise. The vets are keeping him in for a few days to run more bloods and compare and also to check toxicology. I have asked them to email me the results. The tremor is so bad but his posture and energy are still high, and he is still a good colour and eyes look healthy. Feel like we’re never getting to the bottom of this.
Oh wow, so he is adeno negative then?
When will they have the blood test results back for you?
It is a good sign he still has good energy & his eyes look good also. It sounds like he is
fighting & has great spirit! I know it can be very frustrating when they are ill. Let us know how
he is doing.
Hi everyone. Thanks so much for all your well wishes and advice, it is really appreciated. I got the results back today which I have copied below. Hopefully people on here will know better than I what they mean. The vets continue to be amazing and are looking after him so well!
Lab Number 12 Received date: 22/11/2019
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BIOCHEMISTRY
Zinc 15 umol/l
General guide line for Zinc Levels
Levels of up to 30 umol/l are considered normal.
Levels between 30 and 40 umol/l should be considered
suspicious of zinc toxicity, dependant on other
clinical signs.
Levels of over 40 umol/l are considered indicative of
zinc toxicity.
Film Comment No polychromasia but the occasional inclusion body,
consistent with possible viral infection, seen within
erythrocyte series. It is impossible to do an accurate
differential with a total white cell count this reduced
but the two heterophils found appear toxic and to
contain phagocytosed bacteria. Thrombocytes appear
normal in structure and number on film.
Did they do a more thorough blood test at all, or just the hematology readings?
So they think that they zinc levels are a bit too high?
What type of vitamins are you giving him, which brand is it?
Since he is adeno negative, do they still suspect a viral infection at all?
The toxicity is bothersome, actually. What insects are you feeding & what type of gutload
do you give the insects?
Can you get the rest of the blood test results, too?
Only the bloods that I posted up. What else would I be worth requesting in terms of the blood tests?
I was told the Zinc toxicology were not high enough to cause any problems. I can’t understand why they are high at all. His live food is locusts and meal worms (rarely as a treat!).