HELP! Beardie's tail coming off!

[dragonrex]

I just fed my beardie before putting him night-night, and i noticed that his tail looked stiff, and peeling. Upon further inspection, the tail looks to be rotting, or coming off half-way in the middle. I'm horrified that this is happening! Is this something that happens in old aga? Rex is about eight years old. Please tell me what to do!

thank you!

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

It may be tail rot. Can you post any pictures, please?

 

[Esther19]

Here are instructions for posting pics. (I hope.)
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=152184

 

[dragonrex]

I hope this loads. what should i do about this?

 

[Evergreen]

I can't help you as far as positively identifying what your dragon has but I'd at least temporally change his substrate to paper towels, that will keep it much cleaner and guarantee that there aren't any little particles getting in there and irritating his tail more...

I hope you're able to find out what it wrong and that Rex makes a full and quick recovery

 

[dragonlover3]

I've PM'ed a moderator on this site, She goes by Sweetiepie9 and has had experience with tail rot and may be able to help or advise!
Amanda

 

[sweetiepie9]

The only real way to find out what it is, is to see a herp vet. Do you have one in your area? The problem with tail rot, is it can travel on the inside & then leave dead tail behind it. I was lucky, when I got Lonzo he was 5 yrs old & had about 2 1/2" of dead tail. I kept my eye on it & within a week we were off to the vet as the dead area was travelling. We were lucky, our vet was able to amputate another 2" of his tail & give him antibiotics and he was right as rain within a month. He sure didn't like what had been done, but better to get it fixed than leave it and lose him. The inner infection from tail rot can kill a beardie. So he'll be 9 yrs old in April & he's still running around (right now he's still brumating, but looks good for a senior).

Please let me know how your beardie is, and is there another angle you can take to check it out better? The only time I've seen shedding like that was when I mistakenly let 2 of my boys out in the living room (one was hiding & I forgot I'd let him out). Leo got a bite on his tail that went almost all the way through, after treating with Betadine baths (enough in the bath to look like weak tea) and polysporin, he didn't lose that bit of tail. I kept any eye on it and it actually shed, so he now just has an indent on that part of his tail.

It's not the shedding that's bothering me, it's that bit showing at the bottom of his tail. Is it dark brown or black? That would be the 1st indication of tail rot.
Good luck,
Deb

 

[Denise Bushnell (RIP)]

I don't like the looks of that at all, and I would seriously recommend that you have him seen by an experienced reptile vet as soon as possible, especially because of his advanced age.
"Tail Rot" , which is how most beardie owners refer to it, can be caused a number of different things......an injury to their tail, such as getting it caught under something in their tank, or a wound of some sort, such as their biting their own tail, or having it bitten by another dragon.

However, the most common cause of this problem is their having retained shed on their tail that does not come off as it should. When this happens,the retained shed on the tail begins to shrink, and, as it does, it begins to restrict the blood flow to their tail which causes the affected tail tissue to develop a serious infection, and the tail becomes necrotic, similar to a person who develops gangrene.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that that is what has happened here, since when they get up in age, somes they don't shed properly, as they should, which can cause a serious life- threatening health problem for them. If that is what I'm seeing, and I'm fairly sure that it is, then that portion of his tail will need to be amputated and he will need to be put on a very strong antibiotic, such as Baytril, in order to save his life.

I have been through three amputations with my oldest beardie, several years ago, and my vet eventually had to remove all but about an inch of his tail in order to stop the spread of infection. However, with a good vet, and proper care,he can recover fom this.

Ming was about 7 years old, at the time, and went through 3 amputations in a 5 month period, but he did fully recover, and is now nearing 10 years old, and still going strong, so there is hope for your little one's recovery, but DO NOT fool around with this.......GET HIM TO AN EXPERIENCED REPTILE VET IMMEDIATELY ! Please contact me via a private message and let me know what the vet has to say. I will be keeping him (and you) in my prayers!

Denise Bushnell

 

[sweetiepie9]

Any news on your beardie, did you take him to a vet? Please let me know, as Lonzo had the same thing when he was 5 yrs old, as I noted & he's almost 9 and very healthy, so I'm hoping your beardie will be well, too.
Deb