HELP (impaction!!!)

[IBLopez33]

Hello, before this starts i know my mistake in causing my bearded dragon this god auwful impaction and i feel horrible for it.. i took my steps already in changing his diet to a correct one. I came home to my bearded dragon on his back and mouth open. I thought he was actully dead until he blinked, i realized hes impacted, he had a pile of black fiecies next to him and some around his "area". I quickly moved him into warm water and massaged his back. It didn't help too much so i rushed him to petco (the store i bought him at) and recieved THE WORST SERVICE. The guy there seemed to not care about my beardies state and seemed to think he was fine. Today i soaked him again but he's had a steady BLACK beard and very angry (i would be too if i couldn't use the bathroom and i got handled the way that he did by that petco employee) today he has no mobility of his hind legs, just front and still black beard. I gave him a drop or two of olive oil because people say it'll help with the movement in his bowels but i think this is severe. What do i do?! I fee horrible and i cant stand to watch him suffer, do i see a vet? Can i treat him on my own?

 

[Skipper7]

Someone will chime in with suggestions. Impaction can generally be treated at home, but if you are very worried I would reccomend a vet visit.

Try GENTLY massaging his belly in the bath, not his back. Make sure the water is watch to the touch, but not hot. You can continue to do a few drops of olive oil. You can also try natural, unsweetened apple juice. Keep him hydrated!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Sorry he's having issues. It sounds way more serious than impaction. Beardies do not go on their backs or have a black beard unless they are not well. I'd make an appointment with an experienced hero vet asap. Hope he gets better.

 

[GlassesTho]

Personally, I would go see the vet.

It sounds like you've made some good efforts so far to get things going, but it can't hurt!

I've seen other's suggest certain types of baby food, such as pumpkin without the spices, to help get the bowels moving...but if he's so severely impacted that he's black bearding and stuck on his back, maybe a vet will have a more immediate fix?

Not sure entirely.

 

[IBLopez33]

Well today his black beard is 100% gone, no stress marks, but still what seems to be paralysis. His back legs are pretty much just being dragged behind him, his body is in odd positions at times and he won't climb. Though i'm sure he can't. I bathed him again and gently rubbed his stomach from shoulder to bowels. He enjoyed it a lot, relaxed, closed his eyes, seemed content. No bowel movement occured but non has occured since two days ago, i gave him some olive oil yesterday and a drop today, offered food but he didn't want any (figured it wouldn't hurt to try), i called 6 vets and am pinned with waiting atleast one week for an appointment and some not even able to help me because he's an exotic animal. I have no idea if this is impaction considering he won't have a movement or if this is a case of bcd.. its scaring me but his progress has slightly increased. I just want him better, as i said i feel guilty and i'm trying to give everything i got to help him.

 

[dragonluv]

Hi there,
I recently went through this with my beardie. She was also prolasping with every poop. I was giving her Pedialyte by syringe, mashed banana with pedialyte ( banana is a natural laxative for dragons, and the pedialyte gives her hydration and electrolytes). I took her off of all hard shell worms and veggies for a week. I did give her soft worms like butters and horns. I also was giving her chicken with broth (that one because it only has 2 ingredients). She did come around thankfully. I have a 3 hour drive to see a Herp vet and of course this was happening during a snow storm. I also had liquid vit and calicum on hand so I added that to her diet. I hope this helps and atleast get his bowels moving again.

 

[IBLopez33]

Thank you for the advice! Its hard especially to get him to eat anything even using a dropper, its been calcium, olive oil, and water but ill give pedialite and banana a shot. How did you feed the banana by the way? Mashed up? Small chunk? Anything helps i pray everynight he'll feel better

 

[dragonluv]

Mashed with the pedalyte....To the consistency that you can put it in a dropper...Oddo loved it so as long as I went slowly she ate it on her own as I dropped it on the tip of the nose. They don't need much. I always went with about a ml or 2... Don't hesitate to ask more questions!

 

[dragonluv]

Also you may want start giving him some baby food. He won't get better if he doesn't eat well. I sometimes added mashed bananas or pedalyte in her baby food dropper. I did everything to keep her somewhat eating. Be careful they have sharp teeth lol. Don't ask how I found that out.

 

[IBLopez33]

Well i gave him non flavored pedialite mixed with mashed up banana in a dropper, got a pretty good amount of it in his mouth though it was hard to get it all in there. I gave him his usual bath and he liked it but now hes generally not moving at all.. his mouth is always opening and closing and he's very bloated. His spine is hunched up like a slight hill. I don't know how long it'll take for him to to or how long to give him this mix..

 

[dragonluv]

I broke up the mashed banana mix for Oddo twice a day. I gave her between .5 and a ml each time. She took it well so generally if she took more then .5 on her own I didn't give her more. Give him the mix for 2 or 3 or until you can get him to the vet. Stop for 24 hrs or if has a poop before then. Will he take the pedalyte on his own ? Also try adding sugar to his water. About a tbsp per cup of bath water. That will help with swelling and help hydrate him . Keep using the olive oil as well. And encourage him to poop. I find rubbing oddos vent is the best way to get her to poop.

 

[dragonluv]

Just wondering how your dragon is making out...I hope he is showing signs of improvement...please let me know

 

[IBLopez33]

Sadly nothing has changed much, i feel as though hes hanging on by a thread at this point and its a struggle to watch everyday i've talked to anyone who knows reptiles and i'm doing everything i can from home but no luck with a vet appointment for him. I can still see the bump in his back, he has somewhat lack of brighter colors, no appitite even for pedialyt or food through a dropper. I still try everyday but no progress

 

[dragonluv]

So sorry to hear that. I was hoping for better news. Is there an ER beardie vet you can take him to? I know that was not such an option for me as it was 3 hrs away...Have you syrnge fed a dragon before? It's tough but could help...

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

So sorry your dragon is impacted! Do you have a picture of him?
What impacted him, substrate or food?
Continue with the softer foods for him, if possible. Also, if you have a heating pad, place him on it overnight, but put a towel in between him & the pad keeping the heating pad on LOW so he doesn't overheat.
The extra warmth on his belly may help it to move along some. Give a daily bath & gently massage his belly. Try to encourage him to move around & swim while he is in the water. Physical exercise can also help expedite Gi tract activity.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie