Help! Large bump in male's belly!

[fcooper]

Is he pooping and acting normal?

 

[Nitsu]

Is he pooping and acting normal?

He seems to be acting normal, but then again he was mostly acting fine when he had his bump before he very suddenly wasn't feeling well and was unhappy. Today, he pooped again and the bump has grown even smaller, but I think he is starting to get irritated with the pumpkin diet. I will attempt some other foods like applesauce tomorrow in order to ensure whatever is left passes and that he eats.

 

[AHBD]

At this point it sounds like he's eliminated the impaction and doesn't really need any further " laxatives ." You can offer something once a week , either unsweetened applesauce, baby food squash or sweet potato, but other than that I wouldn't worry anymore. Make sure he stays hydrated and that his basking temp. is high enough for proper digestion. Avoid feeding large amounts of insects at one time as well.

 

[Nitsu]

At this point it sounds like he's eliminated the impaction and doesn't really need any further " laxatives ." You can offer something once a week , either unsweetened applesauce, baby food squash or sweet potato, but other than that I wouldn't worry anymore. Make sure he stays hydrated and that his basking temp. is high enough for proper digestion. Avoid feeding large amounts of insects at one time as well.

It still feels like this strange bump is still there, however. It is smaller, don't get me wrong, but I am concerned that it hasn't gone away fully. I will definitely keep an eye on how many bugs he gets and the basking area is properly set up.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is very odd, but impactions do take some time to pass. Are you still getting him to the
vets then? As suggested, continue giving soft foods with limited insect protein & when giving
the insects they should be small.

Let us know how things are going!

Tracie

 

[Nitsu]

Update for 9/8/21:
I just got back from the vet appointment. The vet looked at him, did an X-ray, and will get back to me tomorrow for his fecal test. From what I understand, the stomach bulge has shrunk down to the point where it is likely to be finished in the next couple of days and won't be a serious problem for a while. The head vet looked at it and didn't see any danger with it at all at this point. He has some other minor health issues that aren't urgent enough to start a thread here, but he is now in care and on the mend. Thank you guys for your advice with the pumpkin and bathing tips, he seems to be on the mend and the vet students all fawned over him as he was a little cuddle bug with everyone. Thanks, guys! I hope this topic will help others.

When I felt Dova's bump for the first time is was a small bump that didn't go away after he pooped, which I just assumed I was feeling an organ or something else. If anyone else gets that in a male, keep an eye on it! Measure it with a reckoning system if you cant by MM or inches, and do what they told me to do.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is a very good update for us, thanks.
Did the vet determine what it was, just an impaction or a hard urate plug, etc?
I'm happy that the softer foods & baths have helped him out. It sounds like he is going to
be just fine. If you need to start a different thread for other things, feel free to. We hope you
stick around to learn, visit with other owners & keep us updated on your precious boy.
Let us know how the fecal results turn out also & if you have more questions.
At least he was on his best behavior!

Tracie

 

[Nitsu]

UPDATE:
The fecal tests came back clean, no issues there. I have continued with the vet's advice of a warm bath every night, but the bump remains. I am going to begin adding pumpkin to his diet again, as the bump has not yet gone away. I have been keeping in contact with the vets so I will of course get their seal of approval before I do anything, but the continuation of the bump is a bit worrying.

 

[AHBD]

Did the vet take an xray ? That could have shown right away whether there was something odd . The warm bath isn't really needed every night, it's supposed to help him poo which he already has been doing on his own . Too much soaking done late in the day can keep their scales to wet so do it a little earlier in the evening and just once every 4-5 days. Daily soaks are not needed and are not really good for a reptile that lives in a dry environment. At least his fecal tests were good new for you.

 

[Nitsu]

Did the vet take an xray ? That could have shown right away whether there was something odd . The warm bath isn't really needed every night, it's supposed to help him poo which he already has been doing on his own . Too much soaking done late in the day can keep their scales to wet so do it a little earlier in the evening and just once every 4-5 days. Daily soaks are not needed and are not really good for a reptile that lives in a dry environment. At least his fecal tests were good new for you.

She took an X-ray, with most of the focus on very early MBD forming in one joint that is now being taken care of with extreme focus along with this bump. However, she didn't make any acknowledgment of any bump or oddity in the stomach but gave advice for daily baths and a misting of a diluted rosewater mixture. I will add questions on the X-ray to the email I am preparing for them.
And as I know the MBD will raise additional questions, it is in the earliest stages my vet has ever seen, and we are descending on it with oral medication, a diet of calcium-rich foods and gut-loaded insects fed with those foods and dusted in an organic calcium powder every single day. I am taking the MBD very seriously and making sure he is treated gently and is not doing anything crazy with his back legs, where the MBD was noted.

 

[AHBD]

What are the symptoms of MBD that the vet noticed ? Sorry if I missed that in the thread somewhere. Is there any deformity or is he not moving well ? Good that you're using a calcium supplement, what brand is it and does it have D3 ?

 

[Nitsu]

What are the symptoms of MBD that the vet noticed ? Sorry if I missed that in the thread somewhere. Is there any deformity or is he not moving well ? Good that you're using a calcium supplement, what brand is it and does it have D3 ?

I am not sure, it was a no-contact vet visit, so I was mostly playing telephone with a nurse running and asking the questions. All that I know is he has MBD, potential symptoms being him not walking, or seeing the formation of MBD in the x-ray. Again, I can't say for sure, I was just handed a sheet of scratch paper with advice on what to do and the nurse explained why X needed to be done because of Y.
Edit: The brand of calcium powder is Dragon's Diet, and yes it has d3.

 

[AHBD]

If you still have the Zilla bulb, you might want to replace it with a bulb that has stronger uvb output. Do that ASAP, it can make a huge difference . If you can take him out in the sun that would help immediately, not in a glass tank though, they heat up to dangerous levels.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, you should consider changing out the Zilla UVB light. As AHBD said, the UVB
lighting makes a tremendous difference in their overall health & activity.
As long as you can get better UVB for him, along with the oral liquid calcium, hopefully he
will start getting better.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Nitsu]

UPDATE: 9/21/21

I have a follow-up vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow, so we will see how he is from a vet's perspective. He has been eating calcium powder in everything as well as DMG. He has been eating a stable diet of snap peas, canned pumpkin, and dandelion greens. He has ignored the greens in favor of the peas and pumpkin, so the greens are mostly being used to gutload calcium powder dusted dubia roaches. His impaction or whatever it is, is still there, with daily baths and daily poops. I am going to talk to the vet about the possibility of it not being an impaction and it being something different. I am hoping it isn't a tumor or something horrid like this. The primary concern has been getting him calcium through calcium and d3 vitamin powder, and a DMG liquid is given orally to combat the early MBD that the vet saw when there. I haven't yet upgraded the UVB fixture as sadly my pet store does not carry anything larger than what I currently have. Would you recommend having more than one on his cage?