HELP! lethargic, shaky, listless, and blackbeard

[hayl55]

Hello,
My 9 year old beardie has suddenly become ill she was 100% fine 2 days ago, but yesterday she woke up and her beard turned black, and she was very lethargic and uninterested in anything. She had her regular BM, but didn't eat.
then today the same symptoms, except now she has shakey movement when she does move, hangs her head low, and her pupils do not focus/react to movment.
She has a good basking spot, and a well kept viv with no sand ( no cause for impaction)
my only concern is, I am using a coil UVB, and I do let her run around the house, and sometimes she gets my dogs hair caught in her mouth. could she have one of his hairs tangled in her gut? Could the UVB not be right??

 

[CooperDragon]

The black beard and behavior sounds bad. I'd get her to a vet as soon as possible.

 

[hayl55]

I don't have a herp vet in my area ( the only one in my area is a con-man, I know because I worked for him). what options should I try at home before driving out of town to find a good herp vet?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry to hear your 9 year old isn't feeling well.
If possible, since you mentioned she was a bit shaky in movement, try to replace the coil light with the Reptisun 10 tube bulb for much much better UVB exposure. She may have metabolic bone issues as the compact/coil bulbs are not very good with emitting quality UVB wavelength.
What are the basking temperatures in her tank?
How often do you give her calcium?
Do you have any pictures of her?
I guess it is possible she could have a dog hair caught in her throat, but she just may not be feeling well in general.
Has she eaten anything recently?
I would suggest taking her to the vet for a blood test to see what her kidney, liver & calcium levels look like & a fecal too.
Keep her around 80 overnight to help her immune system since she isn't feeling well.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[CooperDragon]

Ugh sheesh, that's tough. Can you get over to Hamilton or Toronto? I'd consider this issue relatively urgent and wouldn't want to mess around too much if it can be avoided. Your absolute best bet might be to get him to U of T herpetology but I don't know how feasible that is for you. Here is a list I found of herp vets in Ontario, perhaps that may help. http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/canrepvt.htm#ont

 

[hayl55]

just got home from work,
she's now displaying signs of temporary paralysis :S what does this mean???
should I be looking at putting her down?? I dont want to see her suffer, but I dont want to spend hundreds of dollars on her, and have her pass away in a year anyways ( she's starting to get up there in beardie years)
suggestions advice?
I love her, dont get me wrong. This just couldnt come at a worse time as I'm moving and need every cent I can save to move across province.
If there is nothing I can do for her at home I'll call Uof G tomorrow and see if they can give me a rough estimate for a quote for an assesment on her. I hate seeing animals suffer, I'd rather put her down than have her suffer for to much longer, but if there is somethign I can do to help her get well I deffinately want to try that first.

 

[hayl55]

OH also, the last meal she ate was some kale and squash, and then I cut up two strawberries for her and she ate all of it readily.

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a reasonable meal. I honestly don't know what's wrong. I understand not wanting your friend to suffer. Do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask. If a vet trip is in the cards I'd do it. Does Guelph have a good herp department? I remember having to drive Cooper over to University of Illinois when he was sick and the technology they had at their disposal was very impressive. It was worth the trip (and he loves car rides anyway).

 

[hayl55]

should I turn off her coil bulb for now, and just leave her basking bulb on??? if the coil bulb is the issue.
I'll call U of G tomorrow and get a quote/ and or adivce.
She's acting strange right now, not wanting to sleep, keeping her eyes open, yet looking lethargic and stressed, and she goes limp as a noodle, but then suddenly gets a burst of energy and shakily crawls as high as she can ( she's perched on my shoulder as I type)
I'm going to give her a warm bath in the am, hope for some poop, and offer her some squash ( her favorite)
and then call the vet and go from there darn critters, tugin at my heart strings. I hate seeing her feel so ill. She's always been such a healthy beardie.

 

[CooperDragon]

Oh geez poor baby. Hold her for a while. You can turn the coil UVB off. She can do without it for a while. Let her know you're there and share some warmth and do what you can in the morning.

 

[hayl55]

sorry to say, But I think she's not gunna make it through the night...she's acting very much so like a dying animal.. I can poke her in the eye (obviously gently) and she doesnt even blink, wich when I worked at teh vet clinic is a clear sign if an animal has already passed..... But they she'll take a few breaths and scramble with her legs and then go limp again... She's deffinately on her way out, dont even think I'll make it to the vet stage

If she holds on, I'll take her. I owe her that much.

If not, well I have her wrapped up in her favorite cloth in a dark warm place, where she can at least not feel under threat.

Thank you for all your advice. I'll post in the am if she makes it.

Please cross your fingers for my little Lilly Bean. She's been the best beardie ever. I've even taken her on vacation with us. I hope she passes shortly, or goes to sleep and passes what ever toxins are flooding her little body in the am with a good poop.

Thank you every one.

 

[CooperDragon]

My thoughts are with both of you. I wish best of luck. You clearly love her and have done the best you can to make her happy and comfortable.

 

[CooperDragon]

What is her name?

 

[hayl55]

Lilly appears to have died.
Reptiles can be deceiving, so I have put her under the heat lamp. She took a deep gasping breath, but when she did she fell over off her branch I had laid her out on. She wasn't clinging on and is completely limp.
She keeps randomly gasping. But I think thats her body's last automatic reactions. She's non responsive to any stimulation, such as pinching the skin on her shoulder blades (males grab here for matting and it stimulates natural responces) or a light tap to the eye.

After crying my eyes out, I am now puzzled. WHAT CAUSED THIS!!!!!!!!!

she was 100% fine, basking in the sun, running around, eating, actively engaging with stimulation like my voice, or hand, or a cricket. 100% typical perfectly healthy Lilly on Sunday.
then monday all the earlier stated symptoms happened. and now, Wednesday morning, she is 99.9% dead.

the only thing my boyfriend adn I can think of is it might have had something to do with the strawberries.
They are genetically modified, and its possible there may have been pesticide on the fruit. Could a genetically modified strawberry, or pesticide have such deadly resluts? She was a solid, active and healthy bearide, so to go down hill sooo soo quickly points to something toxic in my opinion. Any suggestions???

 

[Brezzy99]

Oh my! I am so sorry.