Help!!!!!! Swollen neck!?!?!?!

[Birdy]

Hi, My bearded dragon started getting a swollen neck 3 or 4 days ago. I have no idea why. It started all of sudden. Now it is much more noticeable, it looks like she has i bunch of fluid in her beard and neck! Why? Is she going to be ok? Do i need to take her to the vet? Or give her cherry's or something like that? I know bug-de-lite has stuff like that...

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hi, My bearded dragon started getting a swollen neck 3 or 4 days ago. I have no idea why. It started all of sudden. Now it is much more noticeable, it looks like she has i bunch of fluid in her beard and neck! Why? Is she going to be ok? Do i need to take her to the vet? Or give her cherry's or something like that? I know bug-de-lite has stuff like that...

Photos .... would be helpful.

How would cherry juice (?) and bug-de-lite help if you don't even know why the neck & beard are becoming swollen ?

.....if the swelling has started only a few days ago and it's getting noticeable worse so quickly ==> I suspect this may be
>> an aneurism
>> a sign of internal bleeding from some kind nasty / serious internal injury
>> maybe an abscess
>> or a tumour of some kind, in any case , if it's as bad and growing as fast as you say - I would get this checked by a good reptile vet PRONTO and not wait to see what happens.

While it's small it's more likely treatable and the dragon will have a good prognosis even if surgery under an GA is necessary, if it is allowed to progress and get bigger , the prognosis goes down the tubes very fast and the cost of any treatment skyrockets. Early treatment is definitely better.

Vets List : viewtopic.php?f=45&t=234369&p=1803862&hilit=melissa#p1803862

 

[EllenD]

First of all take a deep breath, it's going to be okay...Can you post a few photos of her and her neck from different angles so we can see what you're talking about? That's step 1.

Besides the swollen neck that I guess started suddenly 3-4 days ago, has she shown any other symptoms, like lethargy, lack of appetite, or a black beard? Does it feel hard or soft when you palpate it (very, very gently)? Does it seem to cause her pain when you touch it? Has she had any noticeable breathing issues or new sounds since this started, like wheezing, coughing, clicking, etc.? And is it her actual neck that is swollen, or is it her beard?

They do store food in their beards, sometimes for a few hours, but if this has been continually this way for 3-4 days then I doubt it's food in her beard...Are you able to see inside her mouth in order to look at the color of her gums (pink or pale white), or to see if you see any blood or any other oddities? You may need to take her to an experienced reptile vet, especially if her throat is swelling up, as you don't want it to cause breathing difficulties, but if it's just her beard swelling then it shouldn't cut off her airway. She may have an infection or a growth, that's why I'm asking about what it feels like and if it's causing her pain...What is her normal, daily diet? Any recent changes to her diet or her enclosure, lighting, etc.? What substrate do you use in her tank? Do you have access to a certified or at least an experienced reptile vet, or just "exotics" or general vets?

 

[EllenD]

And yes, I second that you shouldn't be feeding her anything special right now without having any idea what's wrong with her. I'm not sure why cherries or Bug-de-lite would help this, but no, don't feed anything like that to her. Black or Tart Cherry Juice is good to give to beardies that have gout, as it helps to reduce swelling and pain in their limbs, but sudden swelling in their necks and/or beards is not a symptom of gout, if that's what you were thinking.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Birdy, a suddenly swollen neck is sometimes a sign of a respiratory infection or a vitamin imbalance causing fluid retention. As was mentioned, see if it's more of a soft + flabby feel to it.

Is she still eating well ? Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then click on new upload + select the one to upload

 

[Birdy]

Sorry she, Lyra, kept moving, so the pictures didn't come out like i hoped. it looks bigger in real life, Lyra just went in her hide and is scratching around. Her breathing hasn't been labored, at least i have not noticed that it is. But when i had her out i thought i heard something a like a wheeze, the thing is i'm not sure if that was because i was moving her around or what. She has been kinda lazy, but i thought that was because we have had a cool spell. i think it's both her neck and beard. But i'm not sure i'll let you look at the pictures and see what you think. And yes we have a exotic vet's near by. We've been to one before. i did put in a new painted ceramic basking spot, and started feeding red clover 2 days ago those are the only new things. it is soft, and squishy. i give her calcium vitamins supplement powder by Rep-cal. And yes i thought that it was a sign of gout, sorry.

 

[Birdy]

oh, she hasn't been as hungry as usual

 

[AHBD]

It diesn't look hardly swollen at all, I guess you must see a slight difference because it isn't a big saggy beard like some get. Sometimes they can gulp food down + some sits in the back of the throat + causes the beard area to look a bit puffy.

Can you get her to open her mouth so you can take a peek ?

 

[Birdy]

i just looked at Lyra's gums they are pinkish brownish, i am going to give her a bath...

 

[Birdy]

she hasn't eaten today, she got fresh food at 10 this morning

 

[EllenD]

She looks completely normal to me too. As they themselves from so does their beard, and my 10 month old girl Izzy has the biggest, fattest beard ever, twice the size of your girl's. So it's possible that maybe she's just growing and her beard has grown, and you are just noticing it...How old is she?

If you do hear any actual wheezing, clicking, coughing, etc. then she needs to get to a vet ASAP and have a culture and sensitivity done to check for a respiratory infection and determine what bacteria and/or fungus it is, and to prescribe the correct medication or medications, as they can sometimes be caused by a bacteria, a fungus, or both. But vets have a very horrible habit of not running any cultures at all and just prescribing a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and the poor dragon either gets sick from the medication unnecessarily because they have no infection at all, or they're given the wrong antibiotic, or they need an antifungal and keep getting sicker, etc. So I'd hate to tell you to take her to an "exotics" vet that may refuse to run cultures and will just advise you to give her an unnecessary or incorrect medication. As I said she looks very healthy and her beard looks totally normal to me, and if it's soft and squishy then it's probably just her beard getting bigger, but I'm not there to be able to make that call...

These are the only photos I have of Izzy right now, they don't do her beard justice, like I said it's at least twice the size of your girl's, but you can see the white portion hanging down low in these at least for comparison...

 

[AHBD]

I think she's O.K....
All good looking beardies here in these pics.

 

[Birdy]

Thank you! I just love her so much and want the best for her! i'll keep a close eye on her anyway, just to make sure :love5:

 

[kingofnobbys]

Definitely a false alarm ....this is what I was visualizing based on your first post : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=207639

An object lesson , without pictures we are guessing.

....your girl is beautiful and looks healthy.