How severe is this impaction? (x-ray picture)

[AHBD]

The buying of good bulbs is made difficult by all the choices and mismatched bulb + fixture sizes The long tube is the bulb you want, and since you can get her out in the sun for UVB you can take the compact bulb back if you like. You need to be careful that the compact one doesn't burn her eyes, they have been known for doing that in the past, I'm not sure if they all do or if it's still a problem.

Oh, and I forgot to answer about the cherry extract, I suppose if you bought just a very small amount and see if she will lick it on her own [ some dragons really like it ] then ask Tracie how much to give her. You might only give it if she takes it willingly so as not to cause more stress. Make sure that it's all natural black cherry extract, not just juice.

 

[CathyJ]

Yea I was going to the store to get more squash and greens and such so I figured I may as well try the cherry extract out.

I will def go looking for the long bulbs too.

Also, I wanted to know what are some solid yet easy on her stomach foods I can give her so she can enjoy herself by eating? In the case she does pass away I at least want her to have SOME joy in the meantime.

I wanted to give her hibiscus flowers (she likes those and I saw on beautiful dragon nutritional info that they can be fed occassionaly) so maybe I'd go get a plant from home depot or some organic hippy farm someplace. The only thing I know she REALLY goes nutty for are raspberries but they might be too strong for her right now.

 

[AHBD]

Well I guess a few raspberries would be fine for her, and if you find a hippie farm [ ha ha ! ] that sells hibiscus plants that would be fine. If you get them from a store, wash them well to get rid of potential insecticides. Wash any fresh veggies or fruit and offer them while they're still wet to add extra hydration. If you have insects on hand make sure they are not too large and look for freshly shed ones. Maybe offer a couple of crickets, but pull the back legs off and even crush the crix to make them easier to digest. Just 2-3 if you want to try them.

 

[CathyJ]

Lol glad you enjoyed the hippie store comment

Anyway, if I offer crickets it'll be like one every 2 days or something.. She loves crickets, as do most beardies it seems lol

Okay well I am off to the store and to do other assorted chores. So far Meryl's doing fine. She's just chilling out. She's awake and looks at me when I talk to her or pass by (she does close her eyes but keeps her head up and opens them if she hears anything) so she's not getting super lethargic. I just laser-ed her with my thermometer gun and she's 100C

Again, I can't thank everyone enough for all the advice. I will try to keep things updated if anything new happens. One of these days I will have to recant my stories from the vet I just got away from.. She was... something else..

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome....I hope that it is actually helpful in the long run. Certainly hope for the best outcome !

 

[CathyJ]

Yea I am hopeful too.

I couldn't find black cherry extract.. I went to whole foods and assumed they might have it but I suppose not. Where might I be able to find it?

Another thing.. I got some unlabeled "mustard greens" from a local farmer person who was selling in front of the store today. I had bought mustard greens before and the shape seemed the same but the color was strange?
http://i.imgur.com/F0RkLRn.jpg
Would these be okay to give to the lizards (my male will be having some too)? Or should I get something else just to be sure.

 

[AHBD]

The greens should be fine....could possibly just be a bit old. Black cherry extract would be found at a health food store, sorry I should have mentioned.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I Hope you are able to find the black cherry extract. Most health food stores should carry it.
How is she doing today?
It sounds like Meryl is alert & basking so that is a great sign. I hope she likes her crickets & can digest them too.
Let us know how she is doing. Organic foods are the best, though expensive but much cleaner.
Which petstores are around? It is hard to find bulbs I agree. Good luck on finding one. You could order one online if you can't find one in the store.

Tracie

 

[CathyJ]

I visited an Allpets Emporium and a local reptile store and neither had the right size. I will probably do as you say and get it online.. My bulb has a very faint outline of the brand name and SOME words so I'm sure I can find something similar enough. If not, well.. I've already thrown about $600 out the window with the vet to make her worse so spending an extra $60 for a new bulb/housing doesn't mean much anymore haha

I will probably check Petsmart and Petco.. I have another local pet store, I can always call ahead so I don't have to go driving all over. If not, amazon most likely.

I checked on her just now, she looks like she is asleep which is nice.. She probably needs it bad, as I believe she didn't get any last night : / I heard her rustling every now and then.
I learned something today.. Beardies are(at least Meryl was) like big vases when they have stuff plugging them up. That red pool of liquid I saw in my lizard's throat this morning was actually her body just being absolutely filled to the brim with all those freaking medicines so much that I could see them in her throat.. She was throwing up because I think they were blocking her nostrils and she couldn't breathe.. There's no way the food I gave her outweighed the sheer volume of the medicine!! Poor thing holy crap... When she was trying to sleep last night she had to hold herself up because when she'd lay down the medicine would probably drip out her nose like it did this morning..

Anyway, I gave her a little rolled up towelette so her head props upright on it without her having to hold herself up or be in a weird angle(she tried to prop herself against the wall). She seems to have conked out pretty good.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh that is frustrating that the store doesn't have any lights. You can find it online easily though, with a decent price, too.
That is great she is sleeping, so hopefully she will sleep through the night peacefully.
I am sorry you have had such bad luck with vets, so many do. I hope she is feeling better. No wonder she wasn't feeling well, with all of those meds in her making her system upset.
Keep us posted on her!

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

Aw, poor sweetie, she has been through the ringer but still has an appetite ? Good for her ! Just be sure to feed her only a little at a time [ small pieces or pureed ] and that she stays under the heat afterwards to digest everything. Maybe she'd like some stage 1 chicken baby food. Getting her in the sun for a bit [ as long as she's not too frightened ] will give her good UVB exposure until you get the lights sorted out.

 

[CathyJ]

She seems to be better today, thank goodness.. Shes holding her head up and watches everything I do. She's also moving around a lot (although she still drags herself around) so I suppose that's good that she has enough energy to move. I got the little UV and heat set on her and I will go back to the store today to see if I can find my bigger housing bulb.

She also pooped! It's super gross and boogery looking but whatever, it's a poop.

I just gave her a tspn on squash(puree)+collards(juiced)+mustard(juiced)+mineral oil just now.

Also, yes AHBD, I got the heat on her after she eats. She was about 106C when I fed her and her food was all room temp so she should digest it pretty smoothly.

 

[AHBD]

That sounds good Cathy.... and if convenient it might be good to snap pics of her poo, and keep a little record of what + when she eats and when she poos. Your mixture for her should be good + nutritious, just use very little of the mineral oil. But so far so good.

 

[CathyJ]

Here's the poop.

http://i.imgur.com/3OMrPWD.jpg (I spread it out to take a better look at it)

Okay the poop smells really bad, like maybe it's been in there a while.. And it has the consistency of a raw egg basically. It's separated into "sections" like multiple raw eggs, how they all blend together but they have their boundaries.

The green color looks just like the food I gave her yesterday so it's going through good that its still pretty green and not all brown and gross.. There are a couple of little sections that are red but it doesn't quite look like blood.. Maybe leftover medicine? As that was red. Cricket pieces even though she hasn't had crickets in a couple days, so at least stuff is moving now.

 

[CathyJ]

Haha yea, I am actually keeping a log so I can give it to the new vet I go to. I suppose the pictures would be good.

Yes, I only include a little bit of the mineral oil. I have an oral syringe to give it to her and I only fill the little tip with the mineral oil I give her (so like, not even to the measurements).

So far so good everyone. I can't thank you guys enough.