Hurt bearded dragon

[Nina712]

My bearded dragon is 4.5 months old. I thought it was cute to sleep with her until i accidentally crushed her in my sleep. I know its wrong to do and will never do it again ever. The guilt i feel is tremendous. So last night i slept, woke up with her in a different spot than i left her and im only assuming i crushed her bc she had a full black beard and black tail but i was not on her when i woke up. Appetite normal, energy and alertness is normal, stool was runny, but normal color. nothing coming from mouth, she is skiddish if i reach in as if she does not want to be held. Bc shes in pain. The black beard and tail went away within a half an hour of me waking up. Its been a full day now and the main very important symptom left is her breathing, very deep breathing all day. No gaping, just her sides going very deep when she breathes, otherwise is completely normal habits. What could this mean? I called emergency vets but cannot afford the 200.00 at time of visit that they want.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. It can definitely happen though, if you have your beardie in
bed with you.
Can you post any pictures of her? Does she still have a black beard right now, or not?
The only way to determine if anything is broken, like a rib, etc would be an x-ray. I
realize it is expensive though!
Is she eating normally & basking?

Please let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

I think you need to find a local REPTILE / HERP vet and have her urgently and thoroughly checked - including xray.
This list should help you do that :
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=234369&p=1803862&hilit=melissa#p1803862
general and exotics vets are not good enough when dealing with reptile / beardie health issues and injuries.

I wouldn't much about as they can go down VERY FAST if there is a serious issue internally, she could have ruptured internal organs and be bleeding internally , blackbearding continuously is a very bad sign -- this could be very bad.

You may be lucky and she may just have bruising and have had a big fright when you rolled onto her.

 

[Nina712]

She is eating and basking normally this morning breathing seems a little better too...the black beard went away, i posted a pic of her under belly and beard..thank u for the advice for the herp vet...is it possible shes still in pain even though the black beard is gone? And hasnt come back

 

[nathb1]

She is eating and basking normally this morning breathing seems a little better too...the black beard went away, i posted a pic of her under belly and beard..thank u for the advice for the herp vet...is it possible shes still in pain even though the black beard is gone? And hasnt come back

Best way to tell would be an xray. If she is not breathing normal than definatly something is wrong even tho she is not black beard. Animals are great at masking any type of ill health as well. You can try to wait another day and see if she walks, climbs and her breathing is normal but I wouldnt wait more than that if she has something broken (rib etc) it will not sort by itself . This has happen before when sleeping with a beardie also ppl having them on their shoulders She is a cutie tho! Hope she has nothing is broken!

 

[EllenD]

While I'm very sorry that this happened to you and to your dragon, it's a hard lesson to learn. There have been hundreds of people who have killed both their reptiles and their pet birds by sleeping with them, usually by collapsed lungs, broken ribs that puncture their lungs, internal injuries and bleeding, and suffocation into the mattress. Please never, every do this again. I'm sure you know this by now, and I'm not trying to put you on a guilt trip at all, just to educate you as to why you cannot do this again, especially with such a small juvenile dragon. If he survives this you cannot ever do it again.

There is nothing that you can do to help her without an experienced reptile vet, as there are no home remedies that can help internal injuries or broken bones. I suggest that you now start an emergency veterinary fund for her, as what will you do if she becomes sick with parasites or an infection, like an upper respiratory infection? You can not cure these things at home, they require cultures and prescription medications, just like we need to go to the doctor when we get sick with bronchitis or strep throat, people have died from strep throat because they refused to go to a doctor. Or she could have another accident and injure herself and need an x-ray and most of all prescription pain medication. Can you imagine breaking your leg and not having any prescription pain medication? I have broken a few bones, once shattered my leg playing varsity softball where a bone came through, and I can't imagine going through that without going to the doctor and getting prescription strength pain meds. So my best suggestion is to put a portion of each pay check you get into either an emergency veterinary account at your bank, or even just get a big jar and put all your extra change you have in your pocket at the end of each day. Taking even just $20 from each pay check you get and putting it in the jar along with spare change will add up, if you're paid twice a month you'd have the money for an average vet appointment and medications if he gets sick or injured in 2 months. Just don't touch that money, set it aside, and it will get to the point where you have between $500-$1,000 in his emergency vet fund in no time at $20 a pay check. That way if he would ever need surgery, God forbid, that costs $500 to $1,000 to survive, you won't have to make that hard decision to rehome him or put him to sleep, you can pay for the surgery for him yourself and keep him.

I myself have many pets, 2 dogs, 4 parrots, and 3 dragons (and a large tropical shark aquarium), so I forced myself a long time ago to do the same, I started out putting $20 a pay check in the "Pet Fund", a general pet fund to not only pay for unexpected veterinary care for any of my pets, but for ANY of the MANY things that can and will pop-up that cost money, things like when the Beardie's UVB tubes are due to be replaced (must be replaced once every 6 months or once every year, depending on what UVB tube you have, as they stop emitting any UVB light at one of those ages, just an FYI to you in case you didn't know that, very important), or when a UVB tube or a Basking Bulb would suddenly burn-out or break, or one of the parrots developed an upper respiratory infection, or when the dogs were due for their yearly shots, or when I would run out of dog food, parrot food, and live insects for the dragons all at once, etc. Those are the times I was so thankful that I had that "Emergency Pet Fund". I started out putting $20 a pay check in, and as I made more and more money I would put more and more money in, maybe $50 a paycheck or $100 a paycheck, and before I knew it I have several thousand dollars in the Pet Fund, and it was such peace of mind to have! I knew that if one of my family members (they are my family members) got very sick or needed surgery or expensive diagnostic tests, like a CAT Scan, MRI, etc. that can cost up to $1,000 a piece, I didn't have to worry, I knew I had the money! To me, making the decision to have pets is no different than deciding to have human children, if you're going to do it you have to be responsible for them, and it's not fair to them if they become sick or injured and are in pain, and I am not financially able to get them the help that they need. So just a suggestion for you to consider starting, the money really does add-up quickly and it is such a good feeling to know you will have no problem getting them to a vet when they need it.

She could very well still be in pain, but more than likely she is traumatized, as is to be expected. Bearded Dragons become extremely stressed when things like this happen. My best advice to you is to stop handling her for a couple of days, you should talk to her softly from outside her tank, let her know you're still there and try to comfort her that way, but just let her de-stress and calm down, as half of her initial problem was probably extreme stress. They become very scared and skitterish, as you already mentioned he was, and he doesn't understand why you were crushing him and wouldn't get off of him while he was hurting. It was a total accident and not your fault, obviously you didn't do it purposely, but he doesn't understand that. Just feed him and clean his tank normally, make sure his lights are on for at least 13-14 hours a day, check his temperature zones and make sure they are good, but do not handle him or reach your hands in the tank for a few days, especially since he's acting very uneasy when you're doing so. He needs to relax and de-stress for a while.

As far as his possible physical injuries, watch him closely, make sure he continues to eat normally every day and is active as he normally is, and all any of us can tell you is that if he again starts to black beard, stops eating, or starts sleeping a lot, these are all indications that he's in pain and has internal injuries that require emergency Veterinary Care from an experienced Reptile Vet, and you're just going to have to borrow the money from someone to take him ASAP. Hopefully this won't happen and he'll be okay if you just let him decompress and relax without startling him or making him uncomfortable for a few day by handling him, hopefully he'll calm down and come around. But please, in the meantime so that this isn't an issue again in the future for you or him, please start putting money aside each pay check for him.

 

[Nina712]

Thank you so much for all your advice , that is a great idea with the emergency fund i am definitely doing that. She seems fine now breathing wise, and moving/eating fine.. still skiddish and im not going to handle her for a few days like you said

 

[EllenD]

Thank you so much for all your advice , that is a great idea with the emergency fund i am definitely doing that. She seems fine now breathing wise, and moving/eating fine.. still skiddish and im not going to handle her for a few days like you said

Good, I'm so glad she seems to be doing alright, hopefully she was just mostly scared by the experience and not actually injured. Just keep an eye on her to be sure there are no lasting effects, and just give her a day or two to calm down, but talk to her softly, gently, she'll be fine by tomorrow or the next day, she was just really shook-up by the experience. When you do go to pick her up again, be sure to put your hand in and approach from underneath her or from the side of her so she can see your hand, and don't cover from above her. Let your hand in the tank for a few minutes so she can see it, but don't touch her right away, just speak to her softly while your hand is inside the tank so she can see it, that way she'll get back to realizing you're not going to hurt her.

 

[Nina712]

Thank you, do you think she will always associate me with this incident of getting hurt or will she eventually trust me again over time?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, she should be fine and it may not take very long at all.

 

[EllenD]

She'll be fine, she's just startled and stressed out, but she'll warm right back up to you in no time.

 

[Nina712]

Thank you all

 

[kingofnobbys]

While I'm very sorry that this happened to you and to your dragon, it's a hard lesson to learn. There have been hundreds of people who have killed both their reptiles and their pet birds by sleeping with them, usually by collapsed lungs, broken ribs that puncture their lungs, internal injuries and bleeding, and suffocation into the mattress. Please never, every do this again. I'm sure you know this by now, and I'm not trying to put you on a guilt trip at all, just to educate you as to why you cannot do this again, especially with such a small juvenile dragon. If he survives this you cannot ever do it again.

There is nothing that you can do to help her without an experienced reptile vet, as there are no home remedies that can help internal injuries or broken bones. I suggest that you now start an emergency veterinary fund for her, as what will you do if she becomes sick with parasites or an infection, like an upper respiratory infection? You can not cure these things at home, they require cultures and prescription medications, just like we need to go to the doctor when we get sick with bronchitis or strep throat, people have died from strep throat because they refused to go to a doctor. Or she could have another accident and injure herself and need an x-ray and most of all prescription pain medication. Can you imagine breaking your leg and not having any prescription pain medication? I have broken a few bones, once shattered my leg playing varsity softball where a bone came through, and I can't imagine going through that without going to the doctor and getting prescription strength pain meds. So my best suggestion is to put a portion of each pay check you get into either an emergency veterinary account at your bank, or even just get a big jar and put all your extra change you have in your pocket at the end of each day. Taking even just $20 from each pay check you get and putting it in the jar along with spare change will add up, if you're paid twice a month you'd have the money for an average vet appointment and medications if he gets sick or injured in 2 months. Just don't touch that money, set it aside, and it will get to the point where you have between $500-$1,000 in his emergency vet fund in no time at $20 a pay check. That way if he would ever need surgery, God forbid, that costs $500 to $1,000 to survive, you won't have to make that hard decision to rehome him or put him to sleep, you can pay for the surgery for him yourself and keep him.

I myself have many pets, 2 dogs, 4 parrots, and 3 dragons (and a large tropical shark aquarium), so I forced myself a long time ago to do the same, I started out putting $20 a pay check in the "Pet Fund", a general pet fund to not only pay for unexpected veterinary care for any of my pets, but for ANY of the MANY things that can and will pop-up that cost money, things like when the Beardie's UVB tubes are due to be replaced (must be replaced once every 6 months or once every year, depending on what UVB tube you have, as they stop emitting any UVB light at one of those ages, just an FYI to you in case you didn't know that, very important), or when a UVB tube or a Basking Bulb would suddenly burn-out or break, or one of the parrots developed an upper respiratory infection, or when the dogs were due for their yearly shots, or when I would run out of dog food, parrot food, and live insects for the dragons all at once, etc. Those are the times I was so thankful that I had that "Emergency Pet Fund". I started out putting $20 a pay check in, and as I made more and more money I would put more and more money in, maybe $50 a paycheck or $100 a paycheck, and before I knew it I have several thousand dollars in the Pet Fund, and it was such peace of mind to have! I knew that if one of my family members (they are my family members) got very sick or needed surgery or expensive diagnostic tests, like a CAT Scan, MRI, etc. that can cost up to $1,000 a piece, I didn't have to worry, I knew I had the money! To me, making the decision to have pets is no different than deciding to have human children, if you're going to do it you have to be responsible for them, and it's not fair to them if they become sick or injured and are in pain, and I am not financially able to get them the help that they need. So just a suggestion for you to consider starting, the money really does add-up quickly and it is such a good feeling to know you will have no problem getting them to a vet when they need it.

She could very well still be in pain, but more than likely she is traumatized, as is to be expected. Bearded Dragons become extremely stressed when things like this happen. My best advice to you is to stop handling her for a couple of days, you should talk to her softly from outside her tank, let her know you're still there and try to comfort her that way, but just let her de-stress and calm down, as half of her initial problem was probably extreme stress. They become very scared and skitterish, as you already mentioned he was, and he doesn't understand why you were crushing him and wouldn't get off of him while he was hurting. It was a total accident and not your fault, obviously you didn't do it purposely, but he doesn't understand that. Just feed him and clean his tank normally, make sure his lights are on for at least 13-14 hours a day, check his temperature zones and make sure they are good, but do not handle him or reach your hands in the tank for a few days, especially since he's acting very uneasy when you're doing so. He needs to relax and de-stress for a while.

As far as his possible physical injuries, watch him closely, make sure he continues to eat normally every day and is active as he normally is, and all any of us can tell you is that if he again starts to black beard, stops eating, or starts sleeping a lot, these are all indications that he's in pain and has internal injuries that require emergency Veterinary Care from an experienced Reptile Vet, and you're just going to have to borrow the money from someone to take him ASAP. Hopefully this won't happen and he'll be okay if you just let him decompress and relax without startling him or making him uncomfortable for a few day by handling him, hopefully he'll calm down and come around. But please, in the meantime so that this isn't an issue again in the future for you or him, please start putting money aside each pay check for him.

yep .... having money set aside for emergencies unless you can get pet insurance that will cover your pet for these costs is a very good idea.
Vets are EXPENSIVE !

I'm retired so money is not a disposable commodity for me - I have to preserve my savings as much as possible as the money once spent is NOT replaceable. I am not doing it tough financially but do have to be careful with my money and do my best to live within my means ( my fortnightly pension).
I keep $1000 in an account to cover me for pet emergency cost. My wake up call was Puff's surgical costs ( I spent over $700 on his surgery a few weeks before Xmas 2015, so as you can imagine we had a lean & sad Xmas that year ) and he never survived recovery or came home ).

I do similar for car emergency and household emergenies.

It's called budgeting.

Other option if you are on a regular wage / salary (working) are visiting the bank/building society/credit union and taking out an emergency personal loan to cover the expenses (no guarantee you'd be approved for the loan or in time) or using your credit card ( cards are expensive credit ).

I still think she needs to be seen by a vet . Xrays , ultrasound to check for hidden injuries. Sooner the better, if the vet gives her the all clear - you are only out of pocket for vet consult, the imaging , and you can count your and her lucky stars and learn from the experience.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

She appears to be fine, thankfully! It's a hard lesson to learn.
How is her breathing now, has it normalized? She is likely traumatized & they can react in
that manner & stay stressed for awhile. Her beard isn't black which is a good sign.
Let us know how she is doing. She is very pretty!

Tracie

 

[Nina712]

Thank you , and yes she is doing alot better, pretty much back to herself now, breathing is normal again.. I think you are right about her being traumatized from it, shes seeming more comfortable every day...i am definately lucky!!! Am never doing that again, i got paid yesterday and have an appointment for her on Monday to check everything out but she does seem fine thank you all for the advice and tips