Hurt my beardies jaw

[mamakintobeardie]

My daughters beardie is currently going on his 4th week and second med to treat a nasty case of coccidia. I've been force feeding him for that length of time as well. About 2 weeks ago, during a feeding he started biting down really hard and chomping at the syringe. His mouth started to bleed. I called our vet and she said it's common for some beardies to lose teeth during the course of force feeding and not to be concerned. However the last few times I've feed him I've gotten a decent look at the inside of his mouth and it looks like there is a bone on the bottom right that looks like it's sticking up a little. Is that his jaw? Could his jaw have broken? He can still open his mouth and it doesn't seem swollen on the outside? Does anyone have experience with this? Gosh, I feel so bad. The poor guy is just struggling to get better and I hope I haven't made things worse.

 

[CooperDragon]

Force feeding and offering meds can be traumatic and cause issues like that, but it can still be serious. I don't like that your vet seemed to blow it off. I'd imagine losing teeth is pretty painful and if the wound remains open it could become infected and cause a greater problem. That said, I suggesting being extra careful/gentile when offering medication (which one are you using?) so not to cause further injury. If the wound doesn't look like it's healing on it's own or appears to get worse, I would apply some manuka or unpasteurized honey on the area to help protect it and help it heal. Manuka honey works well as a natural antibiotic. MaxiGuard oral gel also works well to keep teeth & gums clean and help prevent infection. Can you post some photos of him and his injury? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Thank you for replying. Where could I get that honey?
Since the bleeding I have not force fed him on the right side, only the left. He is due to go in for blood work on Tuesday because he's still not eating on his own. So far he's been on Panacur, Albon (on the 2nd round) and in between those, one I had never heard of like XmZ or something like that. I also have him on a probiotic powder that I've been mixing into the carnivore formula.
I can try to get a pic but I've only gotten 2-3 looks at it for about 2 seconds. He doesn't like to open wide for his force feedings. Oh, we're also soaking him in pedialyte every other day.

 

[CooperDragon]

You can get Manuka honey online in several places but it can be expensive in large quantities. I bought a small jar from here http://www.bug-de-lite.com/Products Page.html You can usually get raw/unpasteurized honey from a heath food store or the health food section of a grocery store. It will say raw or unpasteurized on the label in most cases.

The meds can be rough on their systems, Albon especially, so it's not a surprise he isn't eating. It's good that you're offering probiotics, that should help. I've had good luck using bene-bac gel as well.

How old is he? Has he been losing weight? The force feeding may not be needed as much if he's older or at a healthy stable weight. I don't know that the pedialyte soaks are necessary unless he's drinking from the baths. The baths can be stressful and if this is the case then it's not worth the additional stress. I'd just offer some extra water via dropper/feeding syringe. Just drop water on his nose and let him lick it up if he wants it.

What do you have in place for lighting? Do you have a good UVB light? What are the temperatures throughout the tank? Proper lighting can be a big factor in overall health and appetite as well.

If you haven't done so already, I also suggest putting him on paper towels for substrate so you can swap it out easily and clean his enclosure frequently using either a steam cleaner or an ammonia/water mixture which will help kill the coccidia and reduce the chances of re-infection.

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Hi there,
Yes, our beardie is losing weight. The first visit to the vet he was 339 grams (he's almost 2), two weeks later he was down 20 grams. I'm guessing by the way he looks now he'll be down again when we bring him in Tuesday.
He's in a 40 gal breeder tank with a 10.0 Reptisun UVB over his hammock and log (log is out now) and a 150W zoo med basking light over his basking spot as well. His basking area is between 90-95 and the cool side about 80. Though he is only going over to the other side to poop. I also run an under tank heat pad but shut it off since we replaced his green carpet terrain with paper towels as I didn't want him to burn his belly.
He was in excellent health but now he just looks sad and pretty much lays in the same place every day. We've been giving him pedialite baths because he does drink it while hes in there. Last time I brought him to the vets she had to hydrate him. That is when she suggested the baths.
I'm praying he pulls through this. My daughter has been very ill this year and this is her baby. It's been tiring but obviously a labor of love taking care of both!

 

[CooperDragon]

The lighting sounds pretty good. How far above the basking area is the ReptiSun tube? It sounds like you're doing everything you can to help him. They're tough little guys and can bounce back from a lot so stick with him. He probably still has quite a bit of fight left even if he's not feeling so hot right now.

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Thanks. I got a good look at his bottom jaw when I just fed him and it definitely looks broken. Is that something that will heal or will the vet have to do something. I just can stand seeing this guy put under any more stress.

 

[CooperDragon]

If the jaw is broken then it may need to be secured to heal properly. That's for a vet to inspect and decide though. I'd try to keep it clean and immobilize it as much as you can for now to help prevent further damage or infection.

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Thanks so much. Glad to have found you guys here. I'm trying very hard to stay calm about this as to not panic my daughter. Poor guy. I've switched to the smallest syringe now so that he basically took his last feeding with barely having to open his mouth. Will continue that through Tuesday.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

OH that is heart breaking, I am sorry about your dragon's jaw!
The vet may need to secure it to help it heal. There are softer rubber tips that you can get to fit onto the end of the syringe that your vet may have, so it is much easier to feed him. That way you wouldn't have to open up his mouth so far, basically, just slide it in to feed him.
He could give you Critical care or Carnivore care to feed him since he is losing weight right now.
How often are you giving him calcium? Your UVB light should be fine, how old is it?
Are you keeping him warm overnight, around 80? His immune system needs some boosting while he is trying to recover.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Thank for your response Tracie. Nicky is still hanging in there, he wont open his mouth much at all. I'm using the smallest syringe I have to feed him some baby food squash and carnivore care with added probiotic powder twice a day. I feel so badly every time I feed him just knowing how much pain he's probably in.
I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow afternoon to get that jaw checked. He is almost 2 years old, has always been in good health (except for mild case of pin worms a few months after we got him).
I put his heat mat on at night and he sleeps right on it, so temp is good for him at night.
I'm praying the vet will be able to help him and do something to secure his jaw. We just cant lose him, we love this little guy so much, especially my 13 yo daughter (which the beardie is technically hers). She has been ill herself over the last 6 months. Losing Nicky would be devastating.

 

[AHBD]

Sorry to hear about your beardie's problem ! Ask your vet about Baycox [ toltrazuril ] , it can get rid of coccidia sometimes in just a few doses. But for now it's probably best to give your dragon a break from the meds. for a while.....that in itself has now caused a greater problem than having coccidia. Four weeks on meds. is too much. When a beardie who was in relatively good health is forced meds. + food it can end up like this. Not your fault, you're only following the vets advice but they don't always give the best advice in circumstances like this. The dragon is now stressed + depressed but can bounce back. Can you post a few pics of Nicky ?

 

[mamakintobeardie]

Here is our Nicky as of yesterday. That bottom photo is the side that I believe his jaw is broken. It is not apparent from the outside. I'm hoping the visit wont be too traumatic for him and also hoping no surgery will be involved. He has lost quite a bit of weight over the last month or so. I'm happy to hear you think he'll bounce back. I'm really stressing about what they are going to do tomorrow when I bring him in. Ultimately I know its for his own good and to get him well. My daughter has had him out with her all weekend. He sits so nice on her shoulder while she does her homework. Trying to stay positive.

 

[AHBD]

Very good pics. There's no outward appearance of being fractured, it may just be a jagged inside edge from biting on the syringe. The vet probably won't be able to do much, and if they wanted to wire the jaw shut you would probably have even more serious problem [ then he couldn't eat or take meds. for weeks ]....but i doubt very much that there is going to be anything that you would do other than let him rest. Forcing things on him will make it worse, [ he's already becoming traumatized ] letting him rest until he gets his appetite back on his own is what I would do. Get him something irresistible like hornworms or whatever bug he loves the most. You'll also want to keep him in the tank more than outside, he needs the heat to help his immune system and heal better. But I'd get him off the meds. for a while, keep him home resting and wait for his appetite to return. I wish you the best !

 

[mamakintobeardie]

I'm very worried about him and the possibility his mouth may be infected now. He's totally rejecting the force feeding even with my smallest tip syringe. I know his mouth is in pain. I can feel a bump on that side of his jawline that I believe to be broken/fractured. I can't see the inside of his mouth at all anymore. Just going to let him reset and off to the vets tomorrow. Praying for the best.