I AM SOOOOO MAD!!!!!!

[nikkicostello89]

Hey,

How is he today?

I've had some bad experiences of mine getting stressed on meds (causing them to go how you've described) now i split the dosage up, so i only give tiny bits of anything at one time, even if i have to give them some every half hour. I usually give no more than 0.5cc at once. See if that helps, also are you mixing the meds with anything? I drew up what i needed into the syringe, and then drew up (in the same syringe) about 0.2cc of babyfood, then they get the nice taste, and only a little bit of the nasty taste!

Good luck,

Nikki

 

[dreshany]

Perry made it through the night! He is still very lifeless though. Thanks, I will try and divide up his meds into smaller doses and mix it with a bit of baby food. The extra nutrition will probably be good as well. I am going to try and get him back into the vet today, maybe they can do something.

Also, he is keeping his eyes closed. This began when I moved him to a smaller viv. Could it be the lights hurting his eyes? I have his MVB on a stand 18" above his basking spot and a regular 60W bulb about 6 inches above his basking area for extra heat. His temps are good, but is this too bright? His eyes are stay closed even when I take him out of his viv too. Could this be part of the MBD or kidney problems? You can see him keeping his eyes closed in the pic on the 1st page. any ideas?
Oh and it is made of plastic, I washed the smaller viv with dish soap and rinsed with vinegar and water then rinsed again.

 

[nikkicostello89]

That's fantastic that he made it through the night! I didn't want to say, but mine didn't. So that is really great news.

I don't think the lights are too much, but are you sure your temps are ok? Most people have trouble keeping the temps down in a smaller tank with an MVB let alone with an extra light. Are you using a digital thermometer with a probe?

My best advice i can give you is to not stress him out. i think this is what killed my little one. Are you keeping him warm at night? with a ceremic bulb or a heat pad? If you do have a heat pad, stick it to the side of the tank rather than the bottom, as they can over heat and burn your baby.

Try not to move him too much at all, and just give him really small amounts of meds/fluids at one time, i'd try 0.1cc at a time so he doesn't have to do much. It can take a long time for beardies to turn around, but it is possible.

Like I said, he's done the hard part by surviving the night!

Congratulations, and good luck!

Nikki

 

[dreshany]

Thanks Nikki,
I just got back from the vet, they said with everything going on with him that he is doing ok. They said that I could stop the antibiotics until he becomes more stable and that the 4 day treatment was probably enough to cut down some of the coccidia (sp?). I found out that they did do a float test fecal and it came back positive for coccidia and that he is being treated for the kidney failure with the carnivore care and calcium but that it was a good idea to add the pedialyte for more hydration. They did not do a blood test because they feel he is too weak and do not want to put him under extra stress but that they are positive of the kidney failure. If he survives and gets stronger they will follow up and do a blood test to check on the residual damage.
Day by day I guess. I am glad we can stop the antibiotics until he regains some of his strength. Maybe we can hope for a bit of improvement.
Thanks everyone for your help, it has been invaluable in helping save my baby!! :mrgreen:

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great that Perry made it through the night. Good that you are not going to be giving him any antibiotics right now until he is getting better. I was pretty worried about giving him too much antibiotics with his kidneys having a hard time. I am happy you are not giving that to him.
I think if you continue with the liquid calcium, & not overdo that, & the carnivore care with plenty of oral fluids daily, that he should begin to improve. The eyes closing & all I believe is just due to dehydration & his system being ultra sensitive to stimuli.
Make sure his temps don't exceed 102 or so just so he doesn't get overheated at all.
Please keep us posted on him. You are doing awesome with him.

Tracie

 

[dreshany]

That's fantastic that he made it through the night! I didn't want to say, but mine didn't. So that is really great news.

Nikki

Nikki I am so sorry that you lost your baby That must be so hard! my thoughts are with you.

 

[dreshany]

The weirdest thing. Perry has made a miraculous turn around. My nephew can running up to me saying that Perry was running around his viv. Sure enough, he was running up the sides of his cage like he did before he got sick! :lol: What a change from just last night. Is there hope? Am I fooling myself to believe he might pull through. Last night I was convinced that we were just going to make him comfortable. I think the pedialite is helping a lot. I also cut the carnivore care in half and added some squash baby food and fed that in smaller portions throughout today. I am so nervous about gaining a bit of hope, these last few days have been such a struggle.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, it is good to be optimistic. It is possible that Perry can make a great recovery with the proper help, & he definitely needs the positive aura around him as you are giving him. That is great he has made such great strides in such a short amount of time. I believe that it is the combination of all of the components, but definitely the oral fluids should really help him out alot. Good that you cut the carnivore in half & added some squash, that will add more fiber & moisture for him.
I am keeping my thoughts with him, & hope that he continues to make improvements for you daily.

Tracie

 

[dreshany]

I want to start by saying a HUGE thanks to everyone for their help and input I would especially like to thank Nikki and Tracie for all of their help over the last few days. If it wasn't for this forum and all the great people here, I don't believe Perry would be alive right now. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Not only is my baby still alive, he is doing really well! I went to check on him this morning and he was sitting up in his basking spot and looked at me like "What's up?" He is moving around his viv, scratching at the glass and showing interest in things again. He is still not eating and is fairly weak, but it is night and day compared to how he was just a few days ago. We are calling him CBL for come back lizard of the year . I am SO grateful for this forum and everyone here ((((huge hugs)))) to everyone!

Also, one question. Because of all the force feeding, Perry's mouth is losing some scales and is looking a little raw (a small price to pay for sure) Is there any thing I can do to help prevent anymore injury and help this heal?
Thanks
Shauna

 

[Tatty]

I am so happy that Perry is doing better. Unfortunately I lost a couple cherished beardies despite vet appointments and around the clock care when they got feeling that poorly. I am happy for you.

Tatty

 

[dreshany]

I am so happy that Perry is doing better. Unfortunately I lost a couple cherished beardies despite vet appointments and around the clock care when they got feeling that poorly. I am happy for you.

Tatty

I am so sorry you lost your babies, that must be very hard!

Perry is getting better and better each day. I misted him today and he lapped up some water, that is a first since he fell ill!! He also began sitting in his water bowl again
His mouth is getting pretty raw and I am scared it is going to involve into a sore. I tried putting two pin head crickets into his cage today but he just freaked out. He also wont eat out of my hand anymore. I would like to try and get him eating on his own asap but I am not sure the best way to get him eating live food again. He has never eaten veg on his own even though I keep it in his cage.

 

[Tatty]

Here is something I have tried to nourish convalescent beardies while they are recovering. I go to the pet store and buy some powdered nutrisystem for baby birds. You can mix it with water or fruit juice. Make it into a thick runny liquid and they will lap it out of a spoon if you drizzle it between their lips or will lap from an eyedropper or feeding syringe. It gives them calories plus keeps them hydrated and isn't as likely to make the choke as jump-start appetite stimulant. As they get hydrated and gain weight, you can introduce soft vegetables and soft worms. I actually showed this trick to a pet store owner who thought she was going to lose one of the baby beardies she bought from me and I showed her how to correct her husbandry mistakes and got her on to doing this for him at least three times daily. He went from dehydrated and listless to growing and active. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion, but this helped me. Pregnant beardies respond to this method really well when they get close to dropping eggs and especially right after.

Tatty

 

[dreshany]

Thanks Tatty for the suggestion. Unfortunately, I can not get Perry to eat from a spoon or to lap from an eye dropper. I have spent countless hours trying to dribble food, baby food, water, etc onto his nose and lips and he is just too stubborn to lick it. The vet tech also tried to feed him his calcium that way and he would not take it.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get them to start eating from a spoon, this would be sooooo helpful if I could get him to do this!

 

[Tatty]

Take a piece of coated dental floss and insert it between his lips this will irritate him and get him to open his mouth so you can insert some liquid with a syringe or dropper. I got quite proficient doing this with a sick baby and could do it in a split second with minimal stress. You might want to get an assistant to help you.

Tatty

 

[protiemama]

Tatty- You are full of great ideas. You should write a tips sheet and get it posted for an easy resorce! I love the dental floss idea. Hope I never need it, but it sounds great!
Perry is in our beardie prayers. Keep up the good work, Shauna. He knows he is loved.

Sandy H