I'm Losing Him

[Tonja]

I am so very sorry. You did all you could for him. Its hard to lose a beloved beardie, I will keep you in my prayers.

 

[Esther19]

I'm so sorry for your loss. You both fought a good fight, but he was just too sick. Hugs and prayers your way.

 

[PastelBeardie]

Thank you everybody for your good advice, prayers, and support. He's at the vet's, and when they call with the results of the necropsy I'll post them here.

 

[destiny1998]

Sorry for your loss

 

[diamc]

I'm so sorry to hear that Baldric wasn't strong enough to fight any longer. You certainly tried everything you could. He is now free of all pain. Thoughts & prayers to you & your family.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Christine,

I just wanted you to know that you did all you could & Baldric loved you very much. I am so sorry you lost him. It is devastating to lose one.

Tracie

 

[PastelBeardie]

Thank you. His pain is over.

 

[PastelBeardie]

I just got the results of Baldric’s necropsy. The vet had an extra crazy day yesterday and couldn’t get back to me sooner.

He said it absolutely was a liver problem. Baldric’s liver was 5 times the normal size and there were cysts in his liver, probably from secondary infections. It was not fatty liver and there were no signs of a fatty liver. All the other organs were normal except that the organs near his liver were starting to pick up the infection. He said it was one of two things, and it’s 50/50 of it being one or the other:

1. He picked up a bacterial infection, or

2. He was born with a defect and as he grew he started getting infections.

His musculature was good, and he grew well. He said that there’s no way it was anything I did, and that comment was worth more than the cost of the necropsy to me.

I told the vet that I’m mainly a gecko person and got a beardie because everyone says what great pets they are, but I really don’t want to go through this again. I have a viv, dubia colony, superworm colony, and everything including a little beardie leash, and asked him what other species might fit in with the same setup. He has this pro-beardie bias and said that this was a fluke, and if I go with another beardie to make sure it comes from someone who takes good care of their animals. I need a bit of time to think about this before doing anything.

I also asked him about disinfecting the viv before re-using it and he recommended bleach with many rinses. This is very difficult for me to do because of the size of the viv. It’s heavy and I don’t want to break the glass. The log that was Baldric’s favorite spot was porous and I will throw that out because of the blood that soaked into it. It’s next to impossible to scrub it all out, and I don’t want to take a chance of spreading any bacteria, even though the vet thinks it’s unlikely to be contagious. He said it’s possible but unlikely, and I wouldn’t want to take a chance.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Christine,

We are always here to help, listen, figure things out hopefully & offer as much comfort as we possibly can being here online.
If you need anything at all, don't hesitate. I am sorry you had to go through this & that you lost your precious dragon. Baldric was a wonderful soul & lucky to have you.
Maybe one day you will have room in your heart to care for another one.

Tracie

 

[willige54]

A few years ago I came in here to learn all I could about beardies before taking the plunge. I bought Baldric from Blood Bank Dragons and had fun posting pictures of my new little guy. I saw his face listed on their ad and knew he was the one for me.

Baldric’s hatch date was approx. July 1, 2012. Last fall he quit eating and became too lazy to catch crickets, which he used to love. I had someone with over 10 years of experience raising and caring for beardies look at him, and he said he looked like a normal, healthy beardie and his weight was good. Over time he became lazier and lazier. Next it was too much work to catch dubia, then he gave up on superworms. I had other people look at him, and he seemed fine to them. He’s my first beardie and his weight was good, so I thought maybe adult beardies are normally this way, but something just didn’t feel right. His appetite kept decreasing, but his weight was still good.

Then in May a wildfire was bearing down on us. The smoke was so bad I had to use both my mouth and my nose to breathe, and when we evacuated I used a plastic tub to house him in because his viv would not fit in my vehicle. I took him outside for UVBs until the evacuation was over. When we got back the danger was over, but the smoke was still bad for about a week. It was during the evacuation time that I noticed a little kink in his tail. When I moved him it went away. Still, this did not make me happy.

Since then, he’s been looking worse and now he’s started passing small bloody stools, nostly blood with a tiny bit of leaf from greens. He eats almost nothing. I took him to my reptile vet today, and he felt something large in his abdomen. He took and x-ray and found a large mass that should not be there. He thinks it’s part of his liver and that it might be huge, but can’t really tell for sure from the picture. Baldric’s mouth is yellow on the inside, and his tongue is yellow, not pink. He’s not dehydrated or showing any signs of MBD. The vet said that one possibility for causing liver problems would be exposure to toxins. Could the fire have done that?

We went over and over my husbandry procedures and what he eats, but could not find a problem. He has never been overweight to where he would get fatty liver disease, and the only foods I give him are on Beautiful Dragon’s beardie food list. He is not dehydrated. I've been putting Pedialyte in his beardie baths.

Two days ago when I came home from work I checked him and thought he was dead. I hardly slept, thinking about his being gone and intending to bury him in the morning. In the morning I looked in his viv and he opened an eye to look at me. His eyes have sunken in and the fat pads on top of his head are not longer there, it’s indented.

The vet and I discussed euthanasia if it gets to the point where it looks like he is suffering, although I really don’t want to ever lose him. That decision would be awful, I’d always worry if I’d done it too soon.

The vet gave him an antibiotic in his cloacal area after hydrating him the same way to try to help him in case the blood is caused by something that wasn’t showing up in the fecals. Nothing is really adding up, except that he seems to be going. I came home from the vet’s and put him in his viv, then took some pictures to remember how good looking he is in case he’d be gone when I came home. He’s still hanging in there.

I’ve been raising and keeping geckos for some time, and tried a beardie because everyone says what fun pets they are. He was just that until last fall, and if he goes, I don’t think I’ll get another beardie. It’s been a sad trip with him, one that seems to be ending too soon.

Here are the pictures I took before going to the store. As you can see, he’s not emaciated. The vet says his weight is good. But that mass is taking him down.

Nothing to do with the fire! Sorry to tell you this but I think your beardie has liver cancer. The most humane thing to do is euthanasia. I just lost a 13 month old beardie to cancer that was in his bone and muscle tissue, which started in his front legs. He would barely move his front legs. At the end a tumor popped up on his right leg. The vet showed me an X-ray where the cancer had spread throughout his whole body. Beardies are very good at hiding their pain. Vet said he was most likely in a whole lot of pain. There was no question for me, I had him euthanized.

 

[sammmycakes]

I'm so sorry you lost him, at least he is at peace now and I hope you are too.
Maybe one day you will meet a beardie that is right for you, but it takes time. Don't rush.



Also when I disinfect my tanks (which are large, heavy and awkward) I open a window in the room and use a spray bottle with 1 part bleach 2 parts water and soak the tank. (you may be able to use a more concentrated mixture, this is just what I was told by a vet) I let it sit and then wipe it away and spray with water and wipe a few times until the smell of bleach is gone.


Good luck with everything. My heart is with you!

 

[BrendaKay]

I am so sorry you lost your little guy! He actually had all the same symptons and even looked like my first dragon Zilla who had liver problems and died. Heart breaking. I said I wouldn't rush into another, if ever, but soon after he passed, another beardie found me. In time, you may change your mind. Or have it changed for you :|

Hugs.

 

[PastelBeardie]

Thank you for your support. Baldric was a sweet beardie, and I miss him.

Three days after his passing I went into a pet store to talk to someone about what types of reptiles might have similar needs to a beardie and ended up adopting a rescue that looks a lot like Baldric. If you're interested, you can see his story and pictures here. viewtopic.php?f=44&t=210876 The beardie rescuer said that they're seeing more and more illness show up in bearded dragons because the gene pool is limited and there's no new blood coming in since Australia has banned the deportation of any more beardies. He may be right, I don't know.

So another beardie did find me, and he'll be visiting the vet on Friday to make sure he's healthy.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Christine,

Let us know how Jayden does at the vets.

Tracie