Hello, my bearded dragon has been not been moving since yesterday afternoon, he was doing doing perfectly fine yestarday and then all of a sudden I see him on the floor of his vivarium acting very lethargic he was moving but just barely his beard was pitch black and the tip of his tail darkened. He's been showing signs of brumation for a while now like hiding under his rock and digging in it, and I read that they can slow their heart rate during brumation I also read that I can check for a heart beat by putting him between me hands like a sandwich and flipping him over I did this today and I think I felt a heart beat I'm not sure, I went to the vet yesterday as well and they're not sure what's wrong they said they'll have someone more professional come in the next day or so and they're not sure how long he has, my dad wont go to that vet because they're too expensive though, and today he's gotten dark all over his body except for his finger ans his face his chin is still black I can't give him medication the vets gave me because I literally can't open up his mouth it's like he locked his jaw, I almost forgot to mention that his eyes were barely open yesterday and today they're closed all the way and that he pooped a lot yesterday I read that they do that before brumating. Can somebody please help me out here?
EDIT: I also forgot to mention that when I went to check his heartbeat again gas came out from his but, and that when he pooped the first time yesterday it was a lot but the second time it was a VERY little amount
This isn't brumation. He is sick for some reason. The dark beard indicates that he is in distress. It sounds like maybe organ failure. Try to keep him warm and comfortable for now. Hopefully he will make it to an appointment with an experienced reptile vet soon but it sounds like whatever is troubling him is pretty advanced unfortunately =(.
How old is he and how long have you had him ? I agree, very, very sick dragon. I'm so sorry that he is in this condition, as Cooper mentioned it could be organ failure, even cancer. Can you post pics of him and some of his tank ? Here's how :
This isn't brumation. He is sick for some reason. The dark beard indicates that he is in distress. It sounds like maybe organ failure. Try to keep him warm and comfortable for now. Hopefully he will make it to an appointment with an experienced reptile vet soon but it sounds like whatever is troubling him is pretty advanced unfortunately =(.
How old is he and how long have you had him ? I agree, very, very sick dragon. I'm so sorry that he is in this condition, as Cooper mentioned it could be organ failure, even cancer. Can you post pics of him and some of his tank ? Here's how :
Poor boy, and he looks to be in good body condition so you took good care of him. Will he drink if you drip water on his snout ? Of course you'd have to replace the damp paper towels after. And what meds. did the vet prescribe ?
I agree that he looks good in terms of size and body weight. He is in distress though. I hope he can fight it off and pull through. Offering some drips of water on his nose is a good recommendation.
Poor boy, and he looks to be in good body condition so you took good care of him. Will he drink if you drip water on his snout ? Of course you'd have to replace the damp paper towels after. And what meds. did the vet prescribe ?
I would probably avoid the carnivore care if you can find it's cousin critical care. The high protein level of carnivore care tends to be better for young dragons and I'd worry that a large dose of protein may overwhelm his systems at the moment. I'm not familiar with SP Reptile though.
I would probably avoid the carnivore care if you can find it's cousin critical care. The high protein level of carnivore care tends to be better for young dragons and I'd worry that a large dose of protein may overwhelm his systems at the moment. I'm not familiar with SP Reptile though.
Those are sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Antibiotics. Did the vet run any tests to confirm a bacterial infection? If not, I would hold off on administering that. Those can be very harsh on their systems and if the issue is kidney failure (best to check via a blood test) then the antibiotics could shut down the kidneys completely. I'm guessing on the kidney or liver issues but since he is lethargic, pooping frequently, and looks to be in good shape outwardly, then it's likely that or a tumor based on what I've seen (keep in mind I am not a professional, this is just my guess based on experience). When he pooped did you see urate with it? If so, did it have a blue tint to it? Or was it white (like normal).
Those are sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Antibiotics. Did the vet run any tests to confirm a bacterial infection? If not, I would hold off on administering that. Those can be very harsh on their systems and if the issue is kidney failure (best to check via a blood test) then the antibiotics could shut down the kidneys completely. I'm guessing on the kidney or liver issues but since he is lethargic, pooping frequently, and looks to be in good shape outwardly, then it's likely that or a tumor based on what I've seen (keep in mind I am not a professional, this is just my guess based on experience). When he pooped did you see urate with it? If so, did it have a blue tint to it? Or was it white (like normal).
Sorry your boy is so ill. I agree, I would try to find the critical care so he doesn't get a protein
overload.
I would hesitate on the medications also, since you are not sure if it's kidney or liver related.
There have been a lot of cases lately with tumors involved. I hope you can get him feeling
better because he is definitely in distress.
Do they plan on doing any other tests, or a blood test to determine organ function?
He is still breathing, with a heart beat that you can determine?
Thank you everyone for your help but he is definitely dead now, I think the gas I felt come out of him when I checked his heartbeat was huilding up from the heat lamp