infection i think. what can i do NOW?

[vickson420]

Yeah I agree.You have no idea if those ants are carrying something or at the very leasy biting at your beardie.I must be honest though I really cant believe it isnt yellow fungus.I would have bet anything thats what it was...very strange.I hope you get some answers soon.Good Luck.I hope your poor little guy gets better soon.

 

[outrank17]

These are pics of Jean on the way to the vet and afterwards. You don't think they could have screwed up the culture or anything do you--should I keep puttin that athlete's foot cream on? The ants couldn't have been here anymore than a week.

This is the biggest pain and I don't understand. Before the first round of antibiotics, the infection was mainly just on his toes and stuff, but Jean was kinda lethargic. Once he started them, he started cheering up, although he didn't eat much. Now he is cheery, eats alot, but the infection is slowly spreading up his legs. It's frustrating me because I don't know what's up, nothings really working or turning up, and I feel that Jean is slowly kind of dying in front of me from an unsolvable infection.

 

[outrank17]

Also, he only has two toes on each of his back feet now, and a lot of the scales have come off as well.

 

[vickson420]

Cute pics
Well I dont think it would hurt to have them retest the areas for yellow fungus.His mouth looks a bit better to me in thise photos.I wouldnt allow him around any of your other animals for the time being though.You reall want to keep him in as close to a hospital setting as possible.Are you still doing the iodine/lamisil treatments?

 

[outrank17]

Cute pics
You reall want to keep him in as close to a hospital setting as possible.Are you still doing the iodine/lamisil treatments?

I ran out of iodine the vet gave me, but I'm still giving him baths with betadine and stuff. I quit the lamisil treatment sometime ago when the culture came back negative. I can start him back up on that. I'll take the tile out and replace it with towels, but what do I do with the other fixtures of his house that I need to keep in there for him to be able to bask and stuff. How can I clean that?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, it does & always has looked like yellow fungus to me too. It is hard to believe that it isn't because of the nature that it is spreading. Infection normally does not look like that. I don't think it's gout, because gout looks different than that.
I would continue with the lamisil treatment. Were you using tea tree oil as well? That is a strong antiseptic that can really help to wipe that stuff out.
So, soak him in the diluted betadine bath, then use tea tree oil on him as an antiseptic to help clean off the area, then, put the ointment on him. Do this daily, & you could put the cream on him 2 times a day if you would like to.
Yes it is always possible that they could have messed up on the culture. Did they swab an area that was affected, I assume, to put it on the petri dish?
The problem is, if it is a fungus of some sort, the antibiotics can make it worse. We need to figure out what is going on with him.

Tracie

 

[outrank17]

So tree oil is better than witch hazel? And also, are there any links I can goto to check out yellow fungus/gout pictures. Obviously, more than anyone else I know what Jean's own infection looks like. And it would be beneficial for me if I could just compare pics of yellow fungus/gout in other beardies to Jean's case.

And also, what can I clean some of the objects in Jean's house with? Right now I just used some germx to clean off the tops of a couple bricks he uses to bask. But I doubt I can use that on everything he has.

Thanks alot y'all. I really am grateful for the help.

 

[outrank17]

I got an appointment with a herp vet in Houston Thursday.

1. Is tree oil better than witch hazel?
2. How should I clean the stuff in Jean's cage?
3. Are there any yellow fungus/gout pics I could check out and compare to Jean?
4. (unrelated) When feeding superworms, do I need to calcium dust them?

I had asked these questions previously, but I figured numbering them like this would make it easier to answer.

 

[vickson420]

I got an appointment with a herp vet in Houston Thursday.

1. Is tree oil better than witch hazel?
2. How should I clean the stuff in Jean's cage?
3. Are there any yellow fungus/gout pics I could check out and compare to Jean?
4. (unrelated) When feeding superworms, do I need to calcium dust them?

I had asked these questions previously, but I figured numbering them like this would make it easier to answer.

Ok so I guess its a matter of opinion but if you can find it use the tee tree oil otherwise just continue with the witch hazel.What is the stuff in Jean's tank made out of?Is it wood,plastic,porous?White vinegar(diluted is pretty good for non porous stuff).Yes supres need to be dusted just like crix so if you feed them on a calcium day then dust them.I do have one question.How big is Jean again?The pics may be decieving but I am thinking he is too small for supers.Is he over 16 inches?
Here's a few things I have found with pics:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/yellowfungus.html
and this thread was one of the worst cases I have ever seen.Never did find out the outcome on this one but one can only hope:
[ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=78099 f=45 ]

 

[outrank17]

Jean's a bit over 13 inches. I've been bathing him, keeping an eye on his stools, and feeding him a few supers with crickets every once in awhile. Those pictures do kinda resemble what Jean has, but I'm no expert of course. For now I'm taking him off the antibiotics, largely cuz I don't want his appetite to suffer.

 

[vickson420]

Jean's a bit over 13 inches. I've been bathing him, keeping an eye on his stools, and feeding him a few supers with crickets every once in awhile. Those pictures do kinda resemble what Jean has, but I'm no expert of course. For now I'm taking him off the antibiotics, largely cuz I don't want his appetite to suffer.

Honestly thats a good idea IMO but I would also stop the supers as well.With the suppressed immune system and apparently systemic issues Jean is having I wouldnt be using the supers.The recommend size for supers is 16 inches or larger in a beardie thats healthy.You could go with other types of worms in place of them like silks,butters,goliaths,phoenix,etc.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I will get some pics up of yellow fungus & gout tomorrow! So you can compare them maybe that will help you out.
I agree, any of the suggested worms are fine. If you can get some smaller supers for him, that is ok, but just not the larger ones.
I am glad you took him off the antibiotics for now, until you can get to the vet on thursday. The tea tree oil or the witch hazel either one are fine. The tea tree oil is a little stronger though.
You are doing great, & I hope we can get him better!!

Tracie

 

[outrank17]

I just got some tea tree oil and used it on all his spots. After 5 or so minutes his beard got black and he started freaking out and running around. Was I supposed to dilute it or anything? I had to put some near the spot on his mouth and near his vent, but I tried to make sure it didn't get IN any of those places.

He eventually stopped freaking out and just got limp. Scared me of course, but I applied lamisil regardless and I've put him back in his home now and he's losing most of the black.

 

[outrank17]

I took Jean to the vet in Houston today, and unfortunately it solved nothing. First off I'll say this: Jean was looking horrible when we finally got to the vet. We had been in the car for nearly 4 hours, and so of course Jean was lethargic and not looking his brightest by the time we got to the vet. Here's some of the notes the vet gave me that he/his secretary took:

-dehydrated
-severe stomatitis (mouth rot)
-severe avascular necrosis w/death of most feet
-dull/lethargic
-respirations labored breathing
-septic - bacteria floating in bloodstream
-eyes sunken

He said the necrosis could be due to fungus, but it really was no matter now since the bacteria is already all inside him and eating him inside-out.

He told me I needed to start thinking about euthanizing Jean. He said he was probably missing part of the bone in his mouth as well. When I asked him about getting a culture or blood test, he said they wouldn't really help at this point and the most beneficial would be an xray just so I could see how bad of condition the bone is actually in. In the end, we did no tests and got nothing accomplished. Obviously, I didn't leave there too fond of the guy...

If I have to euthanize Jean eventually, that's fine. But I'm not going to do it when Jean was acting lively just a few days ago. I will continue with the tree oil and lamisil.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You are kidding me, they did not do a bloodtest, nothing? I am sorry, you drove that long & got nothing accomplished. Geez, how frustrating.
A bloodtest would help tremendously as we could determine what type of bacterial infection he may have.
So the tea tree oil bothered him a bit? Are those spots that you put it on, raw? If so, you can dilute it a little bit & just use a cotton ball to swab it on.
Poor thing. Is he still eating & active?
Can you run over his tank setup one more time?
What is the type & brand of UVB, & what type of basking light are you using? What are the temps, & how do you measure the temps?
There is something that we are missing.
I feel you should continue with the fungus treatments, in the case it is fungal. There is a product that you can buy that could help clear up an internal bacterial type of infection called colloidal silver.
You can easily find it online. I would get the colloidal silver that is at least 50 ppm's & give 1cc or ml per day. It is a natural product, & has no side effects. It is worth a try.
Are you giving acidophiliz or some other type of probiotics? That could help decrease any yeast infection that could be going on in case it is fungal.
If it was mouthrot, the inside of the mouth would look like a cottage cheese type of consistency & have pus or discharge coming out of it. What does the inside of the mouth look like?
Dehydration, I don't think that is the problem. Gout perhaps, but again, we need a blood test to determine that for sure. It does not look like the classic gout to me, but I could be wrong.
The x-rays would be a good idea, & you could get an x-ray done at a regular vet though it doesn't have to be an exotic vet.
I realize there does come a time sometimes that if they are suffering then it is time to put them down. I would like to see if we can save most of his hands & feet for the most part.
Is he having trouble breathing?

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie