Hey so I'm new here, sorry to make this an introductory post, but my beardie is not in good shape. Vet has waffled but they are the only one in my area, so I'm coming to you folks for help. I'm sorry if this is long-winded, I want to be thorough because I'm emotionally exhausted & at the end of my rope.
Dovah is almost six years old. I took her in from folks that had to re-home her this April. They previously had her in sand & said she's never had any problems, but I switched her to stone tiling for easier cleanup & to avoid possible impaction. Diet previous to all this starting consisted of; superworms or phoenix worms for protein (about 4 supers or 8 phoenix daily, only one or the other, & typically only after she'd eaten some of her greens). Dusted those with calci/D3. Greens typically switched between collared greens (her fave), Escarole, & Endive. I did mistakenly feed her Kale for a week or two before I found out that was not good for them. Have since avoided. Veggies she got; bell peppers, various squashes, & sometimes carrots that were softened up for her. All cut up to bite size. For a treat maybe once or twice a month, she'd get strawberries or bananas. Baths were 1-2 times a week typically, she did lay two clutches of eggs & did not seem to have issues with this. She has UVB lighting, basking spot is typically around 110-115F, warm side sits around 95F, cool side is about 80F. Overnight tepms are around 65-70F. 40 gallon breeder.
Come this September (around the 12th or so) I noticed she was eating much less. I figured okay, could be brumination, right? She was hiding in her cool hide a lot more. Some days she wouldn't come out on her own, but I could coax her out with her bugs & then she might pick at her greens. By October 6th, she had eaten so infrequently she was at a 399g weight & I took her to the vet. Vet called back after a few days & said it could be an RI. She did have a cough at the time, but even now, she still has it. She sent me Emeraide & a syringe for sustenance & Enrofloxacin for the RI.
Did that for the required three weeks & then attempted weaning off of Emeraide. Her weight was looking great, she was back up to 424g which was what she was at before this mess started. But Dovah still wasn't eating solids. Went back to vet, went back on Emeraide (3-4 feedings of 3ml a day), did more bloodwork & x-rays. Vet says come mid-November that it could be kidney failure, but that RIs sometimes need two doses of Enrofloxacin to get knocked off & that she just didn't know. She then also told me that when she saw her October 6th, she didn't expect her to live a month. So, now demoralized, we do another round of antibiotics.
(She is not a specialist, but she's about the only one I have in my area that works with herps, unfortunately. She was communicating with specialists, she said, idk if this is pertinent but throwing it out there.)
At this point, however, she has taken all of one bite of her solid foods, willingly, since October. It's been Emeraide since then. A few weeks ago she had some issues vomiting, I thought she just drank too much water, but I don't know anymore. Yesterday, she tried to poop, but she cannot. She is bloated. It's just coming out in small amounts at a time. & it's slowly hitting me that is probably is kidney failure. I feel lost & scared.
My husband & I have already spent over 1k on her vet visits & we are having troubles pulling together for another round of testing; what I was hoping for here was just any knowledge you all might have. If it is kidney failure, I know she's suffering. I don't want her to be. If I have to put her down I will, even if it's hard to stomach that. But do you folks know if there is any possibility that it isn't? Is there some hope for Dovah or do I have to help to ease her passing?
Dovah is almost six years old. I took her in from folks that had to re-home her this April. They previously had her in sand & said she's never had any problems, but I switched her to stone tiling for easier cleanup & to avoid possible impaction. Diet previous to all this starting consisted of; superworms or phoenix worms for protein (about 4 supers or 8 phoenix daily, only one or the other, & typically only after she'd eaten some of her greens). Dusted those with calci/D3. Greens typically switched between collared greens (her fave), Escarole, & Endive. I did mistakenly feed her Kale for a week or two before I found out that was not good for them. Have since avoided. Veggies she got; bell peppers, various squashes, & sometimes carrots that were softened up for her. All cut up to bite size. For a treat maybe once or twice a month, she'd get strawberries or bananas. Baths were 1-2 times a week typically, she did lay two clutches of eggs & did not seem to have issues with this. She has UVB lighting, basking spot is typically around 110-115F, warm side sits around 95F, cool side is about 80F. Overnight tepms are around 65-70F. 40 gallon breeder.
Come this September (around the 12th or so) I noticed she was eating much less. I figured okay, could be brumination, right? She was hiding in her cool hide a lot more. Some days she wouldn't come out on her own, but I could coax her out with her bugs & then she might pick at her greens. By October 6th, she had eaten so infrequently she was at a 399g weight & I took her to the vet. Vet called back after a few days & said it could be an RI. She did have a cough at the time, but even now, she still has it. She sent me Emeraide & a syringe for sustenance & Enrofloxacin for the RI.
Did that for the required three weeks & then attempted weaning off of Emeraide. Her weight was looking great, she was back up to 424g which was what she was at before this mess started. But Dovah still wasn't eating solids. Went back to vet, went back on Emeraide (3-4 feedings of 3ml a day), did more bloodwork & x-rays. Vet says come mid-November that it could be kidney failure, but that RIs sometimes need two doses of Enrofloxacin to get knocked off & that she just didn't know. She then also told me that when she saw her October 6th, she didn't expect her to live a month. So, now demoralized, we do another round of antibiotics.
(She is not a specialist, but she's about the only one I have in my area that works with herps, unfortunately. She was communicating with specialists, she said, idk if this is pertinent but throwing it out there.)
At this point, however, she has taken all of one bite of her solid foods, willingly, since October. It's been Emeraide since then. A few weeks ago she had some issues vomiting, I thought she just drank too much water, but I don't know anymore. Yesterday, she tried to poop, but she cannot. She is bloated. It's just coming out in small amounts at a time. & it's slowly hitting me that is probably is kidney failure. I feel lost & scared.
My husband & I have already spent over 1k on her vet visits & we are having troubles pulling together for another round of testing; what I was hoping for here was just any knowledge you all might have. If it is kidney failure, I know she's suffering. I don't want her to be. If I have to put her down I will, even if it's hard to stomach that. But do you folks know if there is any possibility that it isn't? Is there some hope for Dovah or do I have to help to ease her passing?