Lethargic and seems to have trouble breathing, please help

[tev]

Edit again
Thank you for your replies but I'm afraid he just passed away, its hard to write this but it just happened so fast...in the span of three days he just, shut down...

Thanks Rocky for being my good boy for so long, about 7-8 years old.. I remember when I was was just 11 and I begged by parents for you and I did so much research to make sure you had a good life. I really hope you did.

*UPDATE
We just took him to the vet today and we did find that he does have mucus in his mouth.
The vet suggested that it could be RI but she wasn't sure and it might be something else and wanted to do a blood test and give him fluids. (Apparently he was a little dehydrated even though I've given him so much water).
He also just started opening his mouth more to breathe which is alarming to me because its another sign that its RI, if it gets too much I want to call the vet and go ahead and put him on antibiotics.

I also got him new food, even though he won't eat, new UVB (reptisun 10.0 of course).

What do you think? Does it sound exactly like URI?
...........................................................................

Hi there, I'm very concerned about my 7 year old bearded dragon Rocky. He seems very uncomfortable and stressed, also lethargic. Since its the fall/winter season I figured he was slowing down naturally but its been noticeably different the past few days. He also seems to be struggling to breathe, he keeps huffing and his breathing is off and on.
I am taking him to the vet soon, they were closed today so I'm going to try to get him in on Monday.
But I'd just like some advice now because I'm not sure what to do.

some notes-
- Physically hes fine, no swelling, good weight, no drool from the mouth/nostrils, not dehydrated or malnourished, no soft spots.
- He poops regularly but isn't interested in food
- I bathe him often which seems to de-stress him a bit, plus he drinks allot of water
- hes never brumated before in all the years I've had him or shown signs of wanting to brumate until now (hopefully thats what it is)
- his beard is black, he seems uncomfortable and gets slightly less stressed when i take him out of his tank
- basking temp. is usually around 95-100 but on cold days its around 90
- other side of his tank is around 75-80

 

[kyleena29]

Well if he's not at least 95 he could be having issues digesting? Maybe try making it a little warmer for him and see how he does. Has he been checked for parasites routinely? If there is no mucous then hopefully it is not a respiratory infection. It's good you're taking him to the vet on Monday. Do you know if he's been losing weight?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry your boy isn't doing well.
Could you review your tank setup with us, such as the type/brand of UVB, the type of thermometer you use, supplementation, etc so we can be sure everything is all correct. What is his diet consist of?
Do you have any pictures we could see of him as well as the tank setup, too?
For tonight, try to keep him a little warmer overnight, around 80, if you can to help boost his immune system since he isn't feeling well.
Let us know how things go at the vets when you are able to get him in.
Keep us posted on him, too.

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

poor boy.... you must be beside yourself with worry.

Since he sounds very frail and ill, is there a good reptile vet CLOSE at hand (say with 15mins drive) of home. I think if he survives the trip and stress of a trip to the vet, it will be worthwhile having a good reptile vet assess him.

 

[tev]

Hello,

Sorry your boy isn't doing well.
Could you review your tank setup with us, such as the type/brand of UVB, the type of thermometer you use, supplementation, etc so we can be sure everything is all correct. What is his diet consist of?
Do you have any pictures we could see of him as well as the tank setup, too?
For tonight, try to keep him a little warmer overnight, around 80, if you can to help boost his immune system since he isn't feeling well.
Let us know how things go at the vets when you are able to get him in.
Keep us posted on him, too.

Tracie

I took out some of the objects in the tank plus put down some towels to help absorb the heat.
His usual substrate is tile, and theres usually more things to climb onto.

Heres a video of his breathing --> http://sta.sh/01y8dh3jfpyy
I also noticed when he huffs like he did in the video theres a slight clicking noise which worries me (mucus maybe? or swallowing?). I tried to capture the sound but I'm not sure if I got it.

Heres all the photos I have --> http://sta.sh/21kfeazcxsm6

He has a ZooMed 10.0 UVB and a 150watt heat lamp.
I have two exoterra thermometers, one of each side of the tank.
(the one on the basking side is a little above 90 which I'm trying to get warmer and the one on the cool side is about 75-80)
I use reptile calcium on his food.
His diet consist of kale, butternut squash, carrots, sometimes sweet potatoes, sometimes parsley.
He eats crickets and superworms as protein.

 

[tev]

poor boy.... you must be beside yourself with worry.

Since he sounds very frail and ill, is there a good reptile vet CLOSE at hand (say with 15mins drive) of home. I think if he survives the trip and stress of a trip to the vet, it will be worthwhile having a good reptile vet assess him.

Yes, but they're all closed at the moment because its the weekend so I was going to take him first thing tomorrow.
He just seems to not be feeling good, I don't think its at a point where he'll die, I just caught this behavior from him yesterday.

 

[tev]

Well if he's not at least 95 he could be having issues digesting? Maybe try making it a little warmer for him and see how he does. Has he been checked for parasites routinely? If there is no mucous then hopefully it is not a respiratory infection. It's good you're taking him to the vet on Monday. Do you know if he's been losing weight?

I don't think hes having issues digesting because hes passing bowl movements just fine, and often (it looks fine too). He's warm but isn't interested in food. I haven't checked him for parasites recently but I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow to get him looked over.
He isn't loosing weight yet, I've caught this problem yesterday so hopefully I can get it fixed without anything drastic happening.