My Baby has lost weight!!

[GMH35]

Hey everyone, I am very worried about my female bearded dragon, Biscuit. I have been on here before with concerns and have received so much help and advice! Biscuit started out rough with having gout when I purchased her from Petsmart (will never do that again), I treated her per the recommendations I received on this forum and she did wonderful...was thriving, healthy, and very spoiled!!

About 1 month ago I noticed a decrease in her appetite, but I just thought she was preparing for brumation. I noticed that she started to look thinner but not too bad, until recently. She started lapping water with her weekly baths, looking skinny with tail bone starting to show, looking dehydrated. I weighed her and she had lost 81 grams!!! I immediately started trying to find someone around my area that specialized in reptiles...there was one that said she was but I was leary. I took Biscuit to see this vet along with a fresh stool sample. They said Biscuit was negative for parasites. Upon palpation, the vet said she felt a mass. She said it “appears” to be a stone. She said there was nothing we could do to treat it and suggested things that seemed inappropriate, making me question her expertise. She said I should stop her maintenance dose of allopurinol because she has never heard of a beardy on allopurinol!! She said feed her baby food to help with weight gain, such as spinach...you don’t feed bearded deagons spinach!! She gave me an antibiotic to give her and told me to give her her calcium supplements (I do liquid) every day (Biscuit is 4 years old). She said Biscuit had metabolic bone disease not gout when I showed her pictures when I first got her.

Biscuit has been through the ringer...but she has been tough and done well. I don’t want this to get her! Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I saved her before with your help...it can be done again!! Thank you in advance.

By the way... her husbandry is what it always has been... She has a beatiful enclosure built just for her with everything she needs.

Gayle

 

[jennyandpika]

Hello
I just had a similar problem with my last beardie, but his was really bad. He had impaction, complete loss of appetite (I had to hand feed him twice a day every single day), MBD, never wanted to drink water, etc., but sadly it was too late for me to do anything. I went to the vet and ended up spending $350 it got so bad, he was classified as anorexic because his last owners kept him in coconut shavings.
From my experience, I would say that Biscuit needs a bath every other day or every day until she starts going on their own in their tank, unless you wanna keep up with having them going in the bath. I gave my beardie Butternut Squash baby food, carrots, sweet potatoes, and not very often, chicken baby food. I also mixed calcium into all of them. You can give them that with a syringe, but not super fast so they don't choke on it If they're willing to eat veggies, or if you have to force feed them it, beardies surely do love Arugula, and it's healthy for them too. You may also try giving Biscuit belly rubs, it helps them go to the bathroom better. I hope this could help!

 

[GMH35]

jemnyandpika,
Thank you so much for your reply. I really don’t think she is impacted, as she is pooping every morning. Hiw is she pooping everyday though if she is not eating?!?! I am now feeding her baby food as of today in hopes she increases in weight. She gets baths every other day and is given calcium via syringe. I just have no idea ?

 

[jennyandpika]

If she is pooping but not eating, that most likely means there was something stuck in there that is only now passing through. Do you know what temperature her tank is on the hot side?

 

[GMH35]

The temps are 105-110 on basking side and 80-85 on the other side.

 

[Aaradimian]

Is it possible she is egg-bound? Were there any x-rays taken?

 

[RockyTurner]

Hi. I am the mom of a beardie girl, Roxy, who has been on Alipurinol for about 7 months and it saved her life. I did take her to a reputable exotic vet in Austin who confirmed it was gout. She too was not eating, was losing weight, lapping water before I started her alipurinol. I got her through the bad time while waiting for the med to kick in with lots of warm soaks and Carnivore Care feed supplement. I would mix the powder with black cherry extract and water, just until it was wet enough to put in a syringe. Then I would put drops at a time on her snout until she licked it off.
Do not stop the alipurinol if she has confirmed gout. Their kidneys create stones due to their inability to process proteins. I hope that you were told to cut back on your insects fed and increase, really push for more veggies and fruits. AND you do need to increase the dosage as she gains weight. I check Roxy’s every month before the best prescription is ordered.
All of this said, having a credible vet help you is the best thing for your girl. I have to drive an hour to get to a good vet, but it is worth it! She needs to start eating. Get Critical Care as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about living with a beardie with gout, I would be happy to help. Oh, don’t feel bad about where you bought your beardie... I bought my first one at Petco and she did pass at 3 years. I swore not to do that again and bought from a very popular exotic store in Austin who gets their animals from individuals.... got a baby with gout. So.?.?.?

 

[GMH35]

RockyTurner,
Thank you so much for your reply! Yes, this vet was a joke...basically took my money to tell me all the things I could do to ensure she would die. It’s horrible! She told me to increase her protein, stop the Allopurinol, and feed her Spinach!! She said their was nothing we could do about the stone after saying she wasn’t sure if it was a stone at all!! I’m just sick over this...I love my girl and want to help her.

I will get the critical care and cherry juice, but where can I find the critical care? I am giving her .13 of her Allopurinol suspension daily (4-300mg tabs crushed with 15 ml water and 15 ml corn syrup), should I increase her dose? Will she receive all of the nutrition needed from the critical care? If she has a stone, will she pass it?

So sorry for all the questions but I’m desperate to do what I can to help her be healthy and happy again...she is very loved! Thank you again fir takin the time to help me

 

[GMH35]

What type of critical care do I need?

 

[RockyTurner]

I am going to send you exact info.
I order my allopurinol suspension from Diamondback drugs. They are online. Phone number is 1-866-646-2223. They send me the 10mg/ml in suspension form, so no mixing anything, I even get the strawberry flavor. My girl gets .45 ml a day based on her weight which is 320 grams.
I keep my vet posted on her weight and he ups the dose.
Spinach????? Never. She definitely knows nothing about dragons;/
Warm soaks help the kidneys with the crystals. And like I said, my girl gets limited, soft small crickets. She has more trouble digesting the bigger ones. I also give her about 3 wax worms a day. I know these normally are only snacks but I figure that she can’t eat as much protein as normal and these wax worms are high in fat, low in protein.
The Critical Care is by Oxbow. It is powder form. I got it at the vet. I actually wet my with the dark cherry extract, which I got at our GNC, and a little water. I put it in a syringe, and squirt it on her snout until she starts licking... then keep on squirting slowly while that tongue is going
Please let me know if you have anymore questions??
Shann

 

[GMH35]

Thank you so much for all of your help! Do I need the carnivore criticalcare? I found the brand you have on Amason and they have it for herbivores and carvivores...just waondering which one? I will order some cherry juice as well!!

Biscuit was 388 grams, now 295!

 

[RockyTurner]

Poor Biscuit... I will be praying for her?
Sorry, herbivore, you do not want the extra protein.
Check everything you give her for protein analysis. Some people recommended certain kinds of worms which ended up being too high in protein.

 

[RockyTurner]

While you are waiting I would take the wax worms and pinch their heads or remove them, then put it on her mouth and use your fingernail to just slightly stick it between her mouth. When when she opens, push it in a little. She should eat it. That will give her a little nutrition. Get the critical care ASAP.

 

[GMH35]

Got it!! It will arrive Thursday...thank you!!!!!

 

[RockyTurner]

Yay!!! Please keep me posted?