NEED HELP PLEASE!! ADMINISTERING FLUIDS

[Fellowdt23]

Hi

I have a beardie with liver disease and needs 5ml of fluids with critical care a day but im failing badly.

Hes a very strong dragon you wouldnt think he was ill it was fluke that i noticed heavy breathing and it turned out he had fatty liver disease from all the anti biotics hes had

Anyway how can i get the 5ml fluids into him everyday he point blank refuses to lap it and this is a far bigger amount than 0.2 of baytril where you can pull his beard down for a second

My vet told me to put him on his back and he will freeze and open his mouth but he doesnt so i forced it open on his back but myself and girlfriend failed terribly in getting the fluids in.
5 ml is alot and we are trying our best but need help its stressing poor dragon out and putting strain on us. If we continue to fail its only fair for dragons sake that hes put to sleep rather than die of stress

Thanks

 

[diamc]

Your vet may have recommended putting him on his back but I would NOT do that. They don't have diaphragms so their lungs could collapse when on their backs. It could also cause aspiration. No wonder it IS stressing him out, they panic when on their backs.

Have you tried offering him diluted juice, putting it on his nose for him to lick off? That would be much more pleasant for all of you. Make sure it is 100% juice with no sugar or artificial ingredients. Flavors to try are cherry, grape, apple or cranberry. If he won't lick it off his nose, pull down on his lower lip area and squirt a small amt in, once he gets a taste, he should willingly take more off his nose.

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi

He doesnt mind the taste of the critical care actually but if i do it how you are suggesting then i may manage maybe 2ml a day but to manage 5ml is impossible no matter how i do it.

Also he use to feed from a syringe happilly but he hates me now and runs away

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Definitely don't turn him on his back, that can cause a lung collapse. He could aspirate fluids into his lungs as well.
You can start with a lesser amount & see if you can build up to a larger amount for him. He should get trained pretty easily but
you just have to work with him to get him used to taking fluids from a dropper.

Tracie

 

[Fellowdt23]

He is used to taking fluids from a dropper, but he hates me so its difficult to get a drip in his mouth. I feel im wasting my time here.

Im also wary of critical care as it says on it it contains maltidextrins which is a suger now to me thats the worst thing for a fatty liver

 

[InfantryMcLellen]

I normally have a very hard time administering fluids as well, and its definitely got to be more difficult because of the stress you're both going through with the whole ordeal. I would suggest handling him as much as possible through out the day to try and regain the trust there. (Im not sure if you're only handling him during the times you're trying to give fluids or not) I have noticed that if i can get my little guy calmed down and where he is almost to the point of falling asleep while holding him i can normally get the feeding syringe in his mouth just barely to give fluids without him noticing what is going on and he laps it right up. I gotta be sneaky with him though, he was getting wise so i have to give him fluids during his nap on my lap. Hope this helps you in any way possible. Im a complete newbie to the the bearded dragon world, but ive noticed this works with mine.

 

[Fellowdt23]

My dragon went limp tonight while i forced the fluid in and i only managed 3ml not 5 so im really not cut out for this think i may just have to let him be as he actualy went into shock.

I understand everybody saying just drip it on his nose which is easy of course it is but when you work all day and get home at 6 and his lights go out at 8 thats not a very long time to get a whole 5 ml of fluids in, ive tried as suggested and most ive managed is 1

I feel im using to much force to get him to open his mouth and even if he does i get none in as he doesnt swallow,

If there is one thing ive learnt from all this, its that i will never get another pet aslong as i live im trying my best but failing and feel he would be better off with someone who knows how.

It hurts me to think im his last chance, but the way i see it right now is im either going to kill him by putting him through so much or hes going to die of fatty liver disease

Its was my vet that said it has to be forced in, he told me some techniques for getting his mouth open and i have to say none of them work with any success because the dragon knows whats coming so he clamps shut as hard as he can.

So from now on im just going to to give him what he will take and if he only takes 1 ml a day then thats all i will do. It hurts me badly that im failing at saving his life doesnt make it any easier that the vet is 100 miles away and i dont drive.

Just hope my dragon has it in him to defy the odds himself

 

[diamc]

I'm sorry that you and your beardie are going through this. Perhaps you should take him back to the vet to see if he will give him IV fluids to help give his system a boost. Perhaps a vitamin injection would be a good idea too.

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi after my depressive moods yesterday after my we guy going into shock i decided to give this another go only i added some watered down bee pollen to the critical care to give it a we bit of substance and flavour and i managed to get him to lap 3 ml with no stress he did how ever run away after it. So i have given him a break and will try again in half an hour even if i can get another 1ml even thats a success to me. Hope this is a step in the right direction. Thanks everbody better not smile to early actualy :/

 

[InfantryMcLellen]

Im glad to hear you got him to take more than he has been for you so is this 5ml of water with critical care only for a short while? is he supposed to take medication mixed in with the water or is that a separate amount you have you give him? If its separate and you just have to worry about keeping him hydrated, give him extra baths. They dont absorb much while in a bath, but they do get a little bit of water that way.

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi

well i tried to get him to take more just now but hes had enough so hes of to bed.

The reason for so much fluid with critical care is to help flush his liver and to make sure theres always something in his stomach for the liver to work off. And the only reason he has to get critical care is because it high in protein which my vet says is very important for the liver to recover.

Hes not on medication as such, but the vet did give me a liver supplement to help cleanse the liver and it is also mixed with 0.5 of water a day. He hates the taste but its far easier to force 0.5 in him in the morning compared to a whole 5ml. As for the baths he did love them up until a week ago when he stopped trusting me but im sure that will cone back if he continues to take the fluids this way.

If things continue as they did tonight i will be happy i would obviously be happier if he took 5ml but a happy dragon and 3ml compared to a stressed on after forcing 4-5 ml is much better. Hopefully the bee pollen i mixed it with does him a bit of good also.

Only other problem i have is that he wont even look at his greens just wants locusts but vet told me he has to est everyday but preferably not locusts. About 6 months ago he started to nibble greens then fell ill and only recovered from respiratory about 2 weeks ago and on his final check up it turns out he now has fatty liver most likely caused by all the antibiotics.

What hurts the most is my dragon was ill for 6 months and this is the best ive ever seen him you would never know he had fatty liver i just hope that what im doing helps him recover.

 

[aroseanu25]

I am right there with u!!!! I am giving my beardie Rosie Critial Care Protein.. Horrible stuff.. Then the green bag Critial Care that is like apple banana. What has worked for me is wraping her in a small towel where her head is out, then making CC a lil more runny, putting her on my chest or have her face me...going from left gently pulling on lower left lip...She gets upset almost everytime......but I stand my ground, and feed slowly. She stores it in her beard and has gotten on wall. I am afriad our bond is slowly going to be hurt (2 days only) but stay calm and let him feel u breath... It calms Rosie down(just like a baby) and try again. He will submit, if he feels secure, and the towel should give that. Good luck!!!

 

[Fellowdt23]

Thanks its so difficult when all you want is to help but they dont understand!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like you are doing a great job! Things take a lot of patience when trying to teach them to take food from a dropper or syringe.
As long as he is taking the food & fluids then the stress levels should be relatively low.
Fatty liver takes awhile to see some improvement. The use of antibiotics can be very harsh on the system & the not eating regularly also can contribute to the Fatty liver too.

Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

 

[Fellowdt23]

Hi tracie

What gets to me most is hes the best ive ever seen him, he eats daily all be it not what he should be eating (greens) but he does eat and also he is very active. Pretty much apart from when he was a baby ive never seem him so healthy so i just hope that he can pull through this last thing. Hes been through so much it does worry me that his liver is beyond repair

I would imagine that a dragon thats live isnt functioning properly would look ill?

Well i hope thats the case because he looks great. His poos have been edging towards Diarrhea but i suppose thats expected with all the fluids hes getting and maby the liver supplement cleansing the fat from his liver may also cause this.