NEED URGENT ADVICE/HELP!!!!

[rangosclan]

As some of you know i took Black Beard (our 1.5 year old male) to the vet because he wouldn't eat and was having diarrhea and had a fecal done which came back clean. Regardless of the lack of parasite evidence in the fecal the vet perscribed Panacur, a broad spectrum dewormer. Monday, feces was still runny, Tuesday was nice and solid, today, back to nearly pure liquid. For the eating part, He ate maybe 2-3 superworms, refused crickets, Tuesday, he devoured a handful of crickets and about 6 superworms, but no salad. Today, refused crickets, refused superworms, and refused his salad. He just lays under his hammock and keeps his eyes half open. I know that some of the symptoms of brumation are lack of energy/movement, lack of interest in food and increased day time sleeping but i don't remember reading anything about them getting dirrhea with brumation. I really need some advice/help on this. The vet says she's not sure what else to do and I can't stand for my baby to be sick if he is, but if its just brumation then i know where to go to get the info on the best course of action for us as the owners to ensure a safe and healthy brumation....I'm lost......HELP PLEASE!!!! Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, unless you are in Australia, your dragon should not be brumating now.
The fecal came back negative for the parasites & worms?
Could he have eaten some bad crickets or worms, possibly? Do you wash off the greens before feeding them?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use to measure the temperatures?
Is he losing weight right now?
It still could be a parasite that was missed on the fecal or could have been some bad food maybe. If it doesn't improve soon, I would get another fecal done. Do you know if he did a fecal float or a fecal smear?

Tracie

 

[rangosclan]

yeah, the fecal came back clean and "normal" aside from being really runny. I'm not sure if he is losing weight or not because i don't have a proper way to weigh him here at home. I'm not sure if it was a float or smear, teps in his viv in the basking are between 105F and 110F ambient is usually around 85F and we use two dial thermometers (flukers) on either end of the viv to keep a constant watch on temps. We always wash his fruits and veggies before we cut them for salad making. I don't think he's gotten any bad feeders, unless it was eating a salad after the salad being in the viv too long (the salad usually stays in all day while i am at work since i work for 10 hours and is removed when i get home.

Thank you Tracie for your help/response

 

[mrstuart75]

what kind of salad??? i know kale gives diarrhea and some people think it's safe, but our vet said it has high oxalates which bind to calcium and can cause very runny stools.
poor baby! I hope it's resolved soon!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
Try cutting down or cutting the fruit out. Sometimes too much fruit can cause diarrhea & or loose stools due to the sugar content. Let me know how that goes & if the stools improve for him.
Did he eat today?
His temperatures are great, so that should be fine right now for him. Let me know how he is doing!


Tracie

 

[rangosclan]

Hi Tracie!!!!! I am Laura's fiancee chuck and she wanted me to give you an update on Blackbeard. Today he still has diarreah, and he is hiding under his hammock and just sleeping alot, and still refusing to eat. Well that is it for this update!!!!!!!

 

[rangosclan]

Okay, so it is 4/1 and black beard is still not eating ANYTHING, lethargic and has gone black bearded twice today. If it isn't brumation does ANYBODY have a clue as to what it could be?! I'm scared for him and his health please please I'm begging for help!

 

[diamc]

Actually, the dial thermometers are inaccurate and can be off by as much as 20 degrees. You're measuring the temp of the glass when what you really need to know is the basking SURFACE temp. The only 2 ways to get an accurate reading is with either an infrared temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end.

Since he is having diarrhea, I would make sure to give him frequent baths and oral fluids. Would also be a good idea to get another fecal done to make sure nothing was missed and ask if they did a fecal smear or float.

What greens and fruit are you feeding him exactly?

 

[rangosclan]

greens were collard greens and mustard greens, yellow and green squash and yesterday we added mango (we think although he didn't eat it), we have also offered strawberries, but he didn't touch those either. the last two days we took out the greens completely because we were advised that a local pet store owner has gotten several people with beardies with similar problems in his store in the last two weeks and said that it might be the greens causing the diarrhea. He's been eating nothing, and yet again today he had almost pure liquid diarrhea and is hiding under his hammock. He's been given a bath every day for about a week now, and yesterday was the first time he drank during his bath. The thing about the dial thermometers were recommended by the herpatologist at the local pet store and he said since they sit away from the glass that they read the air temp...

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing tonight?
I would cease feeding all fruits, & greens at the moment. Can you get some chicken or turkey baby food to try & get some solid food into him?
It sounds like this is being caused by some type of bacteria possibly, but the fecal did not catch it.
Are you giving some oral fluids right now to help replace the fluids he is losing with the diarrhea.

Tracie

 

[PuffPuff11]

As diamc mentioned, you need a good thermometer, if its not digital with a probe your temps could actually be 20 degrees higher than what the dial is reading. Just a thought...If too hot, he won't bask, and without basking he will not be hungry and eat. It being too hot could cause him to hide as well. I know its not causing his diarrhea but it may be causing him not to eat.
I have 3 of these thermometers, http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instruments-Acu-Rite-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1301176469&sr=8-5 they work well and you can buy it at walmart tomorrow!!
If you get a good thermometer and place the probe (tape it down) on the surface of his basking area... rock... branch... whatever it is we can rule out the possibility of him hiding because its too hot.

 

[rangosclan]

This evening i returned home to wonderful news! Black beard has eaten about a third of his salad and about 6 superworms! He's been active and running around today. He took a bath last night and was swimming around in the water with his mouth hanging open. He's lost a good bit of weight so we may give him a pinkie in the next few days. we will be getting a digital thermeter tomorrow.

 

[Jiffy]

Glad to hear that he is doing better. Just a word of advice, pinkys are really not recommended other than for gravid females.

 

[rangosclan]

we were thinking since he's lost so much weight and nutrients in the last week that it might help build them back up.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great news he is doing better now!
If you do feed him a pinkie make sure he is well hydrated to help process the high protein in the pinkie.
Let us know how he is doing tomorrow.

Tracie