Older Beardie - what are signs of decline/time to euthanize?

[Mrkngpen]

I know I'm NOT at that point yet but I wonder, for those who have been through this, what are some signs to look for.

My female, Pheeny, just turned 11. She had an exam, fecal and blood work in the spring and the vet said she was as healthy as could be expected for her age. At her prime, she weighed about 600g and now she weighs around 450g. But the loss of fat seems SO dramatic. Her bones are sticking out on her head, hips, tail, etc.

She is eating same as normal but just seems to be getting thinner.

What are signs to look for that it's time to euthanize or do you just wait til they pass on their own, if nothing happens? I'm guessing if she stops eating that would be a big sign.

Any advice would be appreciated. I am NOT looking to hurry this along, I just want her to have a good quality of life.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, it's nice that your beardie has lived to this age so far, you've taken great care of Pheeny so far. Can you post pics of her as well as her set up ? Here's how :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

So you say he's still eating well. but how quickly did she lose weight ?

To know when it's time to say goodbye the beardie would be unwilling to eat pretty much anything, lose more weight, possibly have a black beard [ indicates stress + pain except in breeding age males when it's natural to have a black beard at times ] not move around, seem very lethargic and generally lack any quality of life.

 

[Mrkngpen]

So, the weight loss has been very gradual. Her peak weight of 592g was around 5yo. She weighed 500g two years ago, 482 last year and 460 now.

She is in a 40 gallon long custom tank with no substrate. She has a heat lamp with a basking temp of 102-105*. Also a Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5 HO Lamp, 24w, 22" L lamp. It is hung inside the cage, so she is 6-8" away. I replace it every 6 months. I also take her outside for 10-15 minutes of sun about once a week during the warm months. She gets a bath about twice a week and always drinks lots.

She eats superworms and collard greens, mostly. I was dusting with calcium but her recent bloodwork showed that her calcium levels were too high, so the vet told me to stop dusting for now.

She is blind in one eye, so I have to hand feed her and her coordination is bad. Sometimes she gets frustrated and gives up when I know she is still hungry but this has been the case for 5-6 years.

I think she has another couple years in her but I just wanted to know the signs to look for. Thanks for the input!

Pics as follows: next to sneaker is her at her peak weight; cage as it is now; her on hammock currently

 

[AHBD]

Aw, she still looks pretty good but definitely thinner. But she was actually quite overweight before, I think her ideal weight would have been about 500 grams. It's nice that you hand feed her, you can spoil + pamper her since she has a hard time seeing, so hand feeding is good. Will she eat crickets ? Have you ever tried silk or hornworms ?

As for the HO t5, that is a strong bulb and should be on the screen or at least 12" away if hung inside. There has been wrong info posted in the forums on placement of those strong bulbs, I can't refute them fast enough. It may be that some people are getting them confused with the Reptisun 10.0 t8 [ easy to do ] which is not as strong . I've been raising healthy beardies since the 90's on weaker bulbs than that, never that close.

But you're taking great care of her + she probably does have a few years left.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, it's definitely not time to think about that yet. She is doing really well & looks terrific
for her age at 11. Great job.
Hand feeding her is so helpful for her so definitely continue doing that. I am sure she enjoys that also.
I agree, the T5 should be 10-12 inches away, for safety. What type of basking light do you use?
Just how high were the calcium levels for her?
It looks like she is doing very well overall.

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

She looks pretty good and pretty healthy to me.

Being 11 years old is not unheard off in pet bearded dragons , some have lived part 21 years old.

Unless she's suffering , has a incurable aggressive debilating cancer or other decease , and consequently has a very poor quality of live there is no way I'd be euthanizing her, let her enjoy her old age and give her lots of cuddles and stimulation, and treats.
She may still have several more years of healthy , active and happy life in her.

If she's gradually lost some of her fat reserves, I'd give her extra insects, ie if you are giving insects 3 x per week, I'd bump up to 4 x per week, to help build her up a bit (but slowly).

I think someone might pipe up with the direct and care for a geriactric bearded dragon. I found this link some time ago : http://www.petplace.com/article/reptiles/general/general-reptile-care/care-of-the-elderly-reptile
I came across it when I was caring for a very elderly pet water skink (Wriggles who was about 8 years old , which is extremely old for a water skink) , who was showing signs of aging and started to have some health issue in her last year) .

 

[Mrkngpen]

Thank you for the aging herps link!

I have a 75w halogen bulb with an adjustable switch to adjust the temp.

I will move the UV bulb to above the tank, thanks for that info.

I will get some fatty treats, wax/silk, etc to try to fatten her up.

I don't know the exact level of her calcium. The reptile vet just said that they were high, above normal range and that I should stop dusting her food for now.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thank you for the aging herps link!

I have a 75w halogen bulb with an adjustable switch to adjust the temp.

I will move the UV bulb to above the tank, thanks for that info.

I will get some fatty treats, wax/silk, etc to try to fatten her up.

I don't know the exact level of her calcium. The reptile vet just said that they were high, above normal range and that I should stop dusting her food for now. <<< this might he helpful viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233592 and this http://www.anapsid.org/hypercal.html
and
http://www.anapsid.org/mbd2.html
Thanks for all the help!