Hello, so I received Pancake the rescue beardie in May (two months ago) and she was in absolutely awful shape. She had extremely limited mobility in her back legs and is missing a ton of scales all over her body. She is seven years old and her old owner housed her in a 20-gallon aquarium, did not provide heating or UVB, and had not ever fed her veg or live insects (she had only eaten pellets.) While she has been with us she has been eating a variety of plants and bugs and I've seen some really big improvements overall. That being said, when I first got her in I noticed a sore in her mouth and took her into the local exotics vet to get an exam done. The vet said that it was an infection/mouth rot and sent us away with a one-month round of injectable antibiotics (Fortaz). Tomorrow we will have finished our second month-long round of Fortaz injections and the sore isn't improving at all. I'm planning on making another vet appointment ASAP but also wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any advice or ideas in terms of what my next steps should be. She'll eat some bugs on her own and I've been blending up her greens, fruit, and vitamins, so she'll lick it off a spoon for me, but it is obviously sore to the touch and she will spit out food if it touches the area. I just want to provide a good quality of life for her. I have images, but I'm new to forums and I'm not sure how to add it, thank you for any feedback!
We need Tracie our vet tech to look at her please post images https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post -- post any blood work or X rays if you have them - if you haft to email the vet and ask them to be emailed to you - the more info Tracie has the better - I would advise you to get another vet or a second opinion www.arav.org
Karrie
Did the vet pull any fluid out of it to test it? To me it looks like some sort of abscess / infection but what is the question and if the antibiotic she is on now is not doing any good then they need to test it to see exactly what it is -- and Fortaz is not working --- but that is my humble opinion / diagnosis - Tracie would be the one to advise ---
Karrie
Did the vet pull any fluid out of it to test it? To me it looks like some sort of abscess / infection but what is the question and if the antibiotic she is on now is not doing any good then they need to test it to see exactly what it is -- and Fortaz is not working --- but that is my humble opinion / diagnosis - Tracie would be the one to advise ---
Karrie
I don't believe that she pulled any fluid to test it, but I could be wrong? The clinic was having everyone stay in their cars due to covid concerns. I'll definitely call and ask them when they open tomorrow though!
Hi there, sorry to hear about Pancake's situation. I would look for a different vet ASAP, 2 months of antibiotic injections can be SO detrimental to her not only internally but subject her to a serious infection at the injection sites. Over use of antibiotics can seriously compromise her immune system. Can you try to find a new vet ? I would actually give her a break from any vets for a few weeks to give her body a rest from the hharsh medication. I wouldn't go back to this one. Right now you can get some Maxi-guard oral gel and also raw unpasteurized honey to swab that spot several times a day. She might benefit from a probiotic as well, you can get some here : www.bugdelite
Hi there, sorry to hear about Pancake's situation. I would look for a different vet ASAP, 2 months of antibiotic injections can be SO detrimental to her not only internally but subject her to a serious infection at the injection sites. Over use of antibiotics can seriously compromise her immune system. Can you try to find a new vet ? I would actually give her a break from any vets for a few weeks to give her body a rest from the hharsh medication. I wouldn't go back to this one. Right now you can get some Maxi-guard oral gel and also raw unpasteurized honey to swab that spot several times a day. She might benefit from a probiotic as well, you can get some here : http://www.bugdelite
Update: I was able to get an appointment with a reptile specialist vet at the local veterinary college. I'll be bringing her in tomorrow morning and I'll post an update after the appointment.
That looks a bit painful! Were you able to get to the vet today, what did he/she say?
You can definitely try some raw, unpasteurized honey on it to see if that helps. Did he
prescribe any antibiotic, or suggest anything to help out with the healing?
That looks a bit painful! Were you able to get to the vet today, what did he/she say?
You can definitely try some raw, unpasteurized honey on it to see if that helps. Did he
prescribe any antibiotic, or suggest anything to help out with the healing?
Hello, the new vet recommended the surgical removal of the mass. She got through surgery really well yesterday and we’re on our way to pick her up now. She’s going to be on pain meds for a couple of days and the vet hospital is sending the mass in for testing to figure out what exactly it is. Upon examination they also found that she has some fluid gathering in her abdomen. Depending on what the results are for the mass, she will likely need a CT scan and further testing to see if she has an underlying issue. They suspect that she could have heart or liver disease, but want to see if the removal of the mass allows her to improve before moving forward with any more invasive testing and treatment.