Please help i think tito might be dying :(

[NicoleVanUnen]

We rescued tito from a nice family that just didnt know better. I've had him about a month now. He has mbd from never having uvb or calcium. His back is very crooked. He is my first beardie. Im am so in love with him. I have done everything I've learned on here and online. He has perfect tank temps perfect lighting. I make him beautiful salads and have tried every veggie and even some fruits off the safe list and he wont touch any of it. I gut load all his insects and dust them. He on a really good day might eat 10 small dubia roaches or crickets but that's the most ive gotten him to eat. I also give him green horn worms as treats. But the last 4 days or so he will not eat anything at all. I ordered zilla jump start and started that last night. He hates it but i think its because no one wants to be force fed when they dont feel good. Do i keep making him take it? I know there's better brands but was able to get it here the next day. Ive even talked with the man who created the mega ray mercury vapor bulbs. He suggested a probiotic vitamin supplement so i ordered it but im afraid it wont get here in time. Im taking him to an exotic vet tomorrow as long as i can get him in. Hes just laying in the same spot unless i move him to see if he will eat. I'll attach a photo in the comments. Please if anyone has any suggestions I'd appriciate it.

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh your poor dragon, I am so sorry. His spine is very curved, indeed. Do you know
his age or estimated age?
Can you review your tank setup with us, just so we have an idea of his living area now?
This definitely isn't your fault at all. I think all you can do is to provide him a good home
& environment for however long he may have.
Does he respond at all, to you? Are you able to make a slurry to try & feed him with a
syringe so he can get some nutrition?
Let us know how the vet visit goes.

Tracie

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

His tank is 40 gallons. First i bought the reptisun 10.0 then was told the mega ray mercury bulbs were even better so i switched. I have followed the recommended distance on both bulbs. His basking spot I have a probe thermometer and i also have a heat gun it ranges from 100 to 103 the cool side i keep at 80. I am syringe feeding him using zilla jump start just because i could get it here quickest. He opens his eyes a bit when I syringe feed him. If i put him by his crickets he just very slowely drags himself back up to his hammock and doesn't move. It's so horribly sad to watch. I'd give anything for them to have given him the right care.

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

Sorry also my best guess at his age is 6 months. The previous owners got him at petco in February and said he was small but didn't know his age.

 

[KarrieRee]

Do you still have the 10.0 UVB -- and do you have the tube? NO coils!!! The mega ray is a good bulb but you need to have it a good distance for it to be effective --- what is the distance you have it? I would do as Tracie said and feed fresh greens made into slurrys -- I dont know what the stuff is your feeding but fresh is always the best --- you can blend up some greens and add some crickets in the blender but you will not be able to use that blender again after adding the bugs so its up to you -- make sure it has water in it - is he hydrated they will not eat if they are dehydrated --- so make it runny get a syringe and slowly feed so he does not aspirate - do you have a reptile vet where you are? Here is a website to find a vet
www.arav.org
When was the last time he ate how long has he been this way?
Karrie

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

I do still have the 10.0 bulb and fixture if you think that's better and no it's not a coil. The mega ray is 100 watts so i contacted mega ray and they said wish a mesh top to put it 10 inches from him so that's how I have it set up. I have 2 blenders anyways if not I'd go buy one. I'll do what you said. It makes sense to mix up what he should be eating. What im giving him is clearly not helping. It's supposed to stimulate his appetite plus give him the nutrients he needs until he starts eating. There's 3 exotic vets about 45 minutes away in Tucson. They open in a little bit so im sure one of them can get him in. I have been giving him baths hoping that will help him with hydration and the directions on the stuff im giving him say to give him water in the syringe after so I've been doing that also being really careful so he doesn't inhale it. Weve had him maybe 3 or 4 weeks. His back has looked that way since we got him and hes never eaten nearly as much as I've read they should eat. But he went down hill fast over the weekend. Last week he was shedding and not eating or moving much which i chalked up to shedding. I wish i had realized it was not from shedding and taken him to the vet last week.

 

[KarrieRee]

Call those exotic vets and ask if they have experience w/ bearded dragons- go w/ the one that has the most experience- some do not-- keep us posted- the UVB tube I would set up extra- I am not sure on the UVB output on the mega ray- ahbd would need to respond - what is the 10.0 bulb t5 or the t8?
Karrie

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

Its a t5. I had 2 so it went all the way across his tank thinking extra uvb would be good then i was told thats really bad. That they should be able to hide from the uvb. I just thought in his situation he should have a full days sun to kinda catch up. Its hard with so much conflicting info out there.

 

[KarrieRee]

Yeah we really dont recommend the full length of UVB they do need to be able to get out of it if they want w/ out hiding from it - so the tube is how long? Is it the full length of the tank ? If it is you can always cover half of it up w/ a towel etc............. you might want to get it set up so he can get under it if you put it on top of your screen the basking decor would need to be 8-10 inches directly under it -- I am gonna flag this post to AHBD what did you find out about the exotic vets?
Karrie

 

[AHBD]

Poor Tito, he was so unfortunate to have either been sold by employees who were clueless or bought by people who did no research. Good thing he's with someone who cares now which you obviously do. He must have had a good appetite up until recently because he's not thin at all like many with severe MBD are. How long would you say he is ? Could you put your phone or a pen next to him for scale ? Keep offering a bit of the jump start but mix a few things in like Karrie said and add calcium powder [ just a pinch ] and get him some liquid calcium. Tracie sells it on her website [ Drache 613 , she has already replied here ] It's not uncommon for a dragon in that condition to lose their appetite, he may be in extreme discomfort or at least some pain. A vet really can't do much and the visit will be stressful so be sure to check thee reviews on any vet you take him to. You don't want Tito to be an experiment. Some dragons seem to be able to live with extreme deformities but others suffer too much and need to be put down. If this happened recently he MIGHT be able to straighten out just a bit with good calcium + uvb but he'll never be normal. Only time will tell. As for the t5 bulb, just use if for part of the day about 4-5 X a week. He does need the uvb right now.

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

First his 10.0 uvb is 2 seperate units so i just took the one off the second half of his enclosure. I found a great ecotic vet. It was pretty expensive. But i got some answers. It is of course mbd making his back that way. I opted for fecal and blood work. His fecal test came back positive for a severe parasite infection. She said he had to have had it a long time. Before we treat the parasites we are waiting for bloodwork to come back hopefully tomorrow to check his kidney function. In the mean time he got 2 vitamin shots and an iv. They sent me home with stuff to mix with water to feed him for now until he starts eating. If his kidney function is really bad we will probably put him down tomorrow. So my fingers are crossed. If its good we can fix the parasites. I have no clue how much that will cost or what it even entails. So now we wait and see. She was happy with how his legs look though given how bad his mbd is. So i think we got him right in time.

 

[NicoleVanUnen]

I had to go back and check the parasite is called flagellates. If anyone has info on what treatments they may offer tomorrow.

 

[KarrieRee]

That would be Tracie she is the vet mod--- she hopefully will get w/ you tonite --
Karrie

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your baby?
The fecal exam results revealed flagellates, did they prescribe any medication for that?
Have you been able to get any food into him yet?
I hope you are keeping him warmer overnight to help him out, his system is really in need
of a boost.
I am really glad you are helping Tito out, I hope he is feeling better.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie