PLEASE HELP!!! RESPIRATORY INFECTION!!

[emberNchester]

Chester started showing systems on Saturday.
He was opening his mouth a lot and seemed to lick his lips or stick his tongue out a lot. And Saturday night he crawled up to my neck to hide in my hair and fell asleep and I started hearing noises. Like he was smacking his lips. Whenever I tried to look at him, he would stop so I never knew what it was. Researched it and found it's a symptom of an URI. So I started watching him really close and noticed other symptoms. Such as, always resting his head upwards, bloating his body, he started wheezing yesterday morning when he yawned so I took him to a vet immediately. The vet was one of the few in my area that works with reptiles. Little did I know that the vet did not know what he was talking about. I told him all the symptoms and he did the exam and told me that he didn't hear anything off in Chester's lungs. He said if anything, Chester needed more humidity. I was REALLY skeptical but I tried his suggestion to keep Chester in the bathroom while I showered. Immediately, Chester got worse. We were resting and he was making a lot of those popping noises. I had already made another vet appointment for Friday in anticipation that he might get worse. Then I put him down on his blanket and I came back to him sleeping upwards like this and gaping his mouth!!!!

Sorry it's sideways and blurry. His mouth was gaped wider before I took a picture and he looked cranky with me for sure.
He's not showing symptoms like lack of appetite or having any mucus from his mouth or nose. He's not lethargic at all, he's very alert. I knew he wasn't feeling too well on Friday but I thought he might've just had a tummyache. This whole thing has thrown me for a loop and I just don't know what to do! There's only 3 other vets that I found in this area (which would be less than an hour away) and 2 are crazy expensive and the other one can't fit me in until Friday. I don't know if I want to chance that. I don't have much money but if I need to, I will. Chester has helped me a great deal emotionally and mentally. I stress all day and I come home and spend the rest of the night with him and it helps get me through. If there's the slightest chance he may not make it until Friday, I don't want to take that chance but I really need advice from anyone that would know anything about this.
And I REALLY need advice on how I can get him through tonight! I don't want him sleeping standing on his front legs. I doubt that it's comfortable in the least. Please give me any tips on howI can help him tonight.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, I'm sorry that Chester is ill ! A few things you can do to help him now is make sure he's in his tank where the heat is most of the time, and keep over night temps. around 80-82 degrees. Don't keep him out of the tank, a towel or blanket can't keep a reptile warm because they are cold blooded and can't generate heat. So even though you want him out with you he should stay in the tank, with the exception of being directly on your body for warmth and covered with a towel, your shirt, etc.

He probably can recover well. most beardies do but will need antibiotics like Baytril [ enrofloxacin ] Ask your vet, TEL your vet that he's definitely ill and you'd like the medication. Or go to a new vet, tell them over the phone that Chester has a resp. infection and needs meds. They should dispense the meds, esp. once you ell them that he really is ill. Offer water via syringe without bathing him, just dripping it on his snout. Be patient, sometimes they don't react to drink for a minute or so, just drip, stop, repeat. Mop up any excess water in his tank. If you MUST give him a soak, make it very warm and short, no more than 10 minutes, then pat him dry quickly and put him back in the heat of the tank right away.

Hopefully he'll get what he needs and recover soon.

 

[emberNchester]

Hi there, I'm sorry that Chester is ill ! A few things you can do to help him now is make sure he's in his tank where the heat is most of the time, and keep over night temps. around 80-82 degrees. Don't keep him out of the tank, a towel or blanket can't keep a reptile warm because they are cold blooded and can't generate heat. So even though you want him out with you he should stay in the tank, with the exception of being directly on your body for warmth and covered with a towel, your shirt, etc.

He probably can recover well. most beardies do but will need antibiotics like Baytril [ enrofloxacin ] Ask your vet, TEL your vet that he's definitely ill and you'd like the medication. Or go to a new vet, tell them over the phone that Chester has a resp. infection and needs meds. They should dispense the meds, esp. once you ell them that he really is ill. Offer water via syringe without bathing him, just dripping it on his snout. Be patient, sometimes they don't react to drink for a minute or so, just drip, stop, repeat. Mop up any excess water in his tank. If you MUST give him a soak, make it very warm and short, no more than 10 minutes, then pat him dry quickly and put him back in the heat of the tank right away.

Hopefully he'll get what he needs and recover soon.

Yeah I'm trying to get him in to a new vet today. I just really don't trust the other guy. Unfortunately in California, especially my area, there will be no vet that will just prescribe him baytril without doing an examination first. When I keep him out of the tank, when he's not on me, he's cozied up in his blankies. I keep a heating pad underneath so he stays warm. I tuck it under a couple layers of blankets and sheets so it won't burn his under tummy but will still generate enough heat. His tank is always above 80 except for the cool side. I think I'm going to get a higher wattage bulb though because the bottom of his tank might be a little cooler. I keep one thermometer gauge by his basking hammock and it's always between 85-100 there but when it's only 85 (usually due to my dad turning on the AC in the house) I worry about it being too cold down on the bottom of his tank. I'm trying to sort out all the little details of everything but I definitely need to get him to a vet today.

 

[radams713]

Your temperatures are way too low. Get it up to 105-110 asap. Do you have a UVB tube?

You need to get him on antibiotics. Take him to a new vet. Also get a CHE to keep his night temp at 80. Lizards take a very long time to heal. I wouldn't wait to take him in.

 

[AHBD]

That's part of the problem then if his tank is only in the 80's at times even in the basking area. The cool end would be the only area at 80 degrees, the basking area around 105, surrounding areas in the low 90's. You have to be sure that the temps. will be stable. And I wondered if you just took a short video of Chester breathing + show to your vet [ the same one so you don't have to pay for office visit,etc with a new vet ] they might then prescribe the meds.

Of course you might prefer a new vet after this but just to quickly get him on the meds. might be best.

 

[RosesBeardies]

Hi I'm sorry about your beardie mines going through the same thing it sucks -_- California needs better vets I don't like the ones near me. Anyway i looked up how to get rid of a URI in reptiles and got reptaid witch helps get rid of the URI mine hated it and it didn't really help so then i got a Reptifogger and F10sc Veterinary disinfectant i put 5ml with 1 liter and put her in a box for 20 minutes she hated that but it helped alot. You can find a lot of youtube videos explaining it with snakes. It's been working a lot but I've not been doing it that much .Because I like to watch her when shes in there cause she gets stressed out being in a container so I've been just putting her on a towel and letting the fogger do its thing I put it near her face so she breathes it in.(i hate seeing my beardie baby upset) that hasn't helped her as much but the the container fogger method helps a lot more.
Sorry this dosen't help too much. Here's some pictures of what I'm talking about

and people say to do this for 10 days and then 5 days off but I've not been consistent

 

[emberNchester]

Hi everyone. Thanks for replying to my thread! I know I haven't responded for awhile but I've been super busy working and taking care of chester. I haven't had much time for anything else. Anyways, here's an update:
So Wednesday I had taken him to a good reptile vet. They told me I caught it really early. His signs are very mild right now but he does have an upper respiratory infection. (Also said I'm doing good being so in tune with my baby's behavior but I think that's just because I tend to be overly worrisome ?) The vet prescribed him Baytril for the next 7-10 days. It seems to have taken a little bit of an affect but he's still gaping and wheezing here and there. I'm not hearing the popping noises though. He's still very alert and eating a lot. I'm hoping that he'll get rid of that URI by the end of 7 days. I hear baytril has some bad side effects and I don't want to keep him on it longer if I don't have to.