Prolapse recovery and future prevention?

[dracothebeardie]

Hey everyone!

Recently my 5 year old female beardie (hilariously found out "he" is a "she" during this whole ordeal) named Draco prolapsed. It must have happened in the middle of the night because the excessive feces and blood in his tank is the first thing I noticed when I woke up. I immediately rushed him to a vet only 15 mins away from my home and luckily they had a reptile doctor there to help. Draco was stabilized so the prolapse shrunk and then she had to be sedated for surgery. They sewed up the wound and gave me multiple antibiotics to take home. She almost passed away from excessive blood loss and shock and as a result had to stay hospitalized all day to keep an eye on her vitals. The whole thing was very traumatizing for both me and my beardie.

Draco prolapsed when she was about 2 years old and also received surgery by a vet at the time. The reason the vet had for that prolapse, after her feces were tested, was the parasite Giarddia (sp?).
My main concern is that I am terrified this will happen again considering it happened twice in the matter of only 5 years. The medical bill for the surgery and hospitalization was very high and I am concerned that I will not be able to afford to fully treat my beardie if this were to occur again any time soon.

Information about housing and husbandry:
40 gallon tank
Basking lamp reaches 100F on hot side
UVB Reptisun 10.0 6-8 inches from Draco on cool side
Substrate has always been paper towels
One large basking rock with a hide away space on the hot side, a food dish on the hot side, a water dish on the cool side, and a branch and a few small rocks on the cool side and spread across the tank.
Given warm baths once every few days and sprayed once every day.

Diet:
Was fed crickets until about 3 years old.
Now eats escarole, collard greens, occasionally strawberries and zucchini/squash.

Currently on 3 medications, one to treat parasitic worms, one for flagellated protozoa, and one as a calcium supplement.

Basically I would like to know the best ways, in my specific case, to prevent another prolapse from occurring. When Draco first had parasites years ago they were treated with medicine and a month later the feces was tested again and came up clean. Is there any way that she could have a parasite again even though all she eats now is veggies?
Thank you so much and I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and respond.

 

[AHBD]

Poor girl, sorry that she's had such a rough time. Are her stools usually on the hard side ? Since a prolapse is caused by the dragon straining to push out the poo or sometimes [ usually not though ] eggs, then it's good to keep them very well hydrated and healthy in every other way. Calcium is very important , so do you dust with calcium powder at least 3 days a week ?

You can offer baby food squash + sweet potato in small amounts at least every other day. they are natural stool softeners , especially if you add extra water to the mix. For now just offer water via syringe for about 3-4 days so she does not have the urge to poo [ no food in, no poo comes out ] and gives her a chance to heal. Then just soft foods and finely cut veggies. She should still be given insects 2-3X a week as an adult, but be sure they are small and soft bodied.

 

[dracothebeardie]

Okay thank you so so much for your reply all of that information is very helpful! Should I be dusting her veggies with the calcium?

Also do you know what the best way to sterilize wooden decorations inside her tank would be? I am afraid if she still has parasites that they are still in the tank. I don't know if I should throw them out entirely.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, dust the veggies with calcium + D3. You can clean the wood off + pop it in a preheated oven at 250 for 35-45 minutes to kill everything.

 

[dracothebeardie]

Okay perfect! I can't thank you enough best of luck to you

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome, hopefully everything goes well + she won't have any more problems.

 

[dracothebeardie]

Will boiling the wood have the same effect or will it ruin the wood?

 

[AHBD]

It would take a very long time to dry and would raise humidity in the tank, and yes, over time it would ruin the wood . If you could use large basking stones instead of wood they could easily be cleaned in boiling water , or with dish liquid + red wine vinegar. Then rinsed again with hot water.

 

[dracothebeardie]

Ohh okay thank you! I like the idea of having vines for her to climb on so i guess ill find an alternative to the wood