Respiratory Infection, Elderly Dragon Refusing To Eat

[Aquastar09]

My bearded dragon Drake recently turned 14 years old. About 2 weeks ago I took him to the vet for upper respiratory infection. He wasn't eating and was making a clicking sound. He was mildly dehydrated so they gave him fluids and antibiotic shots to take for 6 to 10 weeks. They also told me to syringe feed him and if he didn't start eating on his own to call back in a week. So after the first week i called and they said if he don't eat in another week to call again. So i did. They still had nothing to tell me.. I'm at a loss here.
He looks MUCH better and is no longer making sounds. He has lightened up and is alert and as active as an old man can be. He seems fine except that he has no interest at all in food. Even bugs. I syringe feed him baby food (Squash, pumpkin, green beans and many more) twice a day and 3 days a week I add probiotic powder with it. I also force Dubia roaches into his mouth 3 times a week. Once they are in his mouth he eats them happily. He just wont take it himself. As for the veggies, mustard greens, collard greens, squash, cucumber, carrots, and zucchini, he spits them out no matter what I try.
His temps are right I already cleared all that with the vet. PowerSun basking lamp, 10.0 UVB and a Heat emitter at night. He is in a 55gal tank and he gets vitamins/calcium 2 times every week (cuz his calcium was a bit high). He has 1 bath a week (used to be 2 but I cut it down to 1 till his infection clears completely up). Natural sunlight 30 min to an hour each day and his antibiotic shot every 3 days. The humidity is too high so i ordered a dehumidifier and its on the way. Anyone have any suggestions on how i can get him to eat or why hes not getting his appetite back?? He really seems healthy other than that. The vet visit was almost 500 bucks and I REALLY cant afford that again... Any advice would be great. Thank you!!!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....it's good that he's doing better after the R.I, that's good news for you since some dragons can't shake an R.I for months sometimes. I think that he is just staying full from being hand fed. If you add that to the fact that he's 14 and, like some very elderly people that lose their appetite to a degree, then he's just eating what he wants when it's put in his mouth. It might be the best you can do now, and not a bad trade off to keep him healthy at his age. As long as he IS eating, it's a good thing....just keep up what you're doing.

As an after thought, how long do you try to go before you hand feed him ?

 

[Aquastar09]

Hi there....it's good that he's doing better after the R.I, that's good news for you since some dragons can't shake an R.I for months sometimes. I think that he is just staying full from being hand fed. If you add that to the fact that he's 14 and, like some very elderly people that lose their appetite to a degree, then he's just eating what he wants when it's put in his mouth. It might be the best you can do now, and not a bad trade off to keep him healthy at his age. As long as he IS eating, it's a good thing....just keep up what you're doing.

As an after thought, how long do you try to go before you hand feed him ?

I usually fix his veggies about an hour after he wakes up. I leave him alone for about 20 min to see if he will go get them then I try waving them in front of him. I spray them with water and/or try scooting them on the ground. Sometimes he will eat a bite or two but not often. Then I leave him again for maybe an hour tops. After that I just give up and syringe feed him because the vet said to make sure he gets enough to eat no matter what because he was dehydrated.

As for the bugs, I just let them crawl invfront of him for a min or two and if he don't eat them I go ahead and put them in his mouth.

 

[oatmeal]

Nothing helpful to chime in here, but I also have a 14 yo beardie who is doing the exact same thing with her food: She is happy to eat if I feed it to her, but will not go after anything on her own. Frustrating! It's awesome that your beardie rebounded after the RI though That's very impressive! I'll be following this post, and wishing you guys the best It's hard caring for any geriatric pet, nevermind an exotic!