Scared it might be ADV please help!!! (Resolved! Thanks!)

[Dragonism]

Ugh and he just started up again with the twitching and jerking behavior. I tried taking him outside to get some natural sunlight and uvb to see if maybe that would work. He didn't spazz as much but he still convulsed. I'm at a loss until we get to the vet. And I really don't want to have to keep watching him suffer like this because theres nothing I can do until later.

 

[AHBD]

Poor guy [ and poor you ! ] A little time in the grass out in the sun may help but then so many things are triggering the episodes. Be sure to get the Reptisun bulb [ long tube ] ASAP so can get good uvb in the tank. It may help if this is calcium related.

 

[Dragonism]

So I brought him into the vet today. She ruled out an ear infection since his ears looked good and he's not impacted. She ran a fecal test however and he has a very high coccidia count. Unfortunately, I didn't have money to afford the vet visit AND the medicine (the medicine being $60). *sigh* But she gave me the first dose for free and said she would hold the rest of the medicine until I come up with the money. In the meantime, I need to make sure he gets alot of calcium and nourishment. She said adeno was unlikely as well but it would put a hole in my pocket just even trying to make sure it isn't. So it seems the coccidia has him messed up like this. So I guess I'll have to hold out with him until I get the money (hopefully).

 

[AHBD]

You can get the medicine here. It's the most effective against coccidia [ better than Albon ] read up on it here in this link, it's not expensive at all.
http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=246

 

[Dragonism]

You can get the medicine here. It's the most effective against coccidia [ better than Albon ] read up on it here in this link, it's not expensive at all.
http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=246

Wow thats tons cheaper. I'll order it but I can only hope he'll hold out until it gets here. As for calcium, I just mixed warm water and calcium powder as a supplement. Is that ok? Also he's still very twitchy but at least as not as bad before. Still makes me want to cry tho.

 

[AHBD]

I know, you feel so helpless when a pet is sick and you're not sure what exactly is going on. So are you wondering if you can mix the calcium with water to give it orally ? If so, that's fine. You don't put it in water for him to soak though, that doesn't work.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh dear, his coccidia levels were that high then? That can definitely cause dehydration, nutritional issues due to competition of absorption, balance problems, etc.
Definitely continue oral fluids & extra calcium for him, too which should help out for him.
I am sorry he is still having bouts of twitching, I hope that subsides for him soon.

Tracie

 

[Dragonism]

He's not doing any better this morning. His movements are miserable and I have to keep putting him back in his basking spot because he can't control himself. Right now I'm blending him up some food to keep nutrients in his body. Its like he gone completely handicapped now. If things don't start looking up, I may just put him out of his misery. But I'm going to keep trying and give it a week atleast.

EDIT: I force fed him a mixture of collard, romaine, kale and banana blend then gave him an oral calcium supplement of powder calcium and water. Afterwards I sat outside with him to soak up some natural uvb and then cleared everything out his tank and made a new basking spot since I read that coccidia spreads easily and its best to have less things in the enclosure. His head is twitching a lot but at least the episodes aren't as bad as when they first started and he has no problem sleeping

 

[AHBD]

That sounds like a very good plan of action, really great that you got some food + calcium in him and time in the sun ! Give it some time and see if you can get him through this. He may not actually be in much pain, just has neurological problems that may go away .It's definitely worth a try.

 

[Dragonism]

Heres a video update on Jupiter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zefxguU0g7k

As you can see, he's still not fully able to walk normally and for the most part can only go in circles. I've tried getting him to circle the other way to no avail. BUT the good news is the thrashing about has stopped for the most part. I've seen him actually walk forward for like maybe 2 seconds. Right now I'm taking every sign as a good sign that maybe he's getting better. He still can't walk correctly though and still arches his body forward with the occasional jerky movement, especially when I have to pick him up. His head still shakes, but its not often. After some nice time in the sun and soaking up UVB, I blended him some super and hornworms (yuck!) and then fed him 2 syringes full. Later I'll feed him a syringe full of salad blend and calcium and then thats all while I keep his tank clean. This will be our daily routine until his meds get here, but I honestly want him to get better than this BEFORE I have to medicate him tbh. He's having so much trouble already poor guy. Its really strange that this all happened overnight when he was doing just fine. Other than that, he's quite alert and his colors are very bright~

 

[AHBD]

Poor guy.....but that's really great that you're getting such a good amount of food in him. That's a real plus to be able to get the nutrients in him. If you have a reptile vitamin you might put a tiny pinch of that in one of the feedings as well. Herptivite is a good brand.

 

[Dragonism]

So a little bit of good news today. The circling has stopped and he can now for the most part walk straight. Still wobbly here and there but not as bad. The head shaking has also stopped. For some reason though, he wants to climb everything. I've noticed when he tries to climb his body does the far back arching again. He's not stable enough to catch food yet so me syringe feeding him will continue. But other than that, he's looking a whole lot better. I'll try to update again with a video next time I post.

 

[AHBD]

Sounds good ! If this is a nervous system problem related to calcium imbalance then your nutritious syringe feeding and time in the sun may be helping already.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, he sure was having some trouble walking there in that video, poor guy.
It sounds like he is slowly getting a little better. That's great! Definitely continue the syringe feedings along with outdoor time, they are helping.
Hopefully he wont have any lasting neurological issues & will be completely normal soon.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[Dragonism]

Video update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1SNJtLr8IA

So hanging outside today in the sun, the greatest thing happened... he sprinted! I was lightly tapping on his tail and legs to encourage him move around a bit today and he ran away. Not only that, but afterwards I let him walk around and explore. He actually walked! And then had the nerve to puff up and hiss at me. So it looks like he might actually be improving. He still has that dreaded head arch (which I really hope goes away but it doesnt seem to be bothering him greatly), but other than that he seems healthier. I'll continue this routine until his medication and and new uvb light get here (I had to order them online.) I then brought him back inside and placed him in his tank. Just for the sake of it, I put some dubia inside to see if he'd go for them, and he did. He only managed to catch one, but thats better than nothing!