Severely Malnourished Dragon - Help for Sparky

[Amalthea]

Hello, I've recently found myself caring for a Beardie who is extremely malnourished. She's very emaciated (hip, spine, arm bones visible under the skin) and I'm pretty sure her tail is going to fall (it's black over half the way up). We've been feeding her a mash of pellets mixed with vitamins as well as baby food, mashed fruits, and dandelion greens. She's had two BMs yesterday (the first day home with us) and they look normal but very small (more urine than feces). She acts lethargic sometimes but has moments of activity. We've also been giving her daily baths. There are no vets in our area and we are the only help this little girl has.

If anyone can help think of anything else we can do for her, it would be very much appreciated.

I was also wondering how often and how much we should be feeding her. Today after feeding her she became active but then vomited. I was wondering if this is because we have been feeding her too much/too often.

Also, I'm worried about one of her front legs. The shoulder is much lower that the shoulder on the other side (can't explain well, will take pictures tomorrow) she still moves fairly easily on all four legs. Could this be MBD? I know she wasn't being given correct amounts of calcium in her old home.

 

[sjsexotics]

up a few crickets and worms and syringe feed her them to try to get her back on a more normal diet. buy pumpkin canned at the store and give her that. is she an adult or baby. I normally feed them every three hours very small amounts and switch it up pumpkin mixed with plain yogurt one feeding mashed insects with a little Gatorade the next feeding then baby food after that. If she is eating greens on her own leave them in the cage and let her eat those on her own time. don't overdo the liquids that can cause the vomiting. also try some fatty worms such as wax worms or butter worms. a calcium and vita shot would help but you would need a vet for that. she may also have worms and could use a deworm treatment.

as for the tail soak her in a solution of betidine and water weak to look like tea twice a bad and scrub it lightly then apply a antibiotic cream to help with any infection I will need a pic to tell me any more

 

[Esther19]

Try making a greens slurry; collards, mustard, dandelion. Strain it and see if she will lick it up when dribbled over her lips. Solids might be too much for her right now. Baby food squash is also good, and you could mix in some stage 1 chicken or turkey. Mix her calcium in with the squash. Hopefully she will respond to the syringe. You know that hydration is a biggie, too, so offer water orally.

I am concerned about her tail. If you have Betadine (povidone iodine) make a solution of that and water to the strength of weak tea. You can soak her in it, making sure the tail is covered. Please do not let her drink it. Put Neosporin (no pain reliever added) or a polysporin cream on the tail. We need to see pictures of her, please. If it is tail rot, it can be very serious. You might want to try to locate the closest reptile vet you can find, because it may become necessary.

 

[Amalthea]

Thank you! I will try soaking the tail tomorrow and I will try and get a picture up as well.

 

[sjsexotics]

Thank you! I will try soaking the tail tomorrow and I will try and get a picture up as well.

No.prob if u want to email me free free i have worked with a lot of rescues over the years and will help all i can. [email protected]

 

[kcarello]

As Esther already stated..no solids for a bit. Also, dragons cannot digest dairy properly,,,so no plain yogurt...soy yogurt is good for a probiotic. You are much better off with the slurries Esther mentioned and the squash and turkey or chicken baby food.

 

[Amalthea]

Hello, I'm sorry to say that Sparky passed away today.

I don't think there was much we could do, as the living conditions she had previously been in were pretty bad.

 

[Esther19]

Oh dear. I am so sorry for your loss. You did the very best you could for her, but as you say, her condition was beyond help. I am thankful that she spent her last days in your loving care.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am so sorry little Sparky didn't make it.
You did everything you could for her.


Tracie

 

[Amalthea]

She was a little fighter, right until the end. I'm so mad at the person who gave her to us for not giving her up earlier. We had be been dogging this person for months to give her away due to lack of care, but they kept claiming that she was "getting better" and "eating all on her own and getting bigger". :x

One thing I know for sure is that I will NEVER help this person get another animal EVER.

 

[Bwalter]

Sorry to hear you lost your beardie. Makes me so mad people wait til they are in such bad shape to find another home, then the person helping them, the beardie dies on them. To sad for the beardies.