Short story then: Amputation or euthanization?

[Muis]

Hi all!

I'm new here, and new to beardies (and any exotics for that matter). I just want to set the stage for this question, please bear with me

I never thought that I would own a reptile, let alone love them as I do my cats and dog. To be honest they kinda creeped me out, and the thought of having to handle insects to feed them was also a big no for me. My father in law had these two beardies that would usually chill out in the sun when we visit for Sunday lunch. I never paid much attention to them but one day it started to rain and I decided to take them inside as everyone was busy cooking. I was literally petrified of even touching them But, it was love at first "handle". Something about these guys just grabbed my heart after carrying and feeding them, I became obsessed. I instantly asked my father in-law if I can have them, he is retired and travelling a lot so it worked out well and I inherited the setup and these two cuties.

I started to notice that the male's (10 yrs) one leg is always limp, it looked swollen and he was lethargic, not eating ANYTHING. I took them the vet to have them both checked out and to get x-rays done. Turns out that his wrist is broken, and has been for YEARS He also has arthritis at the one shoulder. This poor guy has been dealing with chronic pain for so long, and to be honest I am livid at no one addressing this earlier. I was given three choices: pain management with meds, which will eventually affect his kidneys, amputation or euthanasia. For now I opted for pain meds until I can make an informed decision on the next steps.

I really don't want to put this sweetheart down, he deserves a shot at a good life. Do you guys think an amputation would be a good idea? It is his front leg, and also worth to note he only has one toe left on that foot, the others are missing from some injury when he was younger so maybe missing the leg won't impact him much? Will he be able to live a good quality life or should I consider euthanasia? I am happy to provide more info if needed.

On the upside, he seems to be perking up since I started the meds yesterday. He ate 9 superworms to date, the first insects I ever saw him eat since he joined our family. I will continue to force feed bug pie to fatten him up as well.

I have zero experience with beardies and this has been a steep learning curve for me, but I am trying my best and I wholeheartedly love them. I will probably be asking a lot of stupid questions on here (apologies in advance).

Thank your bearing with me and for any advice

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi all!

I'm new here, and new to beardies (and any exotics for that matter). I just want to set the stage for this question, please bear with me

I never thought that I would own a reptile, let alone love them as I do my cats and dog. To be honest they kinda creeped me out, and the thought of having to handle insects to feed them was also a big no for me. My father in law had these two beardies that would usually chill out in the sun when we visit for Sunday lunch. I never paid much attention to them but one day it started to rain and I decided to take them inside as everyone was busy cooking. I was literally petrified of even touching them But, it was love at first "handle". Something about these guys just grabbed my heart after carrying and feeding them, I became obsessed. I instantly asked my father in-law if I can have them, he is retired and travelling a lot so it worked out well and I inherited the setup and these two cuties.

I started to notice that the male's (10 yrs) one leg is always limp, it looked swollen and he was lethargic, not eating ANYTHING. I took them the vet to have them both checked out and to get x-rays done. Turns out that his wrist is broken, and has been for YEARS He also has arthritis at the one shoulder. This poor guy has been dealing with chronic pain for so long, and to be honest I am livid at no one addressing this earlier. I was given three choices: pain management with meds, which will eventually affect his kidneys, amputation or euthanasia. For now I opted for pain meds until I can make an informed decision on the next steps.

I really don't want to put this sweetheart down, he deserves a shot at a good life. Do you guys think an amputation would be a good idea? It is his front leg, and also worth to note he only has one toe left on that foot, the others are missing from some injury when he was younger so maybe missing the leg won't impact him much? Will he be able to live a good quality life or should I consider euthanasia? I am happy to provide more info if needed.

On the upside, he seems to be perking up since I started the meds yesterday. He ate 9 superworms to date, the first insects I ever saw him eat since he joined our family. I will continue to force feed bug pie to fatten him up as well.

I have zero experience with beardies and this has been a steep learning curve for me, but I am trying my best and I wholeheartedly love them. I will probably be asking a lot of stupid questions on here (apologies in advance).

Thank your bearing with me and for any advice

Lets have Tracie address this issue - she is the vet tech on the forum
@Drache613

 

[AHBD]

Hi Muis, he looks so sweet in the pics and it sounds like Kevin is in good hands now ! What does he walk like ? A few things to consider.....if a dragon is eating and is able to get around, they are not in TOO much pain. Another sign of serious pain is constant black beard. So he may not be in as much pain as we would think. Bitten off toes are pretty common, usually happened when babies are raised together. Make sure that that Kevin + Twerpy have separate enclosures. Go easy on the superworms and offer greens like kale, mustard, collards, arugula, turnip and some butternut squash , raw but cut up . If you can post a video of how he walks that would be good. If not, describe how he walks. We'll all be rooting for Kevin !

 

[Muis]

Hi Muis, he looks so sweet in the pics and it sounds like Kevin is in good hands now ! What does he walk like ? A few things to consider.....if a dragon is eating and is able to get around, they are not in TOO much pain. Another sign of serious pain is constant black beard. So he may not be in as much pain as we would think. Bitten off toes are pretty common, usually happened when babies are raised together. Make sure that that Kevin + Twerpy have separate enclosures. Go easy on the superworms and offer greens like kale, mustard, collards, arugula, turnip and some butternut squash , raw but cut up . If you can post a video of how he walks that would be good. If not, describe how he walks. We'll all be rooting for Kevin !

Hi AHBD, he is really sweet, so demure! So he is actually only eating as of yesterday. Prior to that try as I might he did not eat a thing - greens or feeders. He had to be force fed, same for water. The vet gave me petcam for pain and inflammation and panacur for deworming. Apparently the latter stimulates appetite so I think this is why he is finally eating. I tried offering roaches and crickets and he had two but he really went for the superworms. I read that it should be a treat only really so I'll try harder on the other feeders Thank you so much for the advice on the greens, we have limited variety in my area but I'll go hunting at the markets tomorrow.

As for black beard, he has that a LOT and he also does the head bobbing thing often, but I think it may be when he sees a cat passing by the enclosure. Then on to walking, I'll try to post a video but he does not do much of that. He kind of drags himself along, with his tummy on the ground. He is usually in the hide and he never raises himself on his legs like Kevin does (yes the female is actually Kevin, the male is Twerpy ).

I'm happy to keep up with the pain management but I'm unsure if they can be on these meds long term, maybe I need to get a second opinion?

 

[AHBD]

Ooooo.K., That's what I get for assuming that Kevin was the male. Or maybe it wasn't known until they were mature but had already been named. The warning about superworms is mostly because beardies will sometimes eat too many and then vomit them back up so you want to avoid that at all costs.
How long have you had them ?

 

[Muis]

Ooooo.K., That's what I get for assuming that Kevin was the male. Or maybe it wasn't known until they were mature but had already been named. The warning about superworms is mostly because beardies will sometimes eat too many and then vomit them back up so you want to avoid that at all costs.
How long have you had them ?

Ooh I see, I thought the concern was that they would get overweight. They were initially owned by my mother in law, she got Twerpy about 10 years ago and Kevin followed a few years after. I've had them just over a month now and trying to get them back to optimal health, the folks got older and could not really pay the attention needed

 

[AHBD]

There's also concern of them eating too many fatty bugs, yes but vomiting is another concern if they haven't eaten in a while or don't digest the bugs well enough. So Twerpy can't walk very well at all then ? Has he been given a calcium supplementation over the years ? I think the pain meds can be given in a low dose as long as he has adequate hydration. As you observe his condition and activity level and try to discern his quality of life you can think over what you think is best for him after a while.

 

[Muis]

There's also concern of them eating too many fatty bugs, yes but vomiting is another concern if they haven't eaten in a while or don't digest the bugs well enough. So Twerpy can't walk very well at all then ? Has he been given a calcium supplementation over the years ? I think the pain meds can be given in a low dose as long as he has adequate hydration. As you observe his condition and activity level and try to discern his quality of life you can think over what you think is best for him after a while.

Yes he did get calcium supplementation in the past and now, I am thinking of adding a multivit too? I'll drop a video of him tomorrow and continue to monitor him. I will go to another vet too just to be sure though! Thanks for your great input!

 

[KarrieRee]

Yes he did get calcium supplementation in the past and now, I am thinking of adding a multivit too? I'll drop a video of him tomorrow and continue to monitor him. I will go to another vet too just to be sure though! Thanks for your great input!

www.arav.org -- try this website to find a reptile vet- if your in a small town please type in a bigger cities zip code closest to you

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome ! Drache613 who was flagged already should be on later in the evening and also have some thoughts on Twerp's situation. A multivitamin should be given maybe 1-2 X a week and very sparingly.

 

[AHBD]

www.arav.org -- try this website to find a reptile vet- if your in a small town please type in a bigger cities zip code closest to you

O.P is in South Africa

 

[KarrieRee]

O.P is in South Africa

Oops- will post the global one

 

[Muis]

www.arav.org -- try this website to find a reptile vet- if your in a small town please type in a bigger cities zip code closest to you

Thanks so much KarrieRee, I tried but South Africa is not listed. I will look out for the global one

 

[KarrieRee]

Thanks so much KarrieRee, I tried but South Africa is not listed. I will look out for the global one

Herp Veterinarians

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh wow, you are in South Africa?
I am sure that is hard to find a good
vet there, also.
Are you giving a liquid calcium or a
powdered calcium?
Which pain killer did the vet give you
to use for him?
I am going to move your thread to the
Beardie ER for more exposure for now.
Please post more pictures of your tank
setup (s) & your dragons.

Tracie