Sick Beardie - Possible CAN-V / yellow fungus - not sure!

[TakenByStorm]

You may remember I posted a photo of Captain Fred Sparklepants' arm just 24 hours after we got him from the local store.

His arm injury healed, however the swelling never got better. This morning it was yellow and swollen, he was spotty (black spots on tummy) and very cranky. And his tail was shedding. He was unhappy in my son's hands, where he is normally thrilled to be in every waking moment.

I took him to the vet after showing a friend the attached photo of him, we agreed it was time to take him in.

The vet believes he has CAN-V which is often fatal for babies. She noticed the yellowing on his arm, that it was on his stomach, and that there is a fairly large black scab-like area on his lower back. We sent a culture out to get results, but it will be about 2 weeks. Meanwhile I am to treat him with injectible antibiotics every third day. He also needs pain killers as it was determined that his swollen arm was not an abscess, but in fact the cut that he had two weeks ago healed so tightly that his arm wasn't getting proper circulation. So I also have to give him painkillers orally (not fun) and a chlor-hex soak every day of the (now) open wound.

I would love your take on that the CAN-V fungus diagnosis. But from reading some threads, it seems like he may have a different fungus. My nearly 10 year old has been planning on this guy for 5 years and went to bed crying that he is scared about Fred. I am too! We have grown to love him so much in two weeks.

PLEASE give me words of advice, encouragement, or reality checks!!!!

 

[Esther19]

Oh dear. The entire left arm does not look good. It might not be good for him to keep it. I'm sorry that I don't know what the CAN-V virus is or looks like. Are the black spots on his belly looking like stress marks? The chlor-hex sounds good. I would follow that with some anti-fungal cream such as Lamisil after the area dries.Treat all the yellow areas and the black spot on his back. Give the poor little guy a probiotic like non-dairy soy yogurt or a commercially prepared product like Acidophilus+ or Bene-bac daily. It will help his tummy. Captain Sparklepants may be grumpy from the shed or the pain, or both.

It is so easy to get attached to these sweet creatures. I know how in love you are at 2 weeks in. The attachment is often instantaneous. I am so sorry you all are having to go through this. While I would like to say there is no doubt he will recover from this, I would be lying. These fungal things are tricky. I would advise you to hope for the best, but not to expect it completely. You will know how to approach your son with the possibility of losing him, and when the time, if necessary, comes along. I would encourage you to fight as long and hard as Captain Sparklepants does.

Other folks with more experience with these issues will come along to help. Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry you are going through this so early on with your new baby!
I am with Esther, I wish I could say it will all be easy to get rid of, etc but many times it isn't.
However, you have caught it early, if it is yellow fungus or some other type of fungus.
Which injectible antibiotic are you giving him?
Be sure to start him on a probiotic also to keep his system in check in case he does have fungal issues as suggested, it can really help.
Keep his skin clean & the chlor hex baths are good. Make sure he is nice & dry also before bedtime & I wouldn't bathe too often as that can often spread & or encourage more fungal growth if present.
If you can, try to keep his tank around 80 overnight to help boost his immune system too.

Let us know how he is doing. I know how strong the bond can be immediately.

Tracie

 

[TakenByStorm]

Thanks guys.

I'm so glad you think I caught it early. I've been reading everyone's posts on the topic and it seems like this is a type of "cancer" that just recurs for their life.

His arm is sooooo much better since they opened up the construction. Worlds better.

He is definitely stress spotting, it's not anything else.

I'm just overwrought with fear!

 

[TakenByStorm]

I just want to thank everyone for their thoughts. Captain Fred Sparklepants took a drastic turn for the worse today and he crossed the rainbow bridge with the help of our wonderful vet this afternoon.

My son is devastated, but we had the blessing of spending the morning picking up a new baby beardie so that should something happen to Fred, he'd have someone to focus on to get him through it. When we got home, it was clear that Fred was not going to make it. And my son couldn't stand the thought of waiting to see when he was going to die. Not with his birthday party this weekend. Just awful.

So now we are the proud owners of Captain Happy Sparklepants, who very clearly has taught us that Fred was very sick from the moment we brought him home. Happy is... HAPPY. Colorful, big full belly, hungry and spunky and active. And we are happy too.

 

[AHBD]

Aw, I'm really sorry about the little guy, my condolences for the loss. I am glad to hear that you were able to find a nice healthy beardie though. I hope all goes well.

 

[Esther19]

I am so sorry for your loss of Capt. Fred. The poor little one was just to sick. Congrats on your adoption of Capt. Happy! I'm sure you disinfected the tank before bringing the new one home.He sounds good and healthy. There's a big difference when they're well, isn't there? Happy birthday to your son!