BenderTheBeardie
Member
Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum but wanted to see what advice you all have to offer regarding an illness Bender the 7 year old male beardie (540g) is going through right now. What I’m going to type is long because I’m not sure how to explain without all the details so I thank you in advance for listening or ignoring. 
On 10/21/21, I took Bender to the vet due to what I would describe as a lack of appetite and some clear weight loss (sunken head pockets, thinning tail). He was labeled as “obese” back during his checkup in June. Lol. I wasn’t sure if he was beginning to brumate due to some drops in temps in NYC or if he was ill. I had noticed signs of decreased appetite from the weeks prior but he had still been eating his vegetables and insects. He stopped eating altogether about 12-14 days ago (last ate a couple of dubia roaches). He is commonly fed mixed combinations of either arugula, kale, collard greens, and sliced bell peppers and carrots (although he rarely touches the chopped carrots and peppers). Regarding insects, his diet is mainly super worms and hornworms, with the occasional dubia roaches as of late. I have given him free roam in the our private backyard up until early October (on the hot & sunny days) which is a combination of finished concrete and garden space - however all that is planted for him to eat is impatiens, dandelion/greens, and clover.
The doctor checked his vitals and everything checked out. Did a physical test by hand of any blockages or obstructions and stated he didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. I was informed he was dehydrated and so they gave him fluids. We opted for blood work, and a Ova/Parasite test. (i had grabbed a sample of mucous feces he had 2 days prior to the visit). Results came back 10/24/24 and I was informed Bender was seen to have pinworms “>50 eggs or parasites per slide” which is listed as the highest on their scale. His blood work appears to be mostly in range except for a few areas:
WBC estimate: 20.0 (High) | 2.8-14.6 range 1,000/ul
HCT: 42 (High) | 23-39 range %
Heterophils: 16,000 (High) | 80% | 1,146-6,238 range /ul
Glucose: 362 (High) | 129-293 mg/dl
Sodium: 174 (High) | 143-173 mg/dl
He has been prescribed:
Panacur (dewormer): .25 ml (1x every 14 days)
Fortaz (antibiotic): .13ml (1x every 3 days - for 10x)
BeneBac Gel: 1g every 3 days following antibiotics
…And if inappetent
Calcium Glubionate: .25ml 1x every day
Emeraid: .5ml 1x every 2 days
Tonight marks his 2nd dosage of Fortaz injections and BeneBac but he has not yet eaten anything except for the .5 Emeraid I gave the day after the first dose. I’m going to offer vegetable combos and insects tomorrow at multiple times of the day to see if he will eat, if not I will hand feed the .5 Emeraid again and begin giving the calcium. He’s now being stubborn with drinking water and refusing to drink from the bath and usual syringe droplets I place on his nose ever since he got his first shot. I think he hates the syringes now!
I’m very concerned however as his back legs appear to have now gone limp, and he is gripping with just his front. He certainly had mobility of his back legs on 10/24/21 when I gave him a bath. I’m going to be reaching out to the vet tomorrow for more info. Could this be MBD?! How could it have hit him so fast if so?! Could he just be temporarily not using his back legs because his lower half is fighting off the worms?! A side effect of the medication?!
His set up is a 40 gallon terrarium about 37”17”/17”. Tile flooring. Mesh cover. With 1 log, a climbing branch, and a faux suction cupped vine plant. I have a dual deep reflector dome which I use a 100w basking bulb along with a 10.0 mini 13w UVB on the branch end, and an additional 10.0 mini 13w UVB on a single reflector dome which I move around to give him additional UVB and light. At night, I swap out the UVB on the single dome and replace with a 100w black night heat bulb. His basking temps can range from 100-115 F, and cool side generally between 75-85 F. The basking spot is about 6” from the mesh cover.
In my nervousness, I just ordered the 24” T5 HO fixture and 10.0 UVB bulb but it should be coming in on Saturday. I hope I’m not too late!
I appreciate any kind words of support, advice, etc. Thank you!!!
(I’ve posted a picture of the good boy hanging out in the yard over the summer, hopefully he will bounce back!)
On 10/21/21, I took Bender to the vet due to what I would describe as a lack of appetite and some clear weight loss (sunken head pockets, thinning tail). He was labeled as “obese” back during his checkup in June. Lol. I wasn’t sure if he was beginning to brumate due to some drops in temps in NYC or if he was ill. I had noticed signs of decreased appetite from the weeks prior but he had still been eating his vegetables and insects. He stopped eating altogether about 12-14 days ago (last ate a couple of dubia roaches). He is commonly fed mixed combinations of either arugula, kale, collard greens, and sliced bell peppers and carrots (although he rarely touches the chopped carrots and peppers). Regarding insects, his diet is mainly super worms and hornworms, with the occasional dubia roaches as of late. I have given him free roam in the our private backyard up until early October (on the hot & sunny days) which is a combination of finished concrete and garden space - however all that is planted for him to eat is impatiens, dandelion/greens, and clover.
The doctor checked his vitals and everything checked out. Did a physical test by hand of any blockages or obstructions and stated he didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. I was informed he was dehydrated and so they gave him fluids. We opted for blood work, and a Ova/Parasite test. (i had grabbed a sample of mucous feces he had 2 days prior to the visit). Results came back 10/24/24 and I was informed Bender was seen to have pinworms “>50 eggs or parasites per slide” which is listed as the highest on their scale. His blood work appears to be mostly in range except for a few areas:
WBC estimate: 20.0 (High) | 2.8-14.6 range 1,000/ul
HCT: 42 (High) | 23-39 range %
Heterophils: 16,000 (High) | 80% | 1,146-6,238 range /ul
Glucose: 362 (High) | 129-293 mg/dl
Sodium: 174 (High) | 143-173 mg/dl
He has been prescribed:
Panacur (dewormer): .25 ml (1x every 14 days)
Fortaz (antibiotic): .13ml (1x every 3 days - for 10x)
BeneBac Gel: 1g every 3 days following antibiotics
…And if inappetent
Calcium Glubionate: .25ml 1x every day
Emeraid: .5ml 1x every 2 days
Tonight marks his 2nd dosage of Fortaz injections and BeneBac but he has not yet eaten anything except for the .5 Emeraid I gave the day after the first dose. I’m going to offer vegetable combos and insects tomorrow at multiple times of the day to see if he will eat, if not I will hand feed the .5 Emeraid again and begin giving the calcium. He’s now being stubborn with drinking water and refusing to drink from the bath and usual syringe droplets I place on his nose ever since he got his first shot. I think he hates the syringes now!
I’m very concerned however as his back legs appear to have now gone limp, and he is gripping with just his front. He certainly had mobility of his back legs on 10/24/21 when I gave him a bath. I’m going to be reaching out to the vet tomorrow for more info. Could this be MBD?! How could it have hit him so fast if so?! Could he just be temporarily not using his back legs because his lower half is fighting off the worms?! A side effect of the medication?!
His set up is a 40 gallon terrarium about 37”17”/17”. Tile flooring. Mesh cover. With 1 log, a climbing branch, and a faux suction cupped vine plant. I have a dual deep reflector dome which I use a 100w basking bulb along with a 10.0 mini 13w UVB on the branch end, and an additional 10.0 mini 13w UVB on a single reflector dome which I move around to give him additional UVB and light. At night, I swap out the UVB on the single dome and replace with a 100w black night heat bulb. His basking temps can range from 100-115 F, and cool side generally between 75-85 F. The basking spot is about 6” from the mesh cover.
In my nervousness, I just ordered the 24” T5 HO fixture and 10.0 UVB bulb but it should be coming in on Saturday. I hope I’m not too late!
I appreciate any kind words of support, advice, etc. Thank you!!!
(I’ve posted a picture of the good boy hanging out in the yard over the summer, hopefully he will bounce back!)
