stepped on beardie

[drewmwl]

i was cleaning her cage and everything in it so i took her out and she ran under a towel i stepped on her upper body part with the ball of my foot with no shoes on. it wasn't all my weight but it was still a decent amount.

I called the vet and a consultation alone is $100 so I'm going to just wait a day or two I don't want to spend money i don't absolutely have to.

She's about 8 months old, 140 grams, 13 inches long. immediately after she ran around a bit was a lot more skiddish than usual. she's done a few dry-heave motions since then but other than that she's normal her gait or movement doesn't seem to be affected.

she did not black beard or puff her beard or hiss. it's the dry heaving that's really starting to scare me.

I was worried about her little ribs but her breathing seems okay. I just watched her do a maximum breathing puff with her chest so she SEEMS to have full range of motion there as well.

What are signs I can look for before taking her to the vet? Got my eye out for blood in stool or lethargic behaviour but other than that are there any signs I should look for??

 

[drewmwl]

here's some pics of her...

 

[AHBD]

Sorry to hear this but hopefully she dodged a bullet. Watch for constant gaping, drooling, any signs of unnatural lethargy, labored breathing + the things you mentioned. At the first sign of trouble it would be good to get an Xray done, even if she's just heaving, that is something that, if continues, would warrant an emergency visit for an Xray.

 

[EllenD]

I would say that the "Heaving" alone is a sign of an emergency and definitely warrants a trip to an experienced reptile vet for at the very least an x-ray. She's pretty small, not that it would make much of a difference if she was large, but her chest cavity is very small and there certainly isn't room to absorb that kind of weight. She could be "Heaving" because she has a collapsed lung, a broken rib that would not only be very painful for her and require prescription pain meds (I've had 2 broken ribs and they were horrible) but that could potentially puncture a lung, etc.

I would think it would be "worth spending the money" immediately just to get an x-ray to ensure that she is not in any great pain, because even if she only has something like a broken rib or a cracked sternum, things that are not directly life-threatening, she is going to be in tremendous pain for a long time and she needs pain medication. That in and of itself is "worth spending the money", to ensure she isn't suffering. She could be "Heaving" because it's hurts badly when she breaths, trust me, when you break a rib you try everything you can to get comfortable and be able to breath without pain. So yeah, I think you're at the point where she needs to go immediately just to make sure...Plus, if she does have a serious injury like a collapsed lung it obviously needs to be identified immediately and treated immediately if she is to survive. The longer you wait the less chance she has...

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's too bad, things do happen!
Is she huffing & heaving constantly or just sometimes?
I can see both sides & understand finances, etc. If she does continue that type of behavior
then it would definitely be a good idea to get an x-ray to be sure there isn't a broken bone
causing pain. Is her beard black?

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

How is she now ?

What did the vet find ? and do ?

 

[drewmwl]

Hello,

That's too bad, things do happen!
Is she huffing & heaving constantly or just sometimes?
I can see both sides & understand finances, etc. If she does continue that type of behavior
then it would definitely be a good idea to get an x-ray to be sure there isn't a broken bone
causing pain. Is her beard black?

Tracie

So far I haven’t noticed a single dry heave since I posted this, it seemed to have only lasted an hour or so after the event. She seems to be completely fine, she does have stress marks but she always does (only have her for a couple weeks).

There’s been no signs of anything out of the ordinary yet aside from being skittish with me. I will continue to monitor her closely over the next day or two.

Her beard isn’t black or puffed. Her gait seems fine she even made a pretty decent leap from a branch to her basking spot that I’ve never seen before!

Not going to count my chickens before they hatch though and I will continue to assume the worst. Rest assured the first sign of any trouble I will take her to the vet!

 

[kingofnobbys]

My wife stood on Rex's tail (fortunately the end of it) when she was about 9 months old .

After that every time Rex saw her coming she'd get out of her way and she'd give my wife "the stare" , and when she went pick Rex up from the floor Rex would back off and need reassurance from her before she'd let her pick up.
They do remember and learn very fast to avoid things that hurt or they don't like.

Lots of extra snuggle and hand feeding with food treats and she'll learn to trust you again , might take a few months though as she's had a big fright it will have really hurt.

Bit of luck she dodged a bullet and will be fine, just be aware dragons are very good at hiding it when they are sick or injured (in their natural range in the wild the obviously sick or injured lizard is the one who is targeted by snakes, big goannas , raptors and other predatory birds such as crows, magpies, kookaburras).
I'd have a vet take xrays - if there is a hidden injury or internal bleeding , this will show up in the Xray. If the Xrays show nothing to worry about , you might have spent $100 , but will know for sure you are in the clear.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is good news she hasn't exhibited any of the heaving issues again.
I'm glad she isn't black bearding either so hopefully she is just fine. Definitely keep a watch over
her to be sure. It sounds like she is still getting used to her new home, also.

Tracie

 

[drewmwl]

hey guys just wanted to update: she's totally fine! no issues whatsoever thanks for the help everyone

 

[AHBD]

Good to hear the positive update.

 

[drewmwl]

Good to hear the positive update.

On a side note for anyone following this thread as I don’t think this simple question warrants a new thread:

I got her at 6mo old she has been with me one month so shes now 7mo old.

I got her she was little under 12” and 120g. This seems incredibly small for a 6mo? Anyway she’s gained about 75g since I’ve had her and grown around an inch in length.

Does this seem like a good rate? Too fast or slow? Was she under weight? At ~200g is she a good weight now? Been feeding her twice a day

 

[AHBD]

Any pics ? Seems like a decent growth rate, although 13" + 200 grams might be a bit disproportionate, maybe just has a little chubby belly. Since she's growing though, it should be fine.

 

[drewmwl]

Any pics ? Seems like a decent growth rate, although 13" + 200 grams might be a bit disproportionate, maybe just has a little chubby belly. Since she's growing though, it should be fine.

Deodorant for reference haha