Surgery Scheduled for Tomorrow

[Derobmi]

What does that mean that he couldn't close the wound?

 

[parodyofagirl]

I don't know. I haven't seen her yet. The person giving me a ride has to drop someone off at the airport before they pick me up to get Quincy.

I am so upset about this. He said he sutured as much of it as he could but there wasn't enough healthy tissue left to completely close the wound. There would be too much tension.

We were under the impression that he would be more conservative. I feel like the worst person in the world right now. I can't believe we chose to put her through this.

 

[Esther19]

Sometimes conservative is not enough. I'm sure the vet did what he thought was right. So did you. You're giving her a chance to get better, which she would not have had without the surgery. Please don't second guess yourselves. Please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[parodyofagirl]

Thank you, Esther.

I have Quincy home now. She looks a lot better than I expected. She was very happy to see me when I peeked in her box at the vet's office, said hello and stroked her back a bit. Her beard went from black, to grey with yellow tips.

The vet said I could try and feed her tonight but I want to give her some time to sit in her enclosure and relax for a little while.

She has actually GAINED 20g since her first visit to the vet, but some of that is because she hasn't pooped today. She can close her mouth all of the way again. Even though she must be miserable, she seems like she is in less pain than after eating recently.

She just opened her mouth a little and let me peek. Everything looks a lot cleaner and less swollen. I can't see any sutures or an open wound, where I know the mass towards the inside/back of the roof of her mouth was.

I think the open area is towards the outside of her mouth.

 

[beardie parents]

You must be scared about her and what's happening. I know I would be. Keep us posted on how she's doing.

 

[Damieboo]

Did the vet give you any antibiotics for her wound since it's a little open? There shouldn't be any problem but in case you're worried about infections, I know watered down Betadine is good for keeping wounds clean. You can dab that on the bit outside her mouth, but not sure if it can actually go in their mouth. I would just give her plain water through a syringe to keep food from getting stuck in it. Hope she heals fast!

 

[parodyofagirl]

I was given an oral antiseptic to put on a q-tip and dab on the area after she eats. Prior to surgery, I was rinsing her mouth with water after feeding her.

Quincy doesn't want to be held right now.

She isn't hungry. She just wants to sleep. I can't say I blame her.

I've decided that I am going to be sleeping on the floor next to her enclosure and checking on her every 20-30 minutes all night.

 

[Esther19]

I hope you can sleep a bit, dear. Quincy is fortunate to have you. I assume the vet gave advice regarding soft foods, etc. Praying for a good morning report.

 

[parodyofagirl]

The vet said that I could continue to feed her the same food. I am going to start tomorrow with a syring of some baby food and water. So far tonight she has had a few drops of water and pushed the rest out of her mouth.

There have been a couple of times when she has gone to lick at something in her enclosure and started to lick and move her mouth around way more than she should. She has started bleeding a tiny bit and I've taken her out and applied pressure.

She wasn't comfortable on her rice sock, log, or the bottom of her enclosure so I folded up a fleece blanket and put it in and placed her on top of it. She hates the color (bright red), but is pleased with how fluffy it is.

I'm hoping she'll nod off soon so I can get a little sleep.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I just wanted to chime in.
I think it sounds like everything went very well for her. I hope you can get some sleep, staying up all night intermittently with her.
I am sure you & your fiance did the right thing. Something of that magnitude needed to be treated so I bet her mouth does feel better. Which oral antiseptic did the vet give you?

I hope that she is doing better soon.

Tracie

 

[parodyofagirl]

Hi Tracie,

I am supposed to apply dentahex using a q-tip 1-2 times a day after I feed her.

Quincy was also given a second shot of baytril while she was under yesterday. We return to the office on saturday for a 3rd shot and to check on how she is healing.

I am going to get some food ready and try to feed Quincy. Once she finally settled down for the night, she didn't need me to intervene although neither of us slept very well.

I turned on her second ceramic heat emitter about 10 minutes ago and she finally has her head up and is glaring at me with a black beard. It is time to open the windows and turn on her lights.

 

[beardie parents]

It sounds like she has her personality back. That's a good sign.

 

[parodyofagirl]

This was last night after I gave her the fluffy fleece blanket to sleep on. http://imgur.com/qLNAW9M

She'd had a mostly dark beard up to that point. She even looked traumatized for a few minutes after I put it in. (she despises the color red) But once she settled down into the fluffy blanket facing me on the couch she started falling asleep.

This morning, after being awake for about an hour, she pooped on the blanket so I'd get it out of her enclosure.

So far, she has eaten 3mL of mostly baby food mixed with just a little bit of reptiboost and water. She let me rinse her mouth with water.

I don't know how I am going to get the q-tip with dentahex into her mouth. I have never had to restrain her and she won't open her mouth for me while it is painful. (when she isn't in pain, I can ask her to, "show me your pretty teeth," and i open my mouth and she'll open hers in response.)

Are there any videos on how to properly hold a bearded dragon and open its mouth?

The vet's office called this morning and stressed that it was important that she eat and get this treatment asap. I was planning on feeding her another 3mL soon and trying to apply the dentahex after rinsing her mouth with water.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....I'm sorry your sweet girl is going through this. She looks like a real cutie...I hope everything heals up real well ! Have you been able to get the meds. in her mouth yet ? Something you might try if you can't get her mouth open....get a Q-tip and wet one end of it. Then get some raw, unpasteurized honey, from a health food store or a beekeeper. Put a drop of honey on the wet Q-tip, and put the dentahex on the other end. Roll the honey-Q-tip on her lips. Most dragons love the taste and will try to bite the Q-tip . When she does that you can switch sides to get the dentahex in there. The good thing about the honey is that it acts as a very effective antibacterial/antibiotic and anti inflammatory, so it's not just tasty, but it actually promotes healing. If you think she's biting too hard on the Q-tip , you might try something softer, like a strong piece of gauze or clean , soft wet rag with honey and medicine on it. Of course you just need to be sure that it's something she can't wrestle from you and swallow.

 

[parodyofagirl]

I got some of the dentahex inside her cheek earlier. When she was gaping earlier, I got a better view of one of the surgical sites. She has a large healthy looking clot. I do not want to risk dislodging it by swiping the q-tip over it.

I can't find the surgical site that was 'inside' her jaw.

I have to be careful when I touch around her face on the side where she has had surgery. She swipes at it and keeps hitting her eye and lip. Her eye is really swollen because of this.

I am going ro take her out for her 3rd feeding soon. So far she has eaten 7-8mL total and has allowed me to rinse her mouth with water after both feedings. When she doesn't want to swallow the water, she exhales and spits it all over me. It is so gross!

I am pretty sure the only honey I have is pasteurised. Because of the complications with her surgery, I am not leaving the house except for her vet trip on saturday. I am alone here with quincy and without a car so I won't be able to get any :-(

If things go well, I might see some of my family tomorrow...but my mom seemed really disappointed that I couldn't come home for Christmas because of Quincy. To my mom, she's just a lizard. She know we are attached to her, but doesn't understand our bond. If she calls me back tonight, I'll ask about the honey but I have a feeling my parents don't have any.