Suspected liver issues please help

[Drache613]

Hello!

No problem at all, I do ship to the UK so if you ever need anything the shipping is relatively fast
most of the time.
I am sure he doesn't like the Baytril, it is very bitter. Did they not flavor it at all for him? It may
affect his appetite some also. If you can get some organic dairy free acidophiliz or non dairy organic
soy yogurt to help with his gut health give that a try for his appetite.
Be sure to try & keep him a little warmer overnight too just to help boost his immune system right now.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[ashmashx]

Hello!

No problem at all, I do ship to the UK so if you ever need anything the shipping is relatively fast
most of the time.
I am sure he doesn't like the Baytril, it is very bitter. Did they not flavor it at all for him? It may
affect his appetite some also. If you can get some organic dairy free acidophiliz or non dairy organic
soy yogurt to help with his gut health give that a try for his appetite.
Be sure to try & keep him a little warmer overnight too just to help boost his immune system right now.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

That's amazing thank you so much!

They didn't flavour it no I mixed it with some organic baby food today and it seemed to go down better!

I'm syringe feeding him emeraid before he has the meds to make sure he eats but he willingly licked a bit of soy yoghurt before which is promising so he must know its good for him thank you for that!

Is it worth putting some kind of bulb in over night? I have an infra red one but I noticed it had a red light so I haven't used it yet in case!

It's hard to say how he's doing, he's very black and he's hiding a bit more but I don't know whether that is the antibiotics or his general health

Fingers crossed he's improving slowly its hard to know. Thank you for all your help I really appreciate it

 

[xp29]

Please no bulbs at night, they need dark to sleep. A ceramic heat emitter is much better, it makes heat with no light.
Also colored bulbs are hard on their eyes and should never be used at all.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

We are all pulling for little Ernie.
Do you mean his beard is dark/black a lot or just sometimes?
The antibiotics might be causing an upset system which is why I suggested the probiotics for
him. Hopefully that will help out.
As suggested, it isn't good to use a light overnight, but you can use a ceramic heat emitter for
nighttime heating.
That's great you added some organic baby food with the Baytril, so that helped out!

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

 

[ashmashx]

Hello,

We are all pulling for little Ernie.
Do you mean his beard is dark/black a lot or just sometimes?
The antibiotics might be causing an upset system which is why I suggested the probiotics for
him. Hopefully that will help out.
As suggested, it isn't good to use a light overnight, but you can use a ceramic heat emitter for
nighttime heating.
That's great you added some organic baby food with the Baytril, so that helped out!

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

It was just black in the afternoon but since the baytril he's constantly black bearding . Thank you so much I will give him more yoghurt today and I definitely won't use that light and I'll find a ceramic heater! Thank you so much for all your advice flavouring the baytril has been such a huge help too! I'll keep you all updated

 

[ashmashx]

It was just black in the afternoon but since the baytril he's constantly black bearding . Thank you so much I will give him more yoghurt today and I definitely won't use that light and I'll find a ceramic heater! Thank you so much for all your advice flavouring the baytril has been such a huge help too! I'll keep you all updated

Just thought I'd do a little update, he finished the baytril and has started improving a bit (I think). His beard isn't really going black anymore had he had his first proper bowel movement yesterday (it was very liquidy on the baytril). He's still on emeraid with the milk thistle and probiotics as he still won't eat. The vet said he's only lost 6g in the last 2 weeks and was quite happy with how he was looking. He said to carry on reviewing him for the next 4 to 6 weeks on the emeraid and see how he gets on. I keep trying to offer his usual food just incase he starts eating proper food again. The vet doesn't know whether it could have been an infection or whether it's a potential tumour or virus. If it's the latter two he said there's no treatment options but if it was a bacterial infection we should see improvement slowly. He said a biopsy would be too risky for him and would only give us bad news If it shows anything.


At the moment it's just a keep feeding him and giving him all the care he needs and praying for the best . Thanks to everyone for all your support. If anyone has anymore advice do let me know and thank you all for your kind messages and support over the last few weeks I really appreciate it

Photo of him in his spa for added cuteness

 

[xp29]

Reptiles heal excruciatingly slow. Hopefully he continues to improve for you. Please keep up posted

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great news he is getting better. It is hard because they do heal very slowly, & in some cases
it can take months for full recovery.
I'm happy he isn't black bearding right now, that is definitely progress. Since he hasn't really lost much
weight, he must not be too stressed being on the medication.
Keep us posted on his progress.

Tracie

 

[ashmashx]

Thank you so much Tracie I'm so grateful for your help and looking at his bloods and I'm also glad I went to see a different vet as the first was about to give up on him .

That's great about the lack of blackbearding and the lack of more weight loss being positive signs . I'll keep you all updated on here

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

You are very welcome. Too often, vets tend to give up too quickly on them. They do have an amazing ability to recover but it takes time to see progress sometimes.
I think he is definitely doing better! Do let us know how he is doing, we are all pulling for him!

Tracie

 

[ashmashx]

I went back to the vets today Ernie was straining to poo and nothing was coming out and his vent was slightly red. The vet did another ultrasound and ernies liver has gotten larger which the vet suspects is liver cancer and its gotten worse. They've suggested either giving him vitamin supplements and tramadol to keep him comfortable or putting him to sleep. I couldn't make that decision today so I asked them to give the vitamins and I'll take the next week to think about our options. I'm syringe feeding him critical care every day as he won't eat food still and he's not happy with that and whilst he still basks, he doesn't move much, he ran around the whole house before he was sick. I love him so much and I want to do the best by him. I can't decide what to do for the best, I don't want him to miss out on life if he's doing OK but equally I don't want him to suffer. Any advice would be well appreciated. For context he's not eaten solid food in a couple of months and has been on critial care, he's basking still but other than that he's not moving around much unless he needs the toilet but there's still a tiny bit of his sass personality left. He's gradually losing weight but he's skinny in most areas but has a belly which the vet thinks might be acites due to his liver . He's not black bearding much though. I'm heartbroken and I'd appreciate any advice, I want the best for him and I don't want him to be in any pain or suffering

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh that is horrible, poor Ernie! Situations like this are very emotionally hard & there aren't any
easy answers at all.
Are you still giving the milk thistle for him daily with the Critical care?
You could consider some CBD oil, which has been shown to help with cancer, tumors, etc. It is
a great sign he isn't blackbearding.
You could try reducing the critical care a little to see if his natural appetite would come back. It is
a heartbreaking situation, nonetheless, as you don't want him to suffer. For now, I would continue
to try as long as he is fighting also, bless him.
Have you been able to keep a ceramic heat emitter over him at night also? Please keep us posted
on little Ernie.

Tracie

 

[ashmashx]

We had to say goodbye to Ernie last night I'm absolutely heartbroken we tried everything we could. After the vitamin injection he seemed great for a day and then declined even more. He got angry when I tried to syringe feed him which he had never done before and then he was trying to go to the toilet and couldn't, he started opening his mouth and puffing out his black beard and his legs were trembling. I couldn't bear to see him in pain so the difficult decision was made , I stayed with him until the end.

I'm devastated I've never felt sadness and grief like it and I can't stop crying. I keep looking at the viv when I walk into the room expecting him to be there. The house feels empty without him.

Thank you to everyone on this forum for your help and support, I don't think I would have as long with him as I did if it wasn't for you all, @Drache613 you have been an absolute angel and I can't thank you enough.

 

[KarrieRee]

We had to say goodbye to Ernie last night I'm absolutely heartbroken we tried everything we could. After the vitamin injection he seemed great for a day and then declined even more. He got angry when I tried to syringe feed him which he had never done before and then he was trying to go to the toilet and couldn't, he started opening his mouth and puffing out his black beard and his legs were trembling. I couldn't bear to see him in pain so the difficult decision was made , I stayed with him until the end.

I'm devastated I've never felt sadness and grief like it and I can't stop crying. I keep looking at the viv when I walk into the room expecting him to be there. The house feels empty without him.

Thank you to everyone on this forum for your help and support, I don't think I would have as long with him as I did if it wasn't for you all, @Drache613 you have been an absolute angel and I can't thank you enough.

I am so sorry to hear about Ernie - all our hearts go out to you- it is always so difficult to lose them - you did everything possible for him and I am sure he knew that- he knew he was loved till the end

 

[xp29]

I'm sorry for your loss, they become such a huge part of our lives, they aren't really pets, they are part of the family. I hope you get another beardie when your ready, they deserve loving homes like yours.