Suspected respiratory infection...

[Rory]

Foster has been 'popping' from time to time, and I have been keeping a close eye on him because of it. This morning he cozied into the cool end of the tank and was breathing with his mouth open, so I decided it's time for a trip to the vet.

However, my car is in the shop right now, and I have no transportation! What can I do for Foster in the mean time to help him out? He is still eating, moving about, pooping, and drinking water offered through a syringe, and taking his liquid calcium like a good boy.

 

[Rory]

Nothing I can do to ease his discomfort? His vet appointment is tomorrow.

 

[Rory]

The vet agreed with my suspicion and prescribed .5ml of Trimeth-Sulfa liquid by mouth. Foster absolutely hates the stuff. I have never heard of this medicine, does anyone have more info on it?

 

[ShannyBeard]

The vet agreed with my suspicion and prescribed .5ml of Trimeth-Sulfa liquid by mouth. Foster absolutely hates the stuff. I have never heard of this medicine, does anyone have more info on it?

That's a generic name...I wonder if that is the same thing as Albon? I believe Albon is a sulfa drug. That is a much harsher drug than Baytril (Baytril is enrofloxacin). Did he just prescribe 0.5mL in one dose?

Did he tell you to keep him hydrated while on this medication? It is very dehydrating and he will need daily soaks in warm water for 15-20 minutes and oral fluids as well. Also nighttime temps around 85*F to boost his immune system. Do you have a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to put on him at night? What is the humidity in his tank? Did the vet help you figure out why he got the URI?

 

[Rory]

The vet agreed with my suspicion and prescribed .5ml of Trimeth-Sulfa liquid by mouth. Foster absolutely hates the stuff. I have never heard of this medicine, does anyone have more info on it?

That's a generic name...I wonder if that is the same thing as Albon? I believe Albon is a sulfa drug. That is a much harsher drug than Baytril (Baytril is enrofloxacin). Did he just prescribe 0.5mL in one dose?

Did he tell you to keep him hydrated while on this medication? It is very dehydrating and he will need daily soaks in warm water for 15-20 minutes and oral fluids as well. Also nighttime temps around 85*F to boost his immune system. Do you have a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to put on him at night? What is the humidity in his tank? Did the vet help you figure out why he got the URI?

Thank you for your reply. I do not know the brand name of the drug, only the generic name is on the bottle. It's a pink liquid. The dosage is supposed to be .5ml a day for a week, then I'm supposed to bring him back in. They did not mention anything about taking extra precautions for dehydration, but I can absolutely make sure he gets his soaks and extra water. I do have a CHE I have been leaving on at night for him, so I'm glad I was doing that right, at least. :?

I have since bought a hygrometer to measure the humidity in his tank, and bought a dehumidifier. The humidity seems to hover around 40%, no matter what I do. We had a week or so of very humid weather and nonstop rain a few weeks back where I am sure the humidity in the house was much, much higher for an extended period of time. The humidity was so high in the house my bed sheets constantly felt wet!

 

[ShannyBeard]

The vet agreed with my suspicion and prescribed .5ml of Trimeth-Sulfa liquid by mouth. Foster absolutely hates the stuff. I have never heard of this medicine, does anyone have more info on it?

That's a generic name...I wonder if that is the same thing as Albon? I believe Albon is a sulfa drug. That is a much harsher drug than Baytril (Baytril is enrofloxacin). Did he just prescribe 0.5mL in one dose?

Did he tell you to keep him hydrated while on this medication? It is very dehydrating and he will need daily soaks in warm water for 15-20 minutes and oral fluids as well. Also nighttime temps around 85*F to boost his immune system. Do you have a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to put on him at night? What is the humidity in his tank? Did the vet help you figure out why he got the URI?

Thank you for your reply. I do not know the brand name of the drug, only the generic name is on the bottle. It's a pink liquid. The dosage is supposed to be .5ml a day for a week, then I'm supposed to bring him back in. They did not mention anything about taking extra precautions for dehydration, but I can absolutely make sure he gets his soaks and extra water. I do have a CHE I have been leaving on at night for him, so I'm glad I was doing that right, at least. :?

I have since bought a hygrometer to measure the humidity in his tank, and bought a dehumidifier. The humidity seems to hover around 40%, no matter what I do. We had a week or so of very humid weather and nonstop rain a few weeks back where I am sure the humidity in the house was much, much higher for an extended period of time. The humidity was so high in the house my bed sheets constantly felt wet!

If your bed sheets felt wet and you had that humidity for an extended period of time, then there you go. At least you have the answer and you've made the steps to get it under control. That's awesome. When I saw how long you have been on this forum I did a silent prayer and a big smile, because you are one of us, and not a new poster. Lord, it's sometimes so hard to help n00bs, because there is so much to know. I'm glad you're cool. LOL

Awesome you had the night time temps thing already. Goody.

How much does your dragon weight in grams? 0.5mL a day for a week...hmmmm. Check his weight, we need to ask someone who knows more about this med and make sure that dose is ok. Our vet overdosed our dragon, and it happens frequently. Dragons are little and they don't need to be slammed with a high dose of meds every single day in a lot of cases. Do you mind if I PM Tracie (drache613) and double check that with her, or do you want to?

Extra hydration is vitally important. A dehydrated dragon won't recover as well, and will feel horrible, and will be slower to eat, and slower to recover.

 

[Rory]

If your bed sheets felt wet and you had that humidity for an extended period of time, then there you go. At least you have the answer and you've made the steps to get it under control. That's awesome. When I saw how long you have been on this forum I did a silent prayer and a big smile, because you are one of us, and not a new poster. Lord, it's sometimes so hard to help n00bs, because there is so much to know. I'm glad you're cool. LOL

Awesome you had the night time temps thing already. Goody.

How much does your dragon weight in grams? 0.5mL a day for a week...hmmmm. Check his weight, we need to ask someone who knows more about this med and make sure that dose is ok. Our vet overdosed our dragon, and it happens frequently. Dragons are little and they don't need to be slammed with a high dose of meds every single day in a lot of cases. Do you mind if I PM Tracie (drache613) and double check that with her, or do you want to?

Extra hydration is vitally important. A dehydrated dragon won't recover as well, and will feel horrible, and will be slower to eat, and slower to recover.

I've been here a while, but Foster's still my first beardie, so I don't know everything quite yet. He weights 480g last time I measured him, which was right before the vet visit and right after a poo.

The vet did say that the dose is a little high, because 9/10 you won't get all the medicine into their mouths... Which has been the case with Foster. He hates this medicine with all the fury in his little pricklelizard person, so I am lucky if I'm getting .25ml into him. The rest winds up on his face. By all means, go ahead and double-check with Tracie. If this is a powerful medicine, I want to make sure my little guy is safe and not getting too much.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I PM'd Tracie for you, and I am sure she will set us straight and make sure you are doing what you can for your little guy.

 

[Rory]

Just checked in on him, and he seems to have diarrhea...

 

[ShannyBeard]

Just checked in on him, and he seems to have diarrhea...

In horses, diarrhea is a sign that the horse cannot tolerate this medication, and it is advised to stop administering it.

Did he have any diarrhea prior to taking the meds? Have you given him a bunch of oral fluids, baby food, silkworms...anything that could make him have a more liquid poop?

And when you say diarrhea, do you mean a pool of water poop, or just soft stools?

 

[Rory]

Just checked in on him, and he seems to have diarrhea...

In horses, diarrhea is a sign that the horse cannot tolerate this medication, and it is advised to stop administering it.

Did he have any diarrhea prior to taking the meds? Have you given him a bunch of oral fluids, baby food, silkworms...anything that could make him have a more liquid poop?

And when you say diarrhea, do you mean a pool of water poop, or just soft stools?

He did not have diarrhea before I gave him the meds yesterday, and I did not give him any yet today. He had gotten a soak about an hour before, but that's never given him the runs before. There were some solid parts (a bit of urate and digested superworm, I noticed), but it was all mixed up and extremely wet.

EDIT: I just called the vet to let them know about the diarrhea, and was told I would get a call back as soon as the vet could look into it.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Excellent. Did you ask about Baytril and if he really thought this other med is better?

I know it's hard to relay it all in a message via a secretary. If the vets calls back will you ask? You know I get curious. It's just how I am lol.

 

[Rory]

Excellent. Did you ask about Baytril and if he really thought this other med is better?

I know it's hard to relay it all in a message via a secretary. If the vets calls back will you ask? You know I get curious. It's just how I am lol.

No, I didn't ask about Baytril, but I will when I get a call back.

Poor little guy, I see him in the corner breathing with his mouth cracked open again and I feel like a bad caretaker...

EDIT: Good news, I caught him eating his greens earlier, so he still has an appetite.

EDIT 2: They called me back. They were a little stand-offish when I suggested that maybe Baytril was better for him than what they prescribed. The vet told me to give him his dose today, and if he still has diarrhea, to stop the meds and call them back to get something else for him. They were not completely convinced the stuff they gave me was causing the diarrhea, and suggested it might have been caused by stress from the vet visit, considering he was quite snappy and puffy when he was there.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Nice.

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

Sorry your dragon is having some trouble.
ShannyBeard is correct. Albon is not normally used to treat respiratory infections in reptiles. Baytril or Tylan are good choices for treatments.
Do you happen to know the strength/concentration of the Trimeth solution for him?
How much does your dragon weigh?
He may have been dehydrated when you gave the meds which could cause diarrhea & or upset tummy. Or, he could have had a reaction to the sulfa-based meds.

Baytril would be much better to use to help with a respiratory infection.
Are you keeping your temperatures optimal in his tank & his humidity under 30%?
Try to get some extra oral fluids into him also, in case he is dehydrated right now.
Let us know how he is doing & what the vet says.

Tracie