Time For A Vet Visit?

[jacqui778]

Hello,

I've been a bit worried about Reggie lately, but this could be my own overreactions. I wanted to get a fecal done for him as soon as I got him, but I wasn't sure if it would cost anything, and after buying everything for Reg, money was a bit tight. Lately, I've regretted not getting a fecal done on him.

I heard on one of the forums that really smelly poo is a sign of parasites? Ever since I read that, it stuck in my head. Now I'm wondering-- could Reggie's being thin and gag-worthy poo be due to parasites?

Also-- sometimes he makes a popping sound in the back of his throat, kind of like when you stick and unstick your esophagus (sorry, only way to describe it). I've heard that this could be a respitory infection? He doesn't have any mucus or anything like that, he looks fine, but this popping doesn't feel right.

And finally, MBD. Due to shipping issues and financial issues, Reggie has not had sufficient UVB since I got him 12/21. I am ashamed to admit it. The only light I have for him is a Reptile Slimline Fixture, which only has about 6% UVB output. I attempted to order ReptiSun 10.0, but my shipping got screwed up and my light was lost in the mail, and then when they remailed a light for me it was a 48'' instead of the 18" I need. It took them half a month to respond to my email, hereby leaving Reggie without a good UVB bulb.

Now, I'm a bit concerned. Since I'm so worried about his UVB and calcium levels, I've noticed things like bending in his tail and odd-looking toes. I don't know if it's normal, but his toes have a dent in them? I'll have to get a picture once we find out what's wrong with the digital camera. Reggie also has had a bit of an issue chewing his crickets-- he can't exactly chomp down on them. Once, he opened his mouth, and a live cricket popped out. This was during feeding time. I was wondering if Rubber Jaw could do that to a beardie, or if this is a different issue.

I'm sorry. I'm just so worried about my dragon. I'm either overreacting or he's in bad shape. And there are no real herp vets in my area. My father has lost his job, so I don't even know if we can afford a vet visit.

Any advice would be great. If he's in bad shape, I can only pray to God that somehow, we get enough money to get him treated before he gets worse.

-- Jacqui

 

[Ethan118]

First of all, to ease your concerns, my bearded dragon, Carth, has some of the most nauseating poops I have ever seen... or smelled. He doesn't have parasites or any other sort of bowel illness, so I know for sure it's just who he is. But, it could be a completely different case for you, so I would research it.

Secondly, I don't know about the popping sounds, but when Carth tries to scurry off my shoulder, and I grab him, he makes what seems to be a 'sigh'. Like "Let go of me" kind of deal.

Finally, if you are worried about the amount of UV light Reggie is getting, take him outside and into the sun for a few minutes every day (if at all possible). But, be careful. When they are put into a new situation like that, they will puff their beard and open their mouth. Hold onto him until he calms down, and after a few days of this he will feel comfortable in his new environment. First time I saw this, I got pretty scared, but it's normal.

Hope this helps!
Ethan

 

[TazzysMamma]

Hi Hon,

I dont know the answers to your questions, but Im going to PM a moderator to get you the info you are looking for.

HUGS to you and Reggie!

Sandi

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like several problems.
Could you run over your entire tank setup with us to be sure that the lighting & heating are acceptable.
What are the temps in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use to measure the temps? Is it a stick on type of thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?
What are the temps on the cool end?
What type of calcium supplementation are you providing?
At the moment, to try & get the respiratory issue taken care of before it becomes serious, let's make sure your temps are where they need to be. You will need to try & keep the overnight temps around 75 to help his immune system.
Keep in mind, that until you get him some UVB exposure, he cannot absorb any of his calcium so his bones will continue to weaken. So, if it is possible, as suggested, sunlight can help, but it will need to be given 1-2 hours per day to do him any good if he is already showing external physical signs of MBD. That could suffice until you can get the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. I hope you got a refund.
What size tank do you have? You could also consider a Megaray or a T-rex active UV heat if your tank is at least a 30-40 gallon.
The basking temps need to run around 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82 or so.
Carth most likely has parasites simply due to her other problems that are happening. Once their body begins to undergo stress if they do not feel well or their husbandry is off, etc, their parasite levels can start to take over & their health will begin to decline. It is basically like a snowball effect.

To start, let's make sure his basking temps are correct. Let's find some way to get him some UVB exposure. If you feel that you need to get him dewormed & cannot get him to vet, you can try to order some panacur dewormer from http://www.beautifuldragons.com & I will help you dose him to see if we can start to get his levels under control. If he cannot properly chew his food, then you will need to start assist feeding him with chicken or turkey babyfood mixed with squash babyfood, daily & add powdered calcium in with it. Use a plastic dropper or a plastic syringe to get him to lick the food off of the end of it.

That will get us started.

Tracie

 

[jacqui778]

Oh my. Please don't eat me alive, but I don't have a thermometer. Can't find one cheap that doens't have out-of-bounds shipping fees. All I know is that it is a 150 watt SunGlo daylight bulb from ExoTerra and he can get about 6'' away from it, and that is often where he sits.

As for calcium, I give him Rep-Cal Phosphorous-Free Calcium w/ D3.

75* at night? Hmmm. Reggie sleeps with me, because his terrarium gets too cold. He would have a ceramic heat emitter if the socket wasn't SIDEWAYS! So, I'm not sure how warm he is at night. I'll have to get some way of measuring temps and see how hot it is under the blankets with my mattress heater on.

Reggie does get some occasional sunlight, but only when it's warm. There've been some snow flurries this weekend, so, needless to say, Reggie has not been outside. Usually, I open my window and let him see through that, so he gets UVB and I don't have to watch him. He can stay up there for 4 hours a day.

My mother took the 48'' to a local petstore for its value in bags of cat food.... She's so weird.

Well, my tank is not a fish tank. I bought it off of eBay as a 'terrarium', and it is 35'' long 22'' high and 24'' wide. If you somehow know how to translate that into gallons, it would help.

Sorry about the temps. I will attempt to find a thermometer somewhere. Maybe I can drag someone to the pet store today and see what they have to offer. Thank you so much for your help, Tracie, and I wish I could answer more of those questions....

-- Jacqui

 

[Buggsy]

UVB dosnt penitrate through glass, so he wont be getting any throught the window, i think they just like to watch the world, Gizmo is the same!

 

[jacqui778]

UVB dosnt penitrate through glass, so he wont be getting any throught the window, i think they just like to watch the world, Gizmo is the same!

Yes, I'm aware it doesn't penetrate glass. When I said 'open the window' I meant literally opening the window so he can hang on the screen. It's actually quite funny!

 

[jacqui778]

OK! Got a digital therm. with a probe! It's been an hour, and the therm. is reading 91*, so I'll have to find a way to up that. Maybe I can get a higher watt. bulb? Temps on the cool end are around 85* depending on where you take them. I took them in his hammock over there it read 83*.

UVB bulb and liquid calcium coming! Also, sending out a fecal today. So we'll get this sorted out. HUGE thank you's and HUGS to Cheryl. :mrgreen:

So far, getting on the right track to recovery. Got some food into Reggie, just the babyfood w/ calcium, and he ate 3 soft worms (waxies). He doesn't chew them as vigorously as he used to.

Any tips on getting the temps up? The hammock is as close to the light as it can go. I'll see if I can find a 175 household and try that. Its the max. for my socket....

-- Jacqui

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, unfortunately, screen that is that fine, will filter out most of his UVB. So that really is not enough UVB for him. If you can, you will need to get a UVB light. Which one did you order?
Great you ordered some liquid calcium also. He should begin to improve fairly quickly with proper lighting, increased heating & better calcium absorption.
How is his appetite doing today?

Tracie

 

[jacqui778]

Tracie,

I dunno, my window is pretty old. The screen isn't as fine as the modern ones. But, oh well. Weather has been in the high 70s, low 80s recently so I can get Reg out for a small amount of time if I have a thick jacket on where he can hide in the pockets if he gets too cold.

I am being sent a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB bulb. Cheryl also added in last-minute Vitamin B. I read on Beautiful Dragons that there is a disease that looks like MBD that can be solved with Vit. B?

Sadly, his appetite is not doing well. I'm fairly worried about this. He hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he's used to eating two times a day, but yet, when I put him on the side of the cricket tank, he crawled back up my arm and fell asleep on my shoulder. He ate a little bit of babyfood today, chicken (which was a real pain for me ) and squash, but soon he was bearding the 'big bad syringe'. I did mix it with calcium. He's been active enough lately, running around and glassdancing and all that, but I don't know why he's not eating.

So far, the best I've done to get him to eat is pulling down on his lower lip and squirting babyfood in. He hasn't turned down a waxie yet, though!
Also: Mazuri insectivore diet coming with the UVB and calcium. Hoping he takes a liking to this stuff, maybe I can get him to start eating his bugs again.

-- Jacqui

Oh, yes, and his fingers and wrists have started bending inward when he walks sometimes? Symptom of MBD?

 

[jacqui778]

Alright, UVB is here. The current temperature in there is 96.6* on the hot side. Basking temps. are around 98*. I have positioned the UVB so that it shines on him while he's basking. This has also helped with the temp.

I'm waiting to get him weighed properly so I can get him dosed for the calcium and Vitamin B. A fecal told me he has some pinworms (I knew my sixth sense was right) so as soon as I get my hands on Panacur he'll be O.K. I hope.

The clicking sounds have lessened! I've noticed this over the past few days. He doesn't do it nearly as often now! This excites me a little bit. Just a little. :mrgreen:

Now, the only major problem is getting him that calcium to treat the MBD. I'm quite happy, because today, he gaped while basking, which tells me his temperatures are hot enough for his comfort.

Now.... as for treating with medicine..... could I mix the dosages with babyfood to get him to swallow? Or should I put it in water instead?

-- Jacqui

 

[Drache613]

Hello Jacqui,

It sounds like he is doing a little better now. So your basking temps are running around 98 or so? That is probably fine, but you might want to increase it to around 100 for better digestion.
Yes, you can mix the calcium & vitamins in with the babyfood, that is no problem. The vitamin deficiency that can mimic metabolic bone disease is hypovitaminosis of thiamin. That is somewhat rare, but it can occur with improper nutrition & the frequent feeding of frozen vegetables that do not have enough vitamins in them. Feeding frozen fish that has not been boiled contains thiaminase which breaks down their body's stored sources of thiamin.
GREAT you got the UVB & that you have strategically placed it beside his basking light. I hope that he likes it!
Did you get the liquid calcium then? If so, did you get it from beautiful dragons or from the vet? Let me know which one you got & what the concentration is so I can dose it for you. How much does he weigh?
If he is bending his wrists strangely that is a symptom of bone & muscular weakness too. I hope we have caught it in time.
His appetite should slowly begin to increase as he starts to feel better. Keep me posted on him.

Tracie

 

[jacqui778]

Tracie,

Yes, the calcium I received was from Beautiful Dragons, as was the Vitamin B. I am waiting to get him weighed, as soon as I do I will let you know. I am expecting Panacur to arrive any day now, to get the pinworms out of his system.

He's been eating O.K., but I'm sure the fact that he's suddenly shedding is not going to help his appetite or his attitude. He's a grumpy little beardie when he's shedding!

I'll get his weight to you as soon as I get him weighed.

-- Jacqui