I thought I would give everyone an update on Perry. About two weeks ago my juv bearded dragon broke his jaw (effect of MBD). Well the break on the side of his jaw has healed YAY! but the break by his chin has not mended and is still totally unstable. It has not been able to heal because it shifts every time he opens his mouth to eat or drink. I have been doing some research online and learned about dermabond. It is a medical glue used to close lacerations. I bought some off EBay, hoping that we could use it to fuse temporarily fuse the bones. It arrived on Wednesday and I have been frantically phoning every vet in the area to find someone to help me. It makes me so mad that because he is just a baby most vets won't even bother. I finally found a vet 11/2 hours away who agreed to look at him. So I took him yesterday to this lady, who isn't even a reptile vet, and brought the dermabond. She looked it up online and did some reading. She came to the conclusion that it would not work to fuse the bones but after some discussion we decided to try and use it to stabilize his mouth and chin and to keep his mouth closed. It seems to be working very well!! Unlike the tape we had been using where Perry could still shift his jaw to the side, this seems to hold it pretty stable. Also, she put quite a few layers under and around his chin which seems to be acting like a cast. I brought him home and have been watching him fairly closely and he seems to be adjusting pretty well. He hasn't been rubbing his face like he did when we put the tape or the bandage on.
We have no idea if this is going to work and will not be able to tell for another two weeks but I am so happy this vet was willing to give him a chance. She wants to see him again in two weeks and if it works is going to write a paper. I will also take the information to Dr. Stahl and let him know about it.
I have been struggling with trying to figure out the best thing to do for my little baby. He has a lot of ups and downs, some days I wonder if it is wanting to carry on, but then the next day he is alert, active and running around like he is fine. I would say this is the last chance for him. If this does not work, I hate to say it but it will be time to let him go. For now I am holding on to faith and hope that my little fighter is going to come through ok.
We have no idea if this is going to work and will not be able to tell for another two weeks but I am so happy this vet was willing to give him a chance. She wants to see him again in two weeks and if it works is going to write a paper. I will also take the information to Dr. Stahl and let him know about it.
I have been struggling with trying to figure out the best thing to do for my little baby. He has a lot of ups and downs, some days I wonder if it is wanting to carry on, but then the next day he is alert, active and running around like he is fine. I would say this is the last chance for him. If this does not work, I hate to say it but it will be time to let him go. For now I am holding on to faith and hope that my little fighter is going to come through ok.
