URI and Fungus? (Suggestions please?)

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

You are welcome.
She will be fine without the antibiotics for the week.
I don't recommend though putting the lamisil on her lips, it is too close to her mouth/gums area & can absorb through that area which could cause some irritation. I would just keep the mouth/gums area clean with a diluted betadine for now. If you are needing to treat the mouth/lips area for fungus, then maybe get some silvadene cream which would be a bit safer than the lamisil on that area.
Her eyes are better now? I am wondering if she was having a side effect from the meds possibly.
For that weight, you can give .5 to 1ml per 100 grams, estimated so for maintenance, you can give 4-6mls daily of food & that will be plenty.

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Hello,
I apologize that I didn't reply/update for so long. I got back from the trip on Tuesday, and I've been very busy.
Anyway, the caretaker did a good job. I came home to see Ropey happily basking, and my other beardie well...being her usual self: sleeping. Both beardies were thinner than usual, but only by a little. While I was gone Ropey regained her appetite for insects, as well, which is very good. The fungus/lesion is getting better, and so is her breathing. She no longer breaths heavily when not disturbed, and even when she is annoyed, she doesn't breath AS heavily as she used to. She's began basking less (which is actually GOOD, because she basked much more than usual a week ago), and she isn't gaping while basking as much either. She just seems happier in general as well.

I do have one question...
I've noticed that sometimes, after feeding and handling, Mazais breaths heavier than usual. Her beard puffs out only a tiny almost unnoticeable bit, and she does this for a few minutes and tharen begins to breath normally. She has probably always done this, and I'm only noticing it right now because when one of them is sick, you're hyper aware about them all! :lol: what do you think? Could she be contracting RI from Ropey? I talked to my vet, and he said that it is only a little contagious, of course depending on the type of infection it is (bacterial or fungal).

-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

Great to hear that the dragon sitter did well for them while you were gone!
I am happy to hear that Ropey's lesion is improving also. At least she has started eating insects again too, that is great news.
I hope they didn't lose too much weight while you were gone.
Does she bask enough to digest her food? It sounds like her breathing has improved quite a bit for her.

The respiratory infections can spread to another dragon in the household. They are housed separately correct?
They normally aren't highly contagious but it's best to always wash hands between handling them & limit any contact when one is ill though, just to be safe.
I would keep an eye on Mazais' breathing to be sure she doesn't do it all of the time. Maybe to be proactive, you should keep her tank around 80 overnight to help boost her immune system some to help ward off any infection she could be getting.

Let us know how they are both doing!
I have been meaning to say how nice it is to have you on the forum, all of the way from Iceland!

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Thanks Tracie .

Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. I've been very busy.
I'm a little worried about Ropey. She seems to be the in the same condition as she's been in the past 2 weeks--she's not getting better, or worse. I am a little worried though because she has been black bearding a lot lately. Mostly the beard isn't completely black, but is dark. Does this mean that she is uncomfortable? I have probably asked this question before... .

I am also wondering how long it takes for a respiratory infection to clear up normally? My vet prescribed the antibiotics for 30 days, and I still have about 10 days left of the prescribed treatment for her. I'm worried because, as I said, it doesn't seem like she is getting better.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the fungus/lesion has completely cleared up, but I'll still continue treatment until the prescribed time has passed.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

I am sorry Ropey is still not 100% yet.
At least the lesion has pretty much cleared up, that is great news.
Which medication is she on for the respiratory infection again, Baytril?
Normally, it should be working & showing progress within a few days to a week, depending on how bad the infection is. How often is she black bearding? That means she is not feel well if it is dark often.
Are you keeping the tank around 80 overnight right now?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

She is on smztmp and griseofulvin right now, 0.3ml and 0.15ml. The meds did work in a few days to a week. She began to feel much better, but that was 3 weeks ago.

She was blackbearding a little in the first week of treatment, but not this much. What I've noticed is that in the early mornings, she black beards. Then, from later in the morning to early evening she usually doesn't black beard or has only a slightly black beard. In the evening, her beard becomes as black as it was in the morning. She also seems annoyed by my presence sometimes. Especially in the mornings and evenings. Sometimes she puffs her beard and of course has her Blackbeard when I pick her up or even come near her tank.

Her breathing seems better, and even when she does breath heavily, the heavy breaths are much shallower than they used to be, though still heavy. I also rarely notice "eye boogers" in her eyes now. Tommorow, when she awakes, I'll listen to her breathing. Hopefully I'll be hearing less popping sounds.

Can a nebulizer be used for her situation? If so, how, and should I consult my vet before making an attempt at using one?

Thanks.

-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

The nebulizer treatments are excellent at helping stubborn & or recurring respiratory issues.
You can treat at home, but if you want to get a nebulizer from your vet you can do that also.
The meds are usually baytril, fortaz & gentamicin. along with another couple. The treatments are usually once to twice daily, for a 15 or so minute treatment each time.
She blackbeards at you? She must not be feeling real well. Is she eating very much?
At least her breathing seems to be doing better right now.
Do you think the meds are working much at all?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[bertaflea]

Hi

I am not sure about the Pneumonia but my beardie had a TERRIBLE fungus when he was 8 month old. It just looked like a piece of dead skin but then spread so rapidly the skin around his ear collapsed and it spread past his entire right side of his face and back.

The vet gave us Diflucan which we gave him 2ml every night. Within a week the fungus stopped growing and within 2 weeks his skin started regenerating. But we kept on with the fungal treatment for 5 weeks as the vet said the infection came from his blood and we didn't want to stand the risk of it not being properly cured and coming back as a more resistant strain.

That Diflucan worked wonders! But i think it also depends on the TYPE of fungus. Our vet put Fidget to sleep and took a culture of his skin to test so he knew what type of fungus to treat.

 

[Pasakaina]

I've ordered Reptaid and it should come by Wednesday. I am not really a believer in "all natural meds that cure everything", especially since there are so many crappy ones that are marketed for people as "miracle formulas" etc., but I decided to try Reptaid anyway.

There are only five days left of Ropey's prescribed antibiotics treatment, which is somewhat of a relief. I'll start on Reptaid while Ropey's on her last rounds of antibiotics. Is that okay? I've heard many good things about Reptaid. Hopefully it works for my "child" :lol: . I do think that the meds are doing something, but not much anymore...my vet said that it's very common that you see drastic improvement in the first few days of treatment, and then the improvement becomes slower after that. Ugh. Just like in humans.

I've read that sometimes, if humans/animals stop taking a certain medication in the course of the prescribed treating regimen, he bacteria can use that time to build up tolerance to the drug. Could this have happened in the four days that the meds weren't given to Ropey while I was on my trip ? :? Is that likely? especially with two simultaneously given antibiotics?

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions.

-Anita

 

[Pasakaina]

bertaflea- Sorry to hear about your dragon's ordeal. Good that your dragon recovered! My beardie (apparently) HAD some sort of fungus too, but that's completely gone now. All I'm dealing with now is the R.I. Very stressful.

Don't you hate when people ask you why you're down, and when you reply to them that it's because your Bearded Dragon is sick, they stop taking you seriously and say, "Why are you so worried? It's just a lizard."? I hate that. "Why are you so worried? It's just your child." :roll:...

-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

I get aggravated when people say they are just a lizard, too. It is just not right.
How is Ropey doing today?
The Reptaid has shown some good results so hopefully it will help her out some.
I think I would start the Reptaid after she is done with her antibiotics as the combination of both of them together could be too strong.
That is possible her system built up some type of tolerance to the drug in that short amount of time, but not sure. It certainly could have happened though since the meds don't seem to have cleared it up yet.
Are you still considering nebulization?

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Yes, I'm still considering nebulization. Can I use SMZ TMP or griseofulvin? Or both? Sorry, I am new to nebulization. I've never actually done it. Does anyone have a link or instructions as to how to do it? What I understand is that the meds are breathed in by the animal which targets the bacteria better than oral meds.
Thanks.

-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

I can give instructions for nebulization if you need. Usually, Baytril, gentamicin & ceft are more dominantly used for that process.
How is she doing today? Did you receive the reptaid yet?
Yes, since they don't have any cilia, they have a hard time clearing out their lungs which contributes to stubborn respiratory issues.


Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Just a little update:

Ropey's been on baytril for three weeks now, I believe. She's doing much better! The heavy breathing is almost a thing of the past, and is barely noticeable. Her appetite is still frail, but her beard isn't as dark anymore most of the time.