URI and Fungus? (Suggestions please?)

[Pasakaina]

Hello,
I took Ropey to the vet today because I suspected a Upper Respiratory Infection.
Unfortunately, my suspicions weren't wrong. The vet said that Ropey has a moderate Respiratory infection, but he called it Neumonia! Are those the same thing? The symptoms are labored breathing (the breaths are deep, and with almost every breath her beard puffs out a little. This varies with her mood: after handling, she breathes deeper, and when she is completely calm, she only does this every few breaths), and a slight popping noise (though I'm the only one who heard it, the vet considered it as well).

The vet also said that Ropey has some yellow fungus, but then corrected himself by saying that it probably isn't YELLOW fungus, but some other type (Phew!!!).

So he prescribed 3 ml of an antibiotic called Smztmf (I'm as clueless as you about what this is!) in case that this is a bacterial URI, and 1.5ml of Griseofulvin in case of a fungal URI, and also to apply lamasil to the area of the suspected fungus. All of these I should give once a day, for thirty days.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Any stories of successful (and unsuccessful) URI treatments would be great too.


-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

He diagnosed your dragon with Pneumonia? That is considered a respiratory issue, but pneumonia just means it has progressed a little further. They both have a lot of the same symptoms but respiratory issues/infections if left unseen or treated will usually progress into pneumonia.
Giving SMZ is fine, it should help with the pneumonia. It is a sulfa based compound. Did he culture the mouth to determine the fungus? Or was it an aspergillus bacteria found in the mouth? I ask because that bacteria is commonly found when pneumonia is present.
Did you mean .3ml of the SMZ?
What is the strength of the solution of the SMZ as well as the Griseofulvin. The 1.5ml seems high & so does the 3mls too.

What are your basking temperatures for her & which UVB light do you use?
Try to keep her humidity down to 20% or less & her tank around 80 overnight, too.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Thanks for replying!

Yes, I meant .3ml, and .15 for the griseofulvin. Sorry .

Hmm...I had only been noticing the symptoms of URI for three days when I brought Ropes to the vet...how could it have progressed to pneumonia so quickly?
No, he didn't culture anything, or take any samples. He simply said that this is pneumonia, and that he doesn't know whether it's bacterial or fungal. Hence the two different types of antibiotics. Maybe he just called it pneumonia, he is one of those older vets who have been in biz for 20+ Years and have their own name for things...(sorry to offend anyone).
The basking temps are 95-110f, and he cool side is around 82-85f. I'm just keeping a red bulb on at night right now, that's the same wattage as my basking bulb. Is that ok? I do want to buy a CHE, and I probably will today. The humidity is 35% right now. I can't seem to get it any lower, even without the water bowl in the tank. Her UVB is a TUBE reptisun 10.0, that is 4 months old or so, I'll be changing it in November.

Another thing, I've noticed that Ropey has been closing her eyes more lately, and sometimes when she does this, she kind of lightly shakes her head...I'll try to get it on video. She also seems kind of lethargic today...is his because of the meds? I did get her the only probiotic I could find in the petstore yesterday. It's called Essential Probiotics by Nature Zone. Is this ok? Would it be a good idea to mix this into the water that I give to her by syringe along with dusting it into crickets?

-Anita

 

[sue09]

You really would be better off without the red bulb as it keeps beardies awake and while he is so sick he really needs to sleep,I hope you can get him a CHE ,good luck with him and I hope he gets well very soon Sue.

 

[Pasakaina]

UPDATE:
It is the second day of treatment, and Ropey's breathing has gotten slightly better. She doesn't breath too heavily when left alone, but still breathes heavily after force feeding and after she's given medicine etc. I have, however, noticed that she's been closing one or both eyes for 30 seconds or so, randomly, and sometimes lightly shaking her head when both eyes are closed. There is no liquid, goo, or anything like that coming from her eyes...could this be a symptom is URI/pneumonia as well? Would it help if I rinse her eyes with saline solution? :?

Also, when I checked her today I noticed that she had a slightly black beard. She has never done this before :shock:. Could she be in pain ?! She also gets mad when I offer food...

-anita

 

[Pasakaina]

Now her eyes are swollen and she can't seem to keep them open. HELP!!!!!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

How swollen are her eyes today?
Which basking light are you using, is it a light that is coated with Neodymium?
The Reptisun 10 tube is fine as well as the temperatures, also. How close is the Reptisun 10 tube?
The probiotic should be fine, just give a small amount daily with oral fluids. She probably gets upset having to be fed, etc which is why she breathes heavier after being fed. When they get upset, they can huff & blow air out & work themselves up pretty well.
The head shaking, etc shouldn't be a symptom of pneumonia or a respiratory issue. I am wondering if she is having a reaction to one of the drugs.
For now, I would cease giving both medications & give the vet a call back to let him know of the eye swelling. I didn't read any side effects which would cause swelling of the eyes, but not all reptiles react in the same manner to drugs.
You can get some saline solution to rinse her eyes out if they look as if there is any discharge.
Do you have a picture of her?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Thanks for replying!

Ok, I won't give any medication until I get in touch with the vet. The vets office opens at 2:30pm though. Could I call earlier? Yes, I'll post a pic as soon as possible.

I'm not sure about what the lights are coated with. Why do you ask? I've been using these basking lights for a while now... I use either zoomed or exo terra infrared red night heat lamps, and I'm not sure about my day basking bulbs...but I've never had problems with them. I will buy the CHE today, in case anybody is wondering.

 

[Pasakaina]

Her eyes aren't as swollen as last night, but still a little swollen. I compared her eyes with old pictures to prove this. She is still doing that weird head shaking and eye closing, but I have only seen it happen once this morning. Now that I'm thinking about this, I think that she started closing her eyes a bit BEFORE I began the treatment. Could this be a symptom of URI/pneumonia? As you can see in this picture, there is no discharge or redness or swelling of the actual eyeball. :?



Her mouth looks kind of weird, yes. That is the reason the vet prescribed lamisil.

-anita

 

[Pasakaina]

Repeated post. Deleted.

 

[Pasakaina]

Repeated post.

 

[Pasakaina]

Hi.

I have a bad situation. Please help, and I beg you guys to reply to this post. It's pretty urgent.
Does anyone have a recipe/way to make a purée type thing to syringe feed Ropey?
I've been called out of town for 4 days and the person who is to take care of them probably can't force feed Ropey normal food, and will probably find it easier to use a syringe. This meeting that's out of town is at horrible timing, but I'll have to deal with if I want to keep my job . Anyway, I want to use the salad I have now (spring mix) and maybe some carrot etc and add a source of protein and the needed vitamins and probiotic dusts as well. Essentially Ropey's normal diet in purée form. Can I use some sort of baby food as the protein (I don't feel comfortable blending mealworms in a blender...eek!)? Or could I just use bearded dragon pellets?

In case you're wondering, I trust the person who is to look after my beardies and other animals. He's done it before. Many times, actually. He applied a fungal cream when my beardies got tail rot, and he did a great job, and looked after them when one of them was in a "not eating phase". No, he won't have to give meds, except for the lamasil. I will teach him how to anyway, just in case. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, and I will be giving meds and feeding them before leaving.

-Anita

 

[Pasakaina]

Hi.

I have a bad situation. Please help, and I beg you guys to reply to this post. It's pretty urgent.
Does anyone have a recipe/way to make a purée type thing to syringe feed Ropey?
I've been called out of town for 4 days and the person who is to take care of them probably can't force feed Ropey normal food, and will probably find it easier to use a syringe. This meeting that's out of town is at horrible timing, but I'll have to deal with if I want to keep my job . Anyway, I want to use the salad I have now (spring mix) and maybe some carrot etc and add a source of protein and the needed vitamins and probiotic dusts as well. Essentially Ropey's normal diet in purée form. Can I use some sort of baby food as the protein (I don't feel comfortable blending mealworms in a blender...eek!)? Or could I just use bearded dragon pellets?

In case you're wondering, I trust the person who is to look after my beardies and other animals. He's done it before. Many times, actually. He applied a fungal cream when my beardies got tail rot, and he did a great job, and looked after them when one of them was in a "not eating phase". No, he won't have to give meds, except for the lamasil. I will teach him how to anyway, just in case. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, and I will be giving meds and feeding them before leaving.

-Anita

 

[Drache613]

Hello Anita,

How is Ropey doing today?
You can get some chicken or turkey baby food & mix it with squash or sweet potato baby food to help him out. Just use either a plastic syringe or dropper to feed him with.
You can moisten the pellets also then blend them up with his food to make a nice slurry. That will be fine for him while you are gone.

How is his mouth & eyes looking?
Where are you putting the lamisil?

I am glad that you have someone to help out while you are gone that is great news!
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Pasakaina]

Hi. Thanks for replying so quickly! Sorry for all the repeated posts. My internet connection was acting crazy.

Anyway, I have some questions once again:

1) Will she be OK for 4-5 days without antibiotics?
2) How much of the baby food can be given to her per day? She weighs 440 grams (and is 39 cm (16in).

She is still closing her eyes more often than Id like, but they no longer seem to be swollen. Her eyes seem a little better .

The lamasil is going on her beard/mouth area. I'm being careful and trying not to get it into her mouth, but I do have to get it onto her lips. Her gums don't seem irritated though, and she doesn't try to lick the cream off, therefore she doesn't ingest it.

-Anita