URI Getting worse?? Better?? Paranoid owner syndrome??

[ibeebonesy]

So, the herp specialist we see is out of town until this weekend. Luna is halfway through her first round of antibiotic injections (Fortaz every three days) and I really can't tell if it's getting better or worse. I've never dealt with a beardie URI before, so I'm just frazzled. I can't tell if it's all the URI, if there's some spring fever mixed in or what and I'm debating if I should book her in for next weekend or wait for the follow up after the last of the Fortaz injections in two weeks.

She has not been coughing anymore or crackling severely, but she'll breath open-mouthed a lot more often yet no crackle or wheeze sound, just the occasional faint pop. Saw very thin, almost watery snot bubbles from one nostril today, but that was after having her face covered in water and baby food, so not sure it was actually snot. :/ Usually the heavy breathing is only after feeding since we're having to syringe feed baby food (not force feed or tube feed). Her appetite is completely gone as of this week for greens or bugs, but she'll lick up about 4cc's of baby food a day. I've mixed in a little reptaboost with each round. Weight has been fluctuating up and down within 5 or so grams, so no major weight loss yet. We just started probiotics and some electrolyte solution to help with the tummy and hydration. Got a massive poop yesterday with very rubbery urates which I'm not pleased about, but the poop itself looked much better than the last one about five days ago. She's less lethargic but not back to being active yet (****ty weather probably not helping since no outside time). Color is good, will definitely throw a hissy fit and put up a fight if I anger her, but still kind of bleh overall. Last week over the phone vet said no to F10 nebulization until she looked into it further (she was not keen on the nebulizing of a disinfectant chemical...but I guess from what I'm reading it's not really common practice right now in the states?), just to keep up with baby food and daily baths. Could the baths actually be making things worse?

See what I mean about paranoid owner syndrome? I'm at the point of questioning everything. ? I *know* my vet knows her stuff, she trained with our head reptile vet at the teaching hospital and with our head zoo vet....but I'm still tweaking out.

Beardie Info:
Luna - 4ish yo female normal type rescue
40G breeder with reptile carpet
Reptisun 10 tube UVB across the top, basking rock on one side, hammock on the other for her to get as close to UVB as she wants (6" or so at the high point, 12"ish when she's laying on the bottom).
Hot side temps - ambient 95F, basking ~106-110F
Middle temps - ambient 85F
Cool temps - ambient 75-80F (tends to stay closer to 75F)
Night temps - currently keeping them closer to 77-80F overnight.
All temps measured with a Vernier digital stainless probe thermometer, a couple of cheapy thermometers stay in the tank for quick glances.
Humidity ~40-50% fluctuating. We've had about six inches of rain the last couple of days, it's as low as I can get it.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....it's normal to be nervous about a sick pet, we all are. It sounds like things are going as well as can be expected....the little moisture around her nose would have been from feeding baby food/water as you suspect. Does she eat it willingly ?

A 5 gram weight difference is not a factor at all, even 10-20 grams can be lost after a large poo, don't weigh her daily but weekly or every 10 day. Cut out the baths, she can aspirate water if she gets active in there and it is no benefit for her to get wet every day. Some vets still advise daily baths, they are totally not necessary. The baby food + water given orally will provide all the hydration she needs. Baths don't hydrate unless the dragon drinks from it. I don't have any view on nebulization.....hopefully the meds. will help her out. It doesn't sound like she's doing badly right now though.

 

[ibeebonesy]

Hi there....it's normal to be nervous about a sick pet, we all are. It sounds like things are going as well as can be expected....the little moisture around her nose would have been from feeding baby food/water as you suspect. Does she eat it willingly ?

A 5 gram weight difference is not a factor at all, even 10-20 grams can be lost after a large poo, don't weigh her daily but weekly or every 10 day. Cut out the baths, she can aspirate water if she gets active in there and it is no benefit for her to get wet every day. Some vets still advise daily baths, they are totally not necessary. The baby food + water given orally will provide all the hydration she needs. Baths don't hydrate unless the dragon drinks from it. I don't have any view on nebulization.....hopefully the meds. will help her out. It doesn't sound like she's doing badly right now though.

She'll lick the baby food up out of reflex, I think, but doesn't seem to be interested in food at all right now. From past experience with Fortaz in snakes and iguanas that seems to be a side effect. :/ She gets weighed once a week, and it seems pretty consistent around 500g still.

I think daily baths are supposed to be for water absorption through her vent, but I'm unsure how that works with beardies. There's conflicting info on it every where I ask or look for info. ? I'll cut them back and see how her hydration stays.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The antibiotics usually tend to decrease appetite some. If she is at least licking food from the syringe then that should help maintain her weight & keep her hydrated.
While she is fighting a respiratory infection, I would reduce the baths. I think they do help with hydration but oral fluids help more quickly.
She looks good overall though, her eyes are bright & she doesn't have a black beard.
That's good you are keeping her a little warmer overnight to help out her immune system.
I personally prefer using sterile saline solution or a colloidal silver solution when using a nebulizer. If this persists, nebulization is extremely beneficial.

Tracie

 

[ibeebonesy]

Hello,

The antibiotics usually tend to decrease appetite some. If she is at least licking food from the syringe then that should help maintain her weight & keep her hydrated.
While she is fighting a respiratory infection, I would reduce the baths. I think they do help with hydration but oral fluids help more quickly.
She looks good overall though, her eyes are bright & she doesn't have a black beard.
That's good you are keeping her a little warmer overnight to help out her immune system.
I personally prefer using sterile saline solution or a colloidal silver solution when using a nebulizer. If this persists, nebulization is extremely beneficial.

Tracie

Thank you for the reassurance! I think we're finally making some progress, she actually looked at food today and managed to eat a couple of phoenix worms. Still no veggies, but she's starting to run around more. Means more coughing, but at least the mucous seems to be thinning enough that she *can* cough instead of just wheezing. :/ I might go ahead and give her a few sterile saline nebulization sessions, I've done the colloidal silver nebulizers before at work but am currently out of colloidal silver. Of course. LOL

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hello,

The antibiotics usually tend to decrease appetite some. If she is at least licking food from the syringe then that should help maintain her weight & keep her hydrated.
While she is fighting a respiratory infection, I would reduce the baths. I think they do help with hydration but oral fluids help more quickly.
She looks good overall though, her eyes are bright & she doesn't have a black beard.
That's good you are keeping her a little warmer overnight to help out her immune system.
I personally prefer using sterile saline solution or a colloidal silver solution when using a nebulizer. If this persists, nebulization is extremely beneficial.

Tracie

Thank you for the reassurance! I think we're finally making some progress, she actually looked at food today and managed to eat a couple of phoenix worms. Still no veggies, but she's starting to run around more. Means more coughing, but at least the mucous seems to be thinning enough that she *can* cough instead of just wheezing. :/ I might go ahead and give her a few sterile saline nebulization sessions, I've done the colloidal silver nebulizers before at work but am currently out of colloidal silver. Of course. LOL

Can you source some F10sc , this appears very effective in clearing up RIs in reptile when used in diluted form in a nebulization treatment....
also worth having as you can use it in a 1:200 dilution to sterilize her tank even when she's in there and help prevent her from reinfecting herself if she is coughing (and spreading the viruses all over the place including on her food (and water if she has it)).

 

[ibeebonesy]

Can you source some F10sc , this appears very effective in clearing up RIs in reptile when used in diluted form in a nebulization treatment....
also worth having as you can use it in a 1:200 dilution to sterilize her tank even when she's in there and help prevent her from reinfecting herself if she is coughing (and spreading the viruses all over the place including on her food (and water if she has it)).

I use the F10sc already for disinfection, my vet is just not on board with using it for nebulization yet. Her concern is damage to the lung tissues; even though it seems to be an up and coming method for treating RIs it's just not common here yet, so I'm holding off for now. It's on our research list, so we're keeping it as an option though. ?