URI or just strange behavior?

[dirkdiggler]

Some background info: Dirk is a two year old translucent blood. He weighs a pound and is about 18 inches snout to tail if I had to guess. His set up is a 40 gallon breeder tank, tiled bottom and decorative driftwood, a good sized hammock, and food dish. One hot spot above his log that gets around 90-95, UVB bulb, no lid over the tank. His set up is against the window and I have him sitting upstairs. I also live in Florida so it gets pretty humid, but downstairs gets too chilled and zero sunlight so I keep him upstairs in a ventilated room with a dehumidifier. I'm not sure the level of humidity!

He's been coughing off and on for the last 6 months or so. He's been one of the most sickly lizards I've ever had which I attributed to potentially bad genetics. I lived in a home that got infested with black flies and he just have munched on some because he randomly started having blood in his stool and watery stool. I had him treated for coccidia and pinworms, and the antibiotics made him sick and sluggish. I kept his tank immaculate, made sure to keep him hydrated and keep his vitamins up and feed him lots of healthy foods. He got sick again months later and I treated him once again.

So to the coughing... I took him to the vets for this, they listened to his lungs and didn't hear anything to be concerned for. She said his coughing is probably just an aggression behavior (???)... They prescribed him antibiotics anyway and recommended that I give them to him even though he isn't obviously sick with URI. He hasn't stopped eating other than being picky as he usually is, basks when I take him outside, and drinks as much water as I give him. No lost weight and normal stools! The only concerning behavior is his occasional coughing, which he'll do sporadically a couple times a month and then not at all. He's been incredibly hormonal and head bobbing any chance he gets while black bearding. He turns a bright yellow and his beard looks perfectly normal when asleep. Sometimes I can feel his breathing hitch slightly, but there are no bubbles in his mouth even when he's coughing. Other than that, he is so needy and cuddly, however he has been like this since babyhood. The issue is, I'm so hesitant to give him antibiotics again since he's received so many in his short life. I'm worried about increasing his risk for more parasite infection. What do you guys think?

I apologize for the long post and I appreciate any insight!!

 

[CooperDragon]

It's odd that the vet prescribed antibiotics after ruling out an infection. Those can be harsh on their system and should be used sparingly. If you don't see increased mucous around his mouth and nose and he is just doing it once in a while I don't think there is a big problem (if one at all). They will sometimes burp around meal time which looks like a cough. Sometimes they puff up and exhale more than usual when they are trying to loosen a shed.

As far as his habitat goes, which kind of UVB light are you using? How far is it above his basking area?
The basking surface is a bit cool. I would try to raise that to 100-105 or so and leave some areas around that in the 90s and see if he likes the warmer temps or avoids them. You still want the cool area of the tank to be 75-85 during the day. It's great that you can bring him outside to bask. The natural sunlight is fantastic for them and good to provide whenever you can.

 

[dirkdiggler]

Hey! I also thought it was odd that that she advised giving him antibiotics given his history and how harsh they are. I called her back about it after that appointment and she stated that if he is actually coughing, then I should go ahead and give it to him just to be safe ? they're definitely coughs, I'm gonna link a YouTube video. Those are pretty mild compared to his heavier attacks, where he'll actually puff up and turn his head up towards his body and cough multiple times in a row so loudly that I can hear it from any part of my house! I know the puff up behavior and "eye popping", as well as stretching to help shed, and it's nothing like those. He's the only beardie I've ever seen do it and this cough looks like an URI type of cough from videos I've seen.

UVB is reptisun 10.0 and it is about 16 inches from the floor of his tank, 7 inches from his basking log. I have to keep his hot spot low otherwise he refuses to bask in it/won't go near it ? Here is a video of some mild coughs (in the midst of head bobbing lol) https://youtu.be/MawbdrNAzhU

 

[CooperDragon]

I see now. That's the same thing my Dundee did. We tried antibiotics and antifungals. Had several tests done including a CT and a lung lavage. The lung lavage finally ruled out a lung infection. Unfortunately the treatments were very harsh on his system and he didn't make it (he was an abused rescue with other issues as well). I never did get to the bottom of it but it didn't seem to be problematic on it's own. My best guess is that it was related to his mouth lesions (he had mouth rot which we treated) or some kind of irritation or swelling along his GI tract that he was reacting to. Do you see any swelling or irritated looking areas along his gums, tongue or in his mouth?