Very distraught and need 2nd opinion please.

[MizzOrdo]

My beardie Maia was 1.5 years old and passed away yesterday. She was diagnosed by a vet with RI. He wasn't a reptile vet but more of a general one (cats, dogs, etc). He had to consult outside his office on what he needed to do. She was prescribed Baytril. Reading through the forums and other online sites, the highest dosage I've seen was .10mls once a day for 5-10 days. My beardie was given .17mls for 20 days! I also read that Baytril can be toxic and deadly for the beardie. From the first dose, we seen her health plummet drastically. If given too long or too much. As days passed, she got worse. So much that she no longer ate, drank or even moved. She was just very limp. Yesterday, her last day, her bread turned black and stayed that way. Her chest began to turn black as well. When I went back to check on her 30 min later, she was gone. We were all devastated especially my daughter as that was her first pet. My question is, has anyone else heard of such a high dosage used to treat beardies? Has anyone had success on same dosage? Any help is appreciated. My heart is heavy cause I feel it was my fault for bringing her to a vet that didn't have much knowledge. It was too late when I realized it... Thank you.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm sorry to hear about Maia =(. I know how difficult it is to lose a dragon friend. Do you know how much she weighed? Medication is usually administered based on weight and severity/persistence of the infection. .17ml is a high dose but not unheard of. I've given mine .2ml daily for 14-21 days in the past when they were sick. Did the vet take a culture to determine what type of bacterial infection she was fighting? It's possible that the strain of her infection wasn't susceptible to Baytril. It's also possible that there was a secondary issue or the RI was misdiagnosed. It's very tough to not only tell what's wrong with them sometimes, but also to treat them effectively. Don't blame yourself. You did the best you could to care for her and it sounds like the vet did what he could with limited experience/information.

 

[MizzOrdo]

Hi CooperDragon, thank you for the kind reply. Maia weighed about 1.3lbs. Not sure how much that is in grams though. I was pretty surprised that the vet did not taking any swabs or do any blood work. He based his decision solely off of the symptoms she was having and the x-ray. He did show us the x-ray they took and she had some slightly cloudy lungs. She had been having symptoms for 2 weeks before I brought her in. This was her first round of antibiotics. Even while Maia was ill, she was still pretty alert and strong. But she did put up a good fight during the 14 days I gave her the Baytril. She seemed to suffer so much during that time. We are devestated. =(

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am so sorry for your loss of your girl so suddenly. I know how devastating it is.
The dose does depend on the kg of the dragon as well as the strength of the solution, also. Was it a 5% or a 10% solution or do you know?
It's very hard to determine exactly what the cause could have been, drug overdoses can cause sudden death from toxicity. I hope that isn't the case, but don't blame yourself for trying to help though, you will be guilt ridden trying to figure out what went wrong. It could have been pneumonia instead of just a respiratory infection which is more serious.
You could get a necropsy done to try & find answers.
My sincere condolences to you.

Tracie

 

[MizzOrdo]

Hi Tracie and thank you for your kind words and reply. Maia was 1.3lbs which I think is around 590 grams. The vet did mention the Baytril was a higher concentration so I'm assuming it was the 10%? I just have that feeling that the antibiotics caused toxicity in her. Just after the first dose, she changed dramatically for the worse. She was on day 14 when she passed. I know you mentioned it could have been pneumonia. Can I please ask what the difference is between that and RI and how she could've gotten it? Thank you kindly for your help.

Donna

Hello,

I am so sorry for your loss of your girl so suddenly. I know how devastating it is.
The dose does depend on the kg of the dragon as well as the strength of the solution, also. Was it a 5% or a 10% solution or do you know?
It's very hard to determine exactly what the cause could have been, drug overdoses can cause sudden death from toxicity. I hope that isn't the case, but don't blame yourself for trying to help though, you will be guilt ridden trying to figure out what went wrong. It could have been pneumonia instead of just a respiratory infection which is more serious.
You could get a necropsy done to try & find answers.
My sincere condolences to you.

Tracie