Water Aspiration

[hayley0501]

My bearded dragon seems to aspirate water virtually every time she drinks it, and I'm not sure what to do. I know some people choose not to give water directly to their dragons at all, instead opting to allow them to get their hydration from insects and plants. But my dragon Maisie seems to really love water; she'll rush to the bathroom sink if she hears I have the faucet on and will drink for long periods of time if I've put water in her bowl. However, this almost always ends up with her choking. She'll puff her beard and her breathing will be incredibly labored, often with a gaping mouth. Tonight is the third time I've had to teapot her within the month. I'm really worried that if this keeps happening, she'll develop a respiratory infection. For a while, I stopped giving her water directly altogether but was told by my vet that she *needs* daily water. I'm not really sure what to do. I've tried shallow bowls of water and I've tried dripping it on her nose. The end result always seems to be choking. Does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Are you using a plastic dropper to get water into her & just dripping it onto the end of her
nose? A lot of them tend to take in more water & aspirate it sometimes. So if you are using
a dropper, go very slowly by dripping it onto the end of the snout to let her lick the water off
of her snout at her own pace.
Is she coughing or wheezing to indicate she might be having a respiratory issue already?

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[hayley0501]

Hello,

Are you using a plastic dropper to get water into her & just dripping it onto the end of her
nose? A lot of them tend to take in more water & aspirate it sometimes. So if you are using
a dropper, go very slowly by dripping it onto the end of the snout to let her lick the water off
of her snout at her own pace.
Is she coughing or wheezing to indicate she might be having a respiratory issue already?

Tracie

Hi!
When I give her water on her nose, I'll actually fill a tupperware with water and then spend the next several minutes dipping my finger in the water and bringing it over her nose before the water drips off. It's a SUPER inconvenient method, but I find that it's the one that causes her to choke the least frequently.

She isn't coughing or wheezing right now. Last night as I was making the initial post, she had aspirated water and was black bearding, puffing, and breathing very hard. But after tipping her for a while, I think we got the water out. She seemed a lot calmer. The other day I could've sworn I heard her making strange breathing noises (she'd swallow very hard followed by a popping noise; it happened maybe seven times), so I took her to the vet, who then told me that her lungs sounded clear and her oxygen levels were fine. So I guess that means we're out of the woods... I don't know. My last beardie who'd been surrendered to me died of a horrific URI, so I think I'm just extra paranoid about Maisie's breathing.

**editing just a bit because I've been watching her since she woke up. She's been puffing her beard and body a lot more than usual, but it hasn't gone black. Not sure if she's uncomfortable or not.

 

[NYBeardie]

For what it's worth, I don't bathe my guy very often (once every few weeks) and rarely offer water. When he came out of brumation, I did the finger-dipping method too, one drop at a time, and he didn't show any signs of choking that way. He'd lick each drop with his tongue. But since he's now eating his bugs and veggies (mostly kale rinsed with water and very gently shaken), he gets all his hydration food and remains very well hydrated.

My very unofficial opinion is to either try to alter the way she drinks so she doesn't aspirate or stop offering her water that way. It sounds like it's only a matter of time before she gets an infection.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

For now, maybe keep her a little warmer overnight, around 75-80, just in the case she is
developing any respiratory issues.
Will she drink from a bowl on her own, if you swirl the water around to make it move any?
It is helpful to mist or spray their greens, for extra fluids, if she eats them fairly regularly.
It is a hard call trying to decide whether or not to get fluids into her that way or not, since
she seems to be getting it down the wrong way & almost choking on it.
Some just tend to have more trouble with that than others for some reason. Let us know
how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[hayley0501]

Hello,

For now, maybe keep her a little warmer overnight, around 75-80, just in the case she is
developing any respiratory issues.
Will she drink from a bowl on her own, if you swirl the water around to make it move any?
It is helpful to mist or spray their greens, for extra fluids, if she eats them fairly regularly.
It is a hard call trying to decide whether or not to get fluids into her that way or not, since
she seems to be getting it down the wrong way & almost choking on it.
Some just tend to have more trouble with that than others for some reason. Let us know
how she is doing.

Tracie

Hello again!

I haven't given her water directly since the last time I posted, but I started misting her vegetables to try and hydrate her. However, I noticed her making strange breathing noises again. Soft popping noises and heavy breaths. I JUST took her to the vet for this exact issue a week ago and was charged a lot of money just to be told that she was fine and nothing was wrong. But I can *hear* that something isn't right. She's swallowing a bunch and making those weird noises, she's constantly trying to lay in upright propped positions, and she's way more sluggish than usual. I'm so certain that something isn't right with her, but I can't afford to keep bringing her to the vet for them to look her over for thirty seconds and then send her home. Is there anything I could buy online and give her in the event that she does have a URI?