Worried

[loulou19]

Hi all,

I'm very concerned about my 5 year old beardie, Izzy. For a little while he has been gaping very often, not just when basking, and his right nostril appeared to be blocked. I first thought he had skin stuck in his nostril and he was gaping due to it being blocked. However over the last few weeks he has started kind of puffing out air, like a really forced breath. He's also sometimes been making a noise with this that I can only describe as being like a cough.

I did some research and matched the symptoms to a respiratory infection, especially when bubbles started to appear at his other (slightly blocked) nostril on Monday. I rushed him to the vet and she thought the same, a respiratory infection, and put him on baytril for 2 weeks. She also recommended I take him to see the reptile specialist vet there and so I managed to get an appointment today. This vet checked him out and said he seemed fine, no signs of a respiratory infection but to carry on the baytril and see if he improves.

Also he was acting his usual self before getting his medicine; eating, basking, etc. But now his beard has turned extremely black, darker than I've ever seen him and he is mostly lying in the cool end of his tank looking miserable and wont eat anything he's been like this since Monday.

The vet recommended I give him Reptoboost to drink as he's not eating, is there anyway to get him to eat something? I don't want his weight to start dropping too.

I'm extremely worried about him as he seems so off. I do recall when he was small and was treated for a parasite with baytril that he stopped eating but he seems worse this time somehow.

Any thoughts on what this could be? I hate not knowing, he's my first dragon had him 5 years and I fuss so much over him!


A quick rundown of his set up:

• - 120 gallon viv (I believe this is correct, it's 4' x 2' x 2')
  - Arcadia T8 12% UV 42" & reflector (he can get within about 10 inches of it)
  - 38°C (100°F) basking spot
  - 26°C (78°F) cool end
  - 29°C (84°F) warm end
  - 20°C (68°F) night temp
  - 12 hours of UV & heat a day
  - Reptile carpet
  - Crickets (usually eats only 4 or 5) and collard greens daily plus a mix of other greens/fruit/veg from the beautiful dragons list
  - Calcium powder +D3 5 days a week and vitamin powder 2 days

I think that's everything... I'm so stressed with all this right now as I don't know what's wrong with Izzy, one of my newer beardies, Xena, is currently being treated for coccidia and I'm in the middle of my university exams!

Any advice is much appreciated!

Louise

 

[AllanonsWrath]

Has he been having regular bowel movements.

 

[Spikey07]

If he is not eating the best thing you can do is blend together some collard greens, crickets, reptoboost, and a small pinch of calcium and feed him with a plastic needleless syringe. Put him back on his basking spot to make sure he can digest it afterwards.

The baytrill can be hard on there system. You should give him his meds in the morning. Then wait a couple of shours before syringe feeding him. Then you should give him a probiotic in the evening acidophiliz+ is a good oneyou can get it here http://www.butterworms.co.uk/supplements/30-pet-authority-acidophiliz.html. Otherwise you can use SOY bio yoghurt (make sure its soy and not dairy).

I hope he improves for you.

 

[loulou19]

Yes he has, actually I forgot to mention but he has had a little bit of diarrhea the past couple of days, seems to have cleared up today however.

Thankyou Spikey07, I'll give that a try.

 

[loulou19]

Ok so I've tried syringe feeding him but he just isn't interested. I really don't want to force him to drink it but he won't lick it from the syringe. I dripped it onto his mouth and he just stared at me and refused to lick it off.

If I do try and open his mouth to feed him he just scratches me and tries to escape! The vet always seems to be able to get him to open his mouth but I'm not having any luck.

And here's a photo of his nostril, cause it's really bothering me. Does it look like skin or is it something else causing it to be blocked?

(His bottom jaw is slightly longer than the top, I have no idea why he's just always been like this)

Also here's a photo of him today, compared to one taken just before christmas. He's so much darker, didn't even lighten up when I bathed him like he usually does.

 

[Spikey07]

Yes he does look very dark. He is deffinitely not happy about something. Does he stay that colour all the time?

If you look at this thread on page 4 (i think) there is some pictures showing how to open their mouth and feed them. http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=162863&start=45

Make sure you keep him hydrated with the baytril.

 

[loulou19]

Yeah he's been that colour all week, not seen him lighten up at all.
Ah ok I'll give another go with the food then, got him some soy yoghurt today aswell, how much of that should I give him?

Thankyou very much for your help by the way.

EDIT: found another thread that recommended 0.5ml of yoghurt.

 

[Spikey07]

you can mix a little in with what you are syringe feeding him. I would say no more than 1ml.

I really hope he starts to improve for you soon. Kepp us updated on him.

 

[loulou19]

Well today there has been a slight improvement, this morning Izzy's beard was grey rather than jet black, lightest he's been all week! Although throughout the day he's changed from grey to black a few times. Hopefully this means the probiotic is having a bit of an affect and making him feel better

Also managed to get a small amount of food in him, at the cost of him chewing up the end of nearly all my syringes! I've not noticed him 'coughing' over the past few days either so these are all good signs! Just trying to keep positive now and hope this means he's on the mend.

Xena (who has suspected coccidiosis) also seems to be showing signs of improvement