Please urgerntly help, EMERGENCY

[Kristy_07]

Aww J, so sorry to hear you went through this so soon after your other loss! But, he sounds like there's some improvement - even a blind beardie is better than the alternative

There seems to have been quite a lot of threads regarding beardies and seizures, and (I thought, from memory) that it was often either calcium or impaction. Could it possibly be impaction if it's not a calcium issue?

Good luck and keep us posted! Thinking of you...

 

[LadyJ]

Just calleed the vet, Rem was given a shot of Dnrofloxin and vitamins A, E and D. She said 'of course it couldn't have been those... wouldv'e been whatever else was wrong with him'. Of course, I'm not blaming that, but it was strangely defensive.

He's now black-bearding and still running around, however, the eye sight worries me... what can I do for a lizard with eye problems...


Edit: Thanks a bunch Kristy, and yeah, I've been looking around and it linked to impaction or calcium issues, of course, I'll never disregard the suggestions but he has since passed twice (once in the morning and once when a thermometer was shoved up his vent... is this what they really do with reptiles? Seems a little destructive...) and that included urates. All food's offered in tiny cubes/shreds or grated if overly solid, but until I know what it is it could be anything. As a safe-gaurd I"m purchasing a new lot of calcium and a new UVB light. I'll give him baths if he's up to it and feed him baby food.

 

[Kristy_07]

You'll just have a special, probably favourite, lizard that needs to be hand-fed. He will still be able to move around to his hot and cool spots - maybe just less furniture in the cage for him to bump into. OR, his eye sight might return to normal and not be a problem!! But, realistically, I hand feed my 6-yo beardie girl every day, anyway! I think you'd do just fine if it turns out to be a permanent problem.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things, anyway. Was it you saying recently that older UV tubes don't give off as much UV?? Maybe just need to change the tube... (mine's pretty old... maybe I should, too :shock.

 

[1issie]

Ohhhhhhhh,poor bub maybe over night his sight will return.

 

[pythrulz]

Best of luck Lady J hope your beardie improves shortly

 

[hypochondroac]

Was it you saying recently that older UV tubes don't give off as much UV?? Maybe just need to change the tube... (mine's pretty old... maybe I should, too :shock.

They should be changed every six months depending on what sort you're using and how much natural sun your animals are getting.

 

[giggle]

:O this sounds horrible. Best wishes and it sounds like you are a very responsible beardie owner. Not everyone has a reptile expert in their area... which makes it hard. And after hours vets can be ridiculously expensive not to mention not as well experienced. I once took a fading pup to an after hours vet and the stupid woman left it unattended on a cold metal bench!! Not wrapped, just right on the cold bench. Came back to tell me there was no hope and best thing I can do is make it comfortable cause theres nothing to be done.

Well three years later that pup is a healthy adult dog. I hand reared her. I only go now when I know the animal needs something I cant give, i.e. certain injections.

Im eager to hear what happens... and love to know if you narrow it down. Im paranoid about my lights and calcium levels It seems no matter what we do in the end its all up to chance.

 

[LadyJ]

:O this sounds horrible. Best wishes and it sounds like you are a very responsible beardie owner. Not everyone has a reptile expert in their area... which makes it hard. And after hours vets can be ridiculously expensive not to mention not as well experienced. I once took a fading pup to an after hours vet and the stupid woman left it unattended on a cold metal bench!! Not wrapped, just right on the cold bench. Came back to tell me there was no hope and best thing I can do is make it comfortable cause theres nothing to be done.

Well three years later that pup is a healthy adult dog. I hand reared her. I only go now when I know the animal needs something I cant give, i.e. certain injections.

Im eager to hear what happens... and love to know if you narrow it down. Im paranoid about my lights and calcium levels It seems no matter what we do in the end its all up to chance.

Thank you so much... yeah, I worry about the vets sometimes. Like whether or not the body temperature should have been taken via an already stressed and sick dragon's tiny vent. Glad you didn't give up and you never can be sure (really glad I didn't merely make Rem comfy and wait for him to go...).

Just an update though, he's sleeping at the moment in his terracotta pipe so I can't keep a great eye on him, but prior to this he did seek out the darkness in a corner (I placed him in a blanket in the pipe and he settled nicely), but the eyes are still a worry. He seems to know... he can still leap onto my shoulder and he seemed to be staring at his enclosure when I had him out (something he does that tells me it's time to go home...), but he bumps into things and still has both eye failing to react to any light or other stimulus.

Regardless, another vet visit is on it's way Tuesday as fore mentioned and he's been keeping his fluids up. I'm not looking forward to waking in the morning... but I can't see him leaving in the night with the apperent miracle of a 'recovery' he's made just now.

 

[Lollypop]

Hi - u haven't actually said what heat & uv light you're using, or the distance from these + what size cage. If u can let us know that it may help.
The darker the beard & especially the length of blackness on the tail indicates the severity I've found, so u certainly have one very ill little fellow there for sure (as I know you're aware!).
Don't worry about whether he's going to be blind, it's a matter at this stage of whether he's going to survive. Nothing the vet did should have caused any neurological problems, as said the fit & reason for it is what u need to find out. Hopefully u can see a proper reptile vet Tuesday?? & check out the respiratory side as mentioned, plus get blood calcium levels done etc.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[LadyJ]

Hi - u haven't actually said what heat & uv light you're using, or the distance from these + what size cage. If u can let us know that it may help.
The darker the beard & especially the length of blackness on the tail indicates the severity I've found, so u certainly have one very ill little fellow there for sure (as I know you're aware!).
Don't worry about whether he's going to be blind, it's a matter at this stage of whether he's going to survive. Nothing the vet did should have caused any neurological problems, as said the fit & reason for it is what u need to find out. Hopefully u can see a proper reptile vet Tuesday?? & check out the respiratory side as mentioned, plus get blood calcium levels done etc.
GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for the question, I'm currently using a 2-3 month old ESU Reptile UVB light Zilla ESU Reptile Slimline Reptile Fixture with Desert 7% UVB Lamp Reviews | Buzzillions.com that is 11 inches from the flooring of the enclosure and about 5-6 inches from his platform he spends most of his time at.

Not sure if I have the money to see a reptile vet being a student trying to pay for my course... but if it comes down to it I will scrape some cash together and try to figure something out.

The respirartory issues will be looked into as the lack of calcium and impaction seem slight... however, not quite sure.

 

[jcros32]

Good luck, Hope all goes well for your little guy.

 

[GeneticProject]

Hey mate I had this happen to one of my young beardies and it generally down to a lack of calcium. This happened 7
months ago when he was only a hatchling and I treate him and he's now my strongest breeder and has had Bonaire effects from the illness. So don't ever give up on him cause there's hope. To treat him I purchased an 100 watt oz bright mercury vapour bulb used for sick beardies cause it has high outputs of UVA an UVB. I also purchased a syringe from the chemist and purchased some fleixble small hose from a petshops used for bubble makers in aquariums and also purchased citracal+D calcium citrate from a chemist that is used for treating metabolic bone disease in humans. I cut the hose to be about an inch long and attached it to the end of the syringe. I then diaolves the calcium citrate in water and sucked it into the syringe and them placed It into the mouth of the beardie with a little bit of encouragement and made his drink it. But if u do this make sure your beardie is chewing the hose while u squirt it out otherwise it will go into there lungs and drown them. I did this everday for 2 weeks and realli boosted his calcium levels. I have done this with a few beardies especially females after laying heaps of eggs. If u would like me to explain it over the phone to you pm me and I'll send you my number and we can discuss it further.

Cheers barf

 

[chickensnake]

Hey mate I had this happen to one of my young beardies and it generally down to a lack of calcium. This happened 7
months ago when he was only a hatchling and I treate him and he's now my strongest breeder and has had Bonaire effects from the illness. So don't ever give up on him cause there's hope. To treat him I purchased an 100 watt oz bright mercury vapour bulb used for sick beardies cause it has high outputs of UVA an UVB. I also purchased a syringe from the chemist and purchased some fleixble small hose from a petshops used for bubble makers in aquariums and also purchased citracal+D calcium citrate from a chemist that is used for treating metabolic bone disease in humans. I cut the hose to be about an inch long and attached it to the end of the syringe. I then diaolves the calcium citrate in water and sucked it into the syringe and them placed It into the mouth of the beardie with a little bit of encouragement and made his drink it. But if u do this make sure your beardie is chewing the hose while u squirt it out otherwise it will go into there lungs and drown them. I did this everday for 2 weeks and realli boosted his calcium levels. I have done this with a few beardies especially females after laying heaps of eggs. If u would like me to explain it over the phone to you pm me and I'll send you my number and we can discuss it further.

Cheers barf

Good to know he is going well and hope 4 u that he makes a full recovery


whats is the bonarie effect?

 

[GeneticProject]

Was supposed to be no side effects. My iPhone mocks me with spelling sometimes.

 

[Lollypop]

I've had my beardies to my normal vet thinking I could save money lol, but in the end it actually costs u more 'cause u need to see the reptile vet anyway!
Don't ever rule out worms either, so make sure a poo sample given.
So hope your little one pulls thru:|

 

[Sel]

Beardies bounce back pretty well,its quite amazing... dont write off his sight just yet ..hes had a huge shock and will need some lovin

 

[LadyJ]

Remmington made it through the night... god, I couldn't be happier! I was up until 4am reading up and stressing... I didn't want to sleep just in case I'd wake to find he'd passed.

Whilst him being alive (and of course, free of pain...) is the biggest importance something's still not right. His eyes are not reacting to light, nor to my finger being waved in front of them (as before, he doesn't seem as though he'll close his eyes unless I touch them...), well, they ARE but with an extreme delay.

However, after offering him some 'home made baby-food' (boiled carrot, sugar-free stewed apples and mustard greens blended into a tasty looking orange and green-flecked paste... laced with calcium powder of course [this was what I had handy and all his favoured treats...]) to no avail I decided to experiment and drop a mealworm beetle in there (no mealworms at this time)... he saw it, he chased it, he ate it!

So... at least he CAN see and eat selectivly. With my crickets being exhausted I was busting my brain on what else to feed him (mealworm beetles aren't good at the best of times)... so after going nuts looking in my animal supplies I found some natural dog food! My shingleback loves this as a rare treat so I opened it up and hey... straight away... plowing into it (he would sometimes have some when the shingleback was being fed).

He has eaten, he took some water last night and I'm going to bathe him in a moment - thanks everyone and we'll see how this goes.

 

[shellfisch]

Hope he continues to get better for you LadyJ

 

[1issie]

Thats exellent,do have any photos of him?????

 

[LadyJ]

After some thought - could the issue be neurotoxicity? Not too long ago some well cleaned rocks were placed in his enclosure... these were taken from a train station (boyfriend's old man works for a popular steam engine tourist railway and we had access to some great looking fossilised rocks which are discarded from the large mounds of coal as these can't be burnt). They were treated by soaking in bleach and water soloution, rinses well and left to air for a few days.

Could he have had a possible reaction to this? These rocks have been placed in all my enclosures and will be removed until I know for certain... the beardy is younger than the other two reptiles I currently keep.