Urgent Help!!!!!!!

[Isis]

Sorry Garthandfay if my concern for an animals welfare offends you. I never said that ST wasnt experienced but there are times when experience has to be pushed aside for an experts qualified opinion. And yes I do realise that not all vets are experienced or qualified to treat or diagnose reptiles but I would thing that Dr Sheeling is more than amply qualified to make the statements he did. I know whos opinion I would be listening to.

 

[MrBredli]

Sorry Garthandfay if my concern for an animals welfare offends you. I never said that ST wasnt experienced...

No you didn't, but you did accuse him of questioning a vet's opinion...? We're still waiting for you to point out where he did this? :?

 

[jordo]

Maybe some of the vets and other keepers in the know could create some articles on MBD, calcium defficiency (sp?), impaction etc. to put in wiki, I've been seeing a lot of these types of threads lately and with detailed notes on these problems we wouldn't have a shat fight everytime one of these "whats wrong with my lizard" threads is started.
jmo

 

[salebrosus]

Serpant tongue, your questioning a vets opinion........where did you get your degree in vet science from?????? Grow up people and start to listen to the real experts that are trying to help. The neglect and cruelty shown in some peoples attitudes here is really frightening.
To the vets that are trying to help good luck breaking through the ignorance shown by a lot of people on this forum.

Ease up mate. I've had non specific reptile vets look at my animals...one said he was riduclously overweight, he was 10ft and 5 kilos. Terri Bellamy checked him out said there was nothing wrong with him and he was perfectly healthy. I had one animal that managed to dig it's way out of an enclosure that later got a small nip from my staffy who wanted to play with it. He didn't hurt her just scratched her tail. I couldn't get in to see Terri Bellamy for two weeks. Saw another vet who treated her for mites as her scales were slightly raised. It didn't get any better in a week and the vet told me to treat her every day till the scales went back down. I refused to treat her, i didn't trust this opinion and after the two weeks got into see Terri. Terri took a swab of the tail- turned out my Land Mullet had gotten a staph infection from the scratch off the dog. she lost half her tail. Simple fact is unless it is a fully qualified HERP vet i would much rather message serpenttongue or TB or anyone else on this site who has had the experience and also get a second opinion. If i'd left my Land Mullet to the first vet i would have lost the placid and very 'infamous" Marcia all because of somone's degree.

Simone.

 

[OuZo]

Serpant tongue, your questioning a vets opinion........where did you get your degree in vet science from??????

Over 20 years keeping reptiles maybe. Where did you get your attitude problem from lol :lol:

Nothing personal against vets as I'm the first one to take my animals there as soon as I discover there's something wrong with them, but half the time I'd be just as happy if not happier if a trusted and experienced herper was to see my animal and give me advice. I think it's pretty hard to beat experience when it comes to reptiles as these people have been there, done that. Vet's can be great and also have access to the meds you'll sometimes need but I wouldn't necessarily take their word over a long time herper. As far as I'm aware there's no real in depth degree available for reptiles is there? Even when studying vet science? Don't herp vets learn a lot through research etc?

Either way, I think as long as people know who they're talking to they can decide whose advice they wish to take

 

[timthevet]

I dont think he listed the husbandry conditions, did he?

Husbandry = management in the care of animals which includes diet (mince meat in this case), and environment (no UV lighting).
In terms of qualifications on top of the veterinary degree - some vets will state an interest in herps which means they have undertaken extra study on reptiles (conferences, literature etc.). These vets will definitely be more experience to treat your herps. There is a specialization in reptile medicine & surgery but this degree isn't available in Australia.

johnbowemonie: In terms of your problems with vets, not saying whether anyone is right or wrong, but often a diagnosis will be incorrect initially and response to treatment is sometimes used to eliminate causes. Just watch 'House' on TV - great example of how they think one thing is the cause and treat that but later find out it was something else.

 

[timthevet]

Its more likely to be a blockage caused by swallowing a foreign object (like a cat litter pellet), rather than constipation.

Would be weird for a blockage to cause forelimb paresis aswell.

You sure the spine is okay? No obvious dents or humps in the back?

Also would be weird for a spinal problem to cause forelimb paresis cos the hindlimbs are usually affected first. Maybe a cranial (head) injury.

 

[Christine]

would anyone here not recommend the newspaper pellets for blueys? i knew that pebbles could cause problems but didn't know about the pellets being a problem, is that what could have caused this problem for this bluey?
And also I just want to pass on my condolences and best wishes for the future for the animals that have passed in the last few days....this bluey and dymbacks 2 snakes and also frogger that died...can't remember the name of his owner, I am very sorry I don't mean to be rude...anyway I really feel for all of you and just want you to know that I feel terribly bad for all of you...if there is anyone else that has posted threads about their pets passing on I am really sorry to have missed it, but I feel bad for you too.

 

[Christine]

Can ticks cause paralysis in bluey's the same way they do in dogs?
Don't shoot me down if that's a silly question I am new to reptiles.

 

[timthevet]

Christine,
Any substrate which has objects small enough to be swallowed can cause intestinal obstructions even if the animal is fed in a separate area. Interesting question about ticks. Haven't heard of any cases but ticks can parasitise several species so it may be possible that the paralysis tick found on the east coast could also affect reptiles. Again, usually starts with hindlimbs.

 

[Oxyuranus microlepid]

Hi Brad,
If his front legs aren't working....sounds like something has happened to his spine.
Have any children been handling it?????
Has something happened to injure the spine???
Garth

that makes no sense, the front legs cant be paralyzed without the back 1s as well

 

[ben1200]

on the talk of ticks on the way to my farm in goulburn NSW my dad picked up a blotch blue tongue from the road and moved it to the scrub and on closer inspection he found the poor blue was covered in ticks, which he removed in total 6 near its front limbs i think and on behind its head. just thought i would pass that on. sorry to hear about ur bluey.
regards ben

 

[salebrosus]

Husbandry = management in the care of animals which includes diet (mince meat in this case), and environment (no UV lighting).
In terms of qualifications on top of the veterinary degree - some vets will state an interest in herps which means they have undertaken extra study on reptiles (conferences, literature etc.). These vets will definitely be more experience to treat your herps. There is a specialization in reptile medicine & surgery but this degree isn't available in Australia.

johnbowemonie: In terms of your problems with vets, not saying whether anyone is right or wrong, but often a diagnosis will be incorrect initially and response to treatment is sometimes used to eliminate causes. Just watch 'House' on TV - great example of how they think one thing is the cause and treat that but later find out it was something else.

That's fair enough Tim, but in the case with my Land Mullet (the friendliest one in the world) if i had waited much longer on incorrect treatments my animal would have been dead. Not blaming the vet as he admitted he had no knowledge of reptiles and a particulare vet i worked for use to get me to diagnose what i thought might be wrong with reptiles then he would only forward them on to Terri Bellamy but charge them $40 for my consultation. I know there are some fantastic vets out there but those experiences have got me rather paranoid. I often go to Joe at Heathcote who is undertaking a reptile course and he seems pretty good too.

Simone.

 

[DA_GRIZ]

sorry to hear about your bluey brad, but i think mince is more for adult blueys

 

[Christine]

Christine,
Any substrate which has objects small enough to be swallowed can cause intestinal obstructions even if the animal is fed in a separate area. Interesting question about ticks. Haven't heard of any cases but ticks can parasitise several species so it may be possible that the paralysis tick found on the east coast could also affect reptiles. Again, usually starts with hindlimbs.

Thanks Tim, that information is useful.
And about the ticks...every single bluetongue that my son has every seen in the wild (backyard...next door neighbours...park...road...) has had ticks on it...usually in the ears but also in the creases around the front and back legs. We always take them off as well with tweezers...doesn't seem to bother the lizards at all when we do this, but I like to think that they are much happier when they go again without the ticks....and we always kill the ticks too.
We lost a dog a few years ago to tick paralysis and it was the most terrible thing, I hate the things and will always remove them off any bluey's.