My beardie looks dead

[meow_mix450]

Hi i just got a beardie a week ago he doesnt lok to good rite now..i got it from pjs that might be why cause they dont treat them very good i didnt kno there was gonna be a show or else i would of waited....but rite now when i pick him up he looks like hes dead he loooks weak to and he closes his eye....i feed him crickets and cut up veggies i just dont kno wuts wrong with him and hes a few weeks old plz help if anyone knos wut is wrong with it:rolleyes:

[Matt]

he really doesnt sound too good......you need to get him to a vet right away......its hard for an unqualified person to make diagnostic guesses especially over the net

it probably wasnt anything you did, but when beardies go all limp and have there eyes shut all the time, it usually means you have to take him to vet ASAP!

make an appointment now for tonight or at the very latest by tomorrow

good luck!

[JeffT]

What size cage is he in? How old/ big is he? You should get him to a vet right away.

[meow_mix450]

ya im planning to do that hes only about 2 weeks old hes 6 1/2 inches the cage is L 31 inches W 17 inches H 20 iches

[eyespy]

Yes, please do see a vet ASAP and let us know how the poor little one is doing.

[JeffT]

Im just curious, why would you buy an animal from a place that you know has sick and dying animals? Do you need to have the animal so bad that you just didnt care where you got it from? I mean now you have a near death animal...

[meow_mix450]

No its because when i frist got it he looked fyne checked for all five toes see if its active seeing if his noistrols was clear and it was fyne and i got it so quickly was because it was on sale...once i brought it home he was great but was straving and ate like crazy so i found that they have been straving him but there other reptiles where fyne it was just how they treated them

[meow_mix450]

i came bac from the vet and they said that they dont kno wut it is...and all they did was pick him up and looked at it...i was so pissed cause he didnt bother to do anything mayb cause they dont look at reptiles cause all i saw was mostly dogs and cats but they didnt say anything so i dont kno....i was like some vet u are...but rite noe hes just laying there with his eyes closed and his head on the floor:( and hes sorta having sezires:'( hope he will be O K tho:(

[Dragon_Slave]

Meow_Mix
I recently lost one of my dragons to liver and lung failure, due to bad breeding. The signs were the same as you are describing... he started out just twitching his back legs, which concerned me enough to take him to the vet. She is a very good reptile vet, she looked him over and we all thought it was early signs of MBD(Metabolic Bone Disease), which would be due to lack of vitamins and calcium. It might be possible that your beardie has this, in which case you need to get calcium in his system. To do this you can go to a QUALIFIED REPTILE VET and have them inject some calcium into his vent. This is what my vet did... and he stopped his twitching for a while, so I got to take him home. The next morning I woke up and he started having seizures so I called the vet and took him back, she had no idea what it could have been! Well... I took him back home and kept him hydrated and warm, his seizures got worse and worse every hour... which soon led to him having body locks about every 10 minutes, his legs would lock up and he wouldn't breathe for a few seconds. After watching him do this all day, having him in my arms, weeping... I decided to put him under his basking light and go rent a movie, to try and keep myself from crying more... when I came back, he had died. :cry: Well anyway, sorry for such a LONG story but if your baby starts doing anything like what I just described... I feel sooo sorry for you. Oh, by the way... another option is that he could be impacted and the impacted material is pushing on his spine and causing his legs to twitch... could he possibly be impacted? Let us know and please... see a REPTILE vet ASAP! Good luck and keep us updated on your little baby!

[JoeBradley]

I have read that baby dragons can overeat and actually harm their digestive tract, especially when fed crickets. The legs can harm the digestive system and in worse cases can put pressure on the nerves in the lower part of the lizards body causing paralysis. This could explain the seizures. If he was fine when you brought him home and the symptoms started after his feeding frenzy he may have done some damage to his insides. This info comes from pg 77 in the Owners Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet The Bearded Dragon. Unfortunately there is not much you can do to fix this problem if this is what it is.

[eyespy]

Actually, Joe, if a too large food item is consumed a warm soak with a gentle downwards massage of the belly will often stimulate the digestive system enough to move things along. A drop or two of mineral or vegetable oil by mouth to lubricate the blockage can also help.

And of course if you have a qualified reptile vet, surgery can be done if absolutely necessary.

[JoeBradley]

If this is the problem and it caused damage to the digestive tract or the nervous system will that damage heal once the impaction is removed? This book is kind of vague. Says some of the damage can be permanent.

[meow_mix450]

Thanks for all ur help guys its to late...:(this morining i woke up and found him lying there and it died over night:(:(:( im really upset right now cause hes just a few weeks old:( i tried everything i can but nothin really helped...but thanks for all your help...just really upset:(:(:( o ya and his tummy is blowted if that helps to wut caused his death im not sure but found him blowted up:( thanks again

[eyespy]

Originally posted by JoeBradley
If this is the problem and it caused damage to the digestive tract or the nervous system will that damage heal once the impaction is removed? This book is kind of vague. Says some of the damage can be permanent.

It all depends on what type of damage and how quickly it is repaired. Scarring of the bowel and/or adhesions never completely go away but the source of pressure on the spinal cord is 100% cured when the impaction is resolved. Many times scars or adhesions are quite localized and don't do much longterm harm. The major risk is that there is a "snag" where future impactions become more likely.

Scarring rarely takes place if the impaction is treated within 2 hours but the risk and severity go up dramatically when not treated promptly. Adhesions only occur if surgery must be done and the wounds heal poorly.

[eyespy]

Meow mix 450, I'm deeply sorry for your loss. Unfortunately bloating doesn't let you be sure that it was an impaction as undigested food in the belly or post mortem decay will also produce gases that cause bloating. Any animal that has gone into seizures has the risk of bloating as the digestive system is no longer functioning properly once the brain isn't sending its ordinary signals.

Did the seizure affect the entire body, or just below the ribcage? If the front of the body had tremors impaction is very unlikely as nerve signals would be misfiring long before they reach the area where the digestive system could be pressing on the spine.

If your vet was a qualified reptile vet the odds are unlikely that it was an impaction as you can usually tell just by picking the animal up. The belly feels rigid, quite often has a rock-hard spot at the site of the imaction, and you can often detect muscle spasms as the dragon tries to pass the blockage but fails. But from what you describe that vet may not be familiar with the clinical signs of an impacted reptile so only a necropsy by a qualifed herp vet could give you the reason for your loss.

I am truly sorry.

[meow_mix450]

thanks:( and the seizures affected the entire body

[JeffT]

Sorry for your loss. But this goes to show that you should wait for a show to come by or find a breeder. Even if it is a few months wait, have some paitents and you will get a healthy animal.

[meow_mix450]

when i bought him i just joined ssnakess and i just found out about the show but next time i will thanks

[Dragon_Slave]

I'm so sorry for your loss... if you can afford it and if you still have the little one's body... you can get a vet to do a necropsy to tell you the exact cause of death. Again, I'm sorry your little dragon didn't make it.