At my wits end..

[2tall4this]

We are almost at the end of our rope. For those that dont know the story I will give a run down...Stubby is a 3 1/2 year old male who came to us very healthy. He went down for brummation in November, and never really woke up. He had a mouth infection which we had him at the vet for, and two courses of antibiotics were given. Fecal was clean. The mouth is still not entirely cleared up, but its not too bad. Im thinking of doing the antibiotics again. Its topical, and its such a tiny amount - a little smear on his lip twice daily for 7 days. We gave him acidol..cant remember the exact name..the stuff that boosts the appetite. Nothing. nada. he has lost so much weight its painful to look at him. He gets his daily bath, he is still having good urate - but no poo as he doesnt eat. nothing - at all. The vet is at a loss as well, because we cant wake Stubby. he wont open his eyes. He will move, he occasionally basks, but no open eyes. We offer fresh greens, and have silkies on hand in case he wants them. We have had dozens and dozens die. His basking spot temp is around 115 and his cool end is around 80. Lights are good, tank is good, on tile...

I read something on here about baby food? Should I force feed him, at least to get something in his stomach? What kind of baby food? or should i throw some silkies and veggies in a blender and force feed him with a syringe? The vet is ok, but he really is at a loss, and i cant find another exotic vet. Please help, he is dying-very slowly, but almost definitely.

[beardielover17]

i kno it seems like a bad situation but supposedly theres this product called reptaid that helps with things like that...i personally am skeptical on using it but i hear many success stories with it too...if u have no other options why not give that a try...before u decide on it tho definitely think it through

[Thewolfmantom]

I hate to suggest it but force feeding may not be a bad idea. I would blend greens and silkies into a pulp and try the syringe. The reptaid may be a consideration as well. If nothing is done you know your beardie will pass. I would try one of those 2 options as to amount I would try very small amounts a few times aday as long as he keeps it down. I hope this helps but I admit I am taking a shot in the dark.

[ladyknite]

There's something lurking in there it seems.  Has the vet ran an acid fast stain?

No baby food.  A dragon's natural healthy diet isn't derived from the forms of food made for babies.
I would follow Tom's directions, add liquid calcium into the mix, as well as some jump start to boost caloritic properties and energy.

[beardielover17]

also gina, shouldnt she use jumpstart somewhat sparingly as too much is bad?

[ladyknite]

yes, too much will fill the gut, and cause feces to be...........ummm...........q uite nasty appearing.  It won't block the processing of the greens, but it's content is so that it will process first.  I hope that made sense.

[beardielover17]

yea more or less...ive seen wat too much can do...its pretty darn nasty

[ladyknite]

Not only is it nasty if used incorrectly, it has an effect like tar.  Everything sticks to it as it exits.  Not that I definately know, but i can imagine that can't be all good.

[2tall4this]

Thank you so much for the quick replies. I will try the silkworm and greens mix and do small amounts several times a day. Yesterday he was awake a bit more, opened his eyes twice and looked at me. He was also basking and smacking his lips like he was thirsty or hungry so we rushed to try to hand feed him some greens. He halfheartedly snapped at them, but didnt actually eat. Its weird though. Im watching him now, and his head is held high and he is basking, just eyes closed and no eating, and so very skinny.

ladyknite - no, Im pretty sure the vet didnt run an acid fast stain. Is that something we should suggest? What might it show?

Now Im afraid to try the jumpstart. How small amount is small? and should I give at the same time as the slush?

I hope he pulls through this - we want  our chubby, personable guy back. What about the antibiotics? Should I give more? I want to clear up this mouth pThroblem for him, and it just seems to keep coming back...

Thanks again everyone for the replies - I feel better knowing I can at least try a few more things - makes me feel a little less helpless.

[ladyknite]

The acid fast stain would show various bacteria not visable under a typical fecal fluid (fecasol) slide.  I would also suggest they swab the mouth and determine if the two issues are similar (or the same).  What comes from the gut, can affect the mouth.

Don't be nervous about adding the jumpstart into the slurry mixture.  As I stated, everything sticks to it, but in fluid it will break down somewhat, and greens will attach.  The concept of the jump start, is to add needed calories used in mobility and basic survival, not to feed the entire system on a balanced scale.  Add enough per day to equal about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp depending on how much slurry you're making at the time.  Slurry with bugs doesn't keep well over night, so keep that in mind.

Speak to the vet about a mouth "rinse" or "flush" using an antimicrobial antibacterial agent as well as the antibiotic.  If that, combined with the results from the acid fast test don't reveal progress, I might consider a more holistic approach.