blood in eyes and bloated belly

[tkshortee]

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or have ever experienced this stuff before.

My 2 year old Leo Veronica has recently stopped eating. She's been very lethargic and looks bloated in the stomach but her tail is getting skinny. I was going to attempt to force feed her some crickets the other day when I noticed her eyes looked funny. One eye was closed shut and the other was reddish black. I noticed some blood in her cage and then I realized her eye was actually bleeding. Not really excessively, but little droplets. Kind of like a bubble on the one eye. This freaked me out so I called the vet, but it was on a Saturday so of course I couldn't get in until today. When I went to the vet today he took some x rays because he was concerned about the bloating. The xrays were super expensive and they still need to do another test to see what the problem is. (something about injecting a dye into the gecko so they can figure out what the air sack in her belly is?) They also gave me some eye medication, but he didn't really have any answers or diagnosis.

I am really upset and frustrated since I cannot afford to visit the vet again. (this visit cost me over $150!!!!!) I did buy some pedialite and fed it to her with an eyedropper. She seemed to like that. Also I gave her a warm soak in a tub of water.

NOTE: I think one of the problems is her diet. I never feed her crickets anymore. I used to give her crickets but she lost interest in them and started only eating her mealworms. So I stopped giving her crickets and she's been on just mealworms. I realize this isn't the ideal diet for a gecko (right?) so I am wondering if this is the problem. I will gladly start her on a better diet, but first I just want her eyes to stop bleeding and for her to eat SOMETHING. I think I'm going to try the gecko soup but I don't know where to buy all the ingredients. Can I feed her a little bit of plain baby food?

ps. am i the only crazy person who spends over a hundred dollars on a 10 dollar reptile??

 

[acpart]

No you're not the only crazy person. Warm chicken baby food will do for a start, there's also something you can get at the pet store that's a slurry that may help. If you can make the slurry with as many of the ingredients as you can find that will do also. Do the treatments and see what happens. She may pull through, but you're doing everything you can.

I have read the article about why mealworms aren't the best food source, but I bring my babies up on mealworms so people don't have to deal with crickets. I sold a gecko 5 years ago to a family that only uses mealworms and the gecko is in great health (though I have to admit that she spent 2 months at my house during the summer and did get some superworms and crickets).

Aliza

 

[tkshortee]

thank you for the quick response! I appreciate it!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

A lot of people feed mealworms and have for years, some for decades even. They have perfectly healthy animals.

 

[Terrain_pull up]

I found that exclusive mealworm diets made a couple of my geckos really bloated as well for some reason so I started feeding mainly crickets again and only supplementing with mealworms every few days. Maybe it has something to do with the bedding the mealworms are raised in or maybe some geckos just don't process them as well??

 

[tkshortee]

Today was not a very good one. I gave her the eye ointment in the morning and then I tried to feed her some pedialite from a dropper but she threw it up. When I came home from work I gave her a warm soak but she didn't want to have anything to do with that and when I put the eye stuff on she had blood in her open eye and the other was shut. When I tried feeding her a mealworm she spit it out and then bit me. I decided she wasn't gonna eat. Oh and when I picked her up she peed on me (I found that weird too).

what should I do?! I don't want her to be in pain but I cannot afford to go back to that vet. And I don't wanna get bit again...

 

[Dog Shrink]

As much as I hate to say it she is obviously miserable and it might be time to consider euthanizing her. My vet always told me once they stop eating it is time to seriously consider the final alternative. I'm sorry hon. It's never easy.

 

[tkshortee]

I'm going to give it a few days and see how she does. The one thing I did notice is that today she seemed to have much more energy than yesterday. She was squirming around more and running from me. Yesterday she just let me hold her and stayed really limp in my hands.

That could mean she's getting strength, but I figure it could also just mean she's gotten more scared of the medicine!

 

[Dog Shrink]

I can't say for sure hon. All I do know is that any time it has come time to put one of my beloved pets down they always seemed to have their best week right before they crashed. I certainly hope that it is her recovering more and benefitting from your great nursing care and not the rise before the storm. Still sending good vibes your way.

 

[tkshortee]

Thanks. She pooped today! It was little, but better than nothing I guess.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Well pooping is good esp. if she hasn't in a few days. Keeping fingers crossed. How is she eating? Any better?

 

[Neill]

I spent 600 dollars vet bill on a gecko and she didn't make it. I felt horrible in the fact i was a bad parent not in the money that a spent. I nor have found a vet that will see my collection and charge far less then the hospital i was going to early on in my gecko addiction. I have to say geckos are very very hardy. But remember a cold blooded animal takes longer to show signs of sickness and also recovery. I honestly have to say the running and biting is a good sign because when super sick they really don't even want to do that. Pooping is really good. Im wondering if the eye bleeding could have been a meal worm doing that curling up when eaten and got her in the eye just right.

Good luck and be patient.

 

[tkshortee]

thank you neill!

She still doesn't want to eat but she was feisty today so we'll see...

 

[tkshortee]

Sad news....I had to put her down.

RIP Veronica Vaughn. :angel:

:main_no:

 

[GeckoGurl]

Sad news....I had to put her down.

RIP Veronica Vaughn. :angel:

:main_no:

So sorry to hear of your loss... I have been watching this thread and was hoping for a happy outcome

 

[Dog Shrink]

Aw no doubt sad news... I guess she took a turn for the worse... RIP lil one. I'm sure you did the very best you could for her. PS, Love the name...