Need some advice on a bearded dragon problem

[anbelroj]

Hi, Yesterday my brother bought a vivarium that came with a bearded dragon.
At first i didn't pay much attention to it, but then i saw the dragon, and noticed how small it was and how skinny it was, so i asked my brother if the other owners told him anything about it.

He said that the dragon was 2 years old..that's when i had my first shock, i couldn't believe it. This dragon is around the size of my leopard geckos, 9-10inch, his skin is really stretched and baggy, compared to my bearded dragon who is 8month old and has 2-3inches bigger than him...

So i asked him if i could take a closer look at it, when i grabbed the dragon i noticed that it was missing 4 toe nails, and 1 toe entirely, the dragon has deformed left rear leg,he cant put his weight on it and always moves with his front legs, the right rear leg seems really weak. Then today when i went to feed him, (since my brother buys something and then forgets about it most of the time) the bearded started to poop, but violently it seemed almost as if he was going to poop his whole intestines(he did a normal poop yesterday), then i saw that he had a prolapse full of sand, i ran and took a plastic container and put some warm water in it, and with gloves i gently cleaned his rectal area and the prolapse went back to normal...seriously i've never seen such a sick animal before, it felt soo cruel.

I know the last owner didn't use any uvb lights, and im pretty sure he never gave him calcium from what i see on how weak hes limbs are.

So i decided to take the dragon and put it in my room so i would take care of it for a while. Im probably gona go buy some wax worms or something so i can put some fat in him..hes really really skinny.


Also id like to know if there is some kind of "physiotherapy" i could use to reinforce his behind legs, i've been thinking of making him move on feeding time and kinda move his legs a bit so maybe some muscle can grow in it.

If any of you got any advice it would be nice, im not taking it to a vet since well hes not my pet and anyways, the way he is, it almost seems better to put him to sleep to be honest, it breaks my heart to see an animal suffer like that.

Oh and also, his last poop that gave him the prolapse was huge and very soft, it was greenish because of the salad i guess,and also it seemed almost gooey. Parasites? idk he pooped normally yesterday, maybe it was stress but still hes in a seriously bad shape.

 

[Tony C]

im not taking it to a vet since well hes not my pet

:wall: That dragon needs veterinary attention.

 

[anbelroj]

:wall: That dragon needs veterinary attention.

Well i kinda figured that out lol...but i cant take him to a vet, ill tell my brother to take it, really i have enough money spent on my stuff, i really cant afford a vet for a pet who isnt mine , that's why i was kinda hoping something else could help it.

 

[M_surinamensis]

So i decided to take the dragon and put it in my room...

...his last poop that gave him the prolapse was huge and very soft, it was greenish because of the salad i guess,and also it seemed almost gooey. Parasites?

Don't do the first part. Especially because of the suspicion of the second. Quarantine the new one. Keep it far away from your room and your animals.

 

[anbelroj]

I came to the conclusion that the poor thing has a severe case of MBD, he cant chew properly, can barely eat a worm, he drags his rear legs,deformed left leg, little bone mass, is shaky, and of course his size for his age, in my opinion the poor thing should be put to sleep at the vet, i don't even know if at the point he is now that thing could be reversed, to be honest id rather see him dead than dragging his rear legs and see him the way he was again.

Also news from the owners since i talked to them, the guys who sold it weren't the real owners, it was the parents of some kid, that decided to sell it, because the kid never took care of it, indeed i was right, he never fed him calcium nor vitamins, no uv light either, basically that creature had the poorest treatment a bearded could have. I don't even know how it managed to survive thus far.

Oh and i didn't put it in my room, he's in a separate vivarium in another room.

 

[prettyinpink]

I came to the conclusion that the poor thing has a severe case of MBD, he cant chew properly, can barely eat a worm, he drags his rear legs,deformed left leg, little bone mass, is shaky, and of course his size for his age, in my opinion the poor thing should be put to sleep at the vet, i don't even know if at the point he is now that thing could be reversed, to be honest id rather see him dead than dragging his rear legs and see him the way he was again.

Also news from the owners since i talked to them, the guys who sold it weren't the real owners, it was the parents of some kid, that decided to sell it, because the kid never took care of it, indeed i was right, he never fed him calcium nor vitamins, no uv light either, basically that creature had the poorest treatment a bearded could have. I don't even know how it managed to survive thus far.

Oh and i didn't put it in my room, he's in a separate vivarium in another room.

Ok, First off I'm going to be VERY blunt here.

I have NO idea how old you're brother is. But honestly if you live together I think it's pretty cruel to do this to your brother, not take it to the vet because it 'isn't yours', you said it's such a hard thing to see it suffer but won't do anything about it?

Did YOU guys get UVB lighting? If he has MBD you HAVE to take him to the vet, no questions asked...he should've already been there. :main_no:

You/your brother should not be purchasing animals if you can afford it/if something comes up. I SPENT $500+ on my bird's vet bills, I didn't ask to...he was suffering and I helped him. I didn't just sit there and watch it.

Second, if he looks that bad you should've noticed it when you purchased him. The poor thing sounds dehydrated, and starved.

Sounds like MBD but it could be in a combination of starvation and dehydration. IF he looks as skinny as he sounds if you feed him a lot of food (enough for a normal beardie) it's going to cause problems... you'll want to take it slow. I THINK, I could be wrong...too many vitamins and too much food can put his body into shock, since he's not used to eating that much.

Not having food or water, without even counting the UVB lighting and calcium....is going to really mess him up.

Sounds to me you have no intention of helping your brother.

Long story short. Please take the poor thing to the vet, if he has MBD he's going to ring up a lot of bills, IF they can save him...sounds so bad that he might have to be put down.

If you're not going to take him to the vet, call the vet and ask if they'll take him, tell them you can't afford the bills. OR give him to someone responsible, who will actually take care of him.

I wish you the best of luck. Sorry for being so blunt. But this is just so horriable to read. I can't believe it :main_no:

 

[jemjdragon]

I agree that you should take him to the vet or explain how important it is that you get him to the vet as soon as possible to your brother. If you have the money and your brother doesnt have enough or something figure out a plan (Maybe make him gradually pay you back). Its silly to say you want to help it and have the money for a vet visit but won't take it because its not yours, the animal is suffering more because of that. Even animals in the most severe cases can get better. The vet will know if its too late or not.

Do not over feed him. Give him small amounts of food and gradually increase the food he gets. I would put pedialyte in his water bowl to help hydrate him. If he is low in calcium I would dust his food more with it. Try not to feed it lettuce at this time because it don't have much of a nutritional value and I find it causes diarrhea in beardies.

 

[Tony C]

I THINK, I could be wrong...too many vitamins and too much food can put his body into shock, since he's not used to eating that much.

It is called refeeding syndrome, a starved animal that is suddenly overfed can suffer from excess insulin production and electrolyte imbalances leading to metabolic disturbances, neurological issues, organ failure and ultimately death.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

Okay +1 with TonyC and if you need any more help try going to a berded dragon forum.


Jake

 

[prettyinpink]

I agree that you should take him to the vet or explain how important it is that you get him to the vet as soon as possible to your brother. If you have the money and your brother doesnt have enough or something figure out a plan (Maybe make him gradually pay you back). Its silly to say you want to help it and have the money for a vet visit but won't take it because its not yours, the animal is suffering more because of that. Even animals in the most severe cases can get better. The vet will know if its too late or not.

Do not over feed him. Give him small amounts of food and gradually increase the food he gets. I would put pedialyte in his water bowl to help hydrate him. If he is low in calcium I would dust his food more with it. Try not to feed it lettuce at this time because it don't have much of a nutritional value and I find it causes diarrhea in beardies.

Sorry to disagree but please DO NOT feed him more calicum. More is NOT always better. Like I said before his poor body could go in shock, if it isn't already.

It is called refeeding syndrome, a starved animal that is suddenly overfed can suffer from excess insulin production and electrolyte imbalances leading to metabolic disturbances, neurological issues, organ failure and ultimately death.

Yup! +1 Couldnt' think of the name off the top of my head. Thanks! :main_thumbsup:

Hopefully you've read what we've said and it helped you. I wish you, your brother and the poor beardie the best of luck :main_thumbsup:
You obviously care somewhat if you came here

 

[greenmother35]

Im new to this but may have a suggestion..

Maybe you could weigh this beardie and feed and care for 1-2 weeks slowly introducing foods and supplements very slowly like you would a human after a really bad stomach flu. If after that time period , when you weigh again he\she has not gained any weight or has not brightened up a bit and become more active than it maybe time to put him down it's the humane thing to do , shame on the original owner but you can't fix that now , I know this may be alot to take on , but it just may work and then you could adopt it out since your brother seems possibly not old enough to handle this responsibility (not my judgement mind you just going from what you said. ) I really hope this works out for you , you are a kind person and hopefully you will find a solution that works either way well or put down this poor creature will no longer be suffering and that is what we need to strive for at this time. Blessings to you and yours and luck! greenmother35