Help! My bearded dragon has smelly and runny still and I can't take him to a vet.

[Alicia Jolley]

Help!!! I have an old bearded dragon (We don't know his age) and he just started having REALLY foul smelling runny stool. I fed him black soldier fly larvae (I poked holes in them so they weren't alive) and he pooped them out whole, so I stopped them, and now the red stuff in his poop looks like he's not digesting his veggies well either. Or it could be something else. I cannot afford to take him to the vet, so please don't suggest that, I have no money and neither do my parents, are there any remedies at home? I have reptaid that I will start giving him again. A few days ago he had green poop, probably from his collard greens. I'm really worried!!! He has correct heating and uvb and I clean his tank almost every day after he poops. I want to upload pictures of the stool and him, but it says the files are too large? It's just from my camera.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Help!!! I have an old bearded dragon (We don't know his age) and he just started having REALLY foul smelling runny stool. I fed him black soldier fly larvae (I poked holes in them so they weren't alive) and he pooped them out whole, so I stopped them, and now the red stuff in his poop looks like he's not digesting his veggies well either. Or it could be something else. I cannot afford to take him to the vet, so please don't suggest that, I have no money and neither do my parents, are there any remedies at home? I have reptaid that I will start giving him again. A few days ago he had green poop, probably from his collard greens. I'm really worried!!! He has correct heating and uvb and I clean his tank almost every day after he poops. I want to upload pictures of the stool and him, but it says the files are too large? It's just from my camera. And I'm so sorry about all the misspells in the caption and stuff. Still trying to work the forums.

 

[mamaof2dragons]

first you do need to get him to a vet right away...diarrhea can kill him very very quickly and causes unnecessary pain and suffering to him. also if he's not digesting his food properly you need to up your heat temps without the proper temperature he cant digest his food at all. that can also cause harm and yes unfortunately death.
get some unflavored pedialyte and soak him in it and you can feed him some of the pedialyte with a syringe feeder. hydration is key if the diarrhea keeps up so try giving water with the syringe too.
I'm not sure if Greek yogurt plain would help but it has live probiotics that will make his gut feel better...but dont give him to much if it just a little dollop should be ok.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Thank you. I unfortunately am not able to take him to a vet, but I will try those things ASAP! Also I'm so sorry for the messed up comments, this is my first time to use these forums so I'm not able to do much on them yet.

 

[mamaof2dragons]

I will be praying for your little guy and hope he pulls through.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Thank you so much

 

[Fumi]

Honey. Keep the faith. I'm new to BD world so I don't know how I can help. But I do know how much you love and worry about your beardie. I know you will give him lots of love and your beardie will feel that. I'm sure its comforting to him. He made it this far to adulthood so he must be a strong one. I hope other experts on the Forum read your post and jump in to help.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Thank you so, so much. He was a rescue from an owner who didn't take good care of him at all, so he's never been that healthy, but we know he's very old!

 

[Fumi]

Is you big guy doing any better?

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Not really. He's having trouble shedding and he seems dehydrated but won't drink or take anything even If I try forcing him, and his stool is still pretty nasty. He eats very well though. He's also pretty active when the cat comes into my room!

 

[Babette Murphy]

Hi - your dragon needs to go to the vet. Sounds like he needs a fecal exam ($70+/-) and probably has parasites. If you can't afford a vet, please surrender him to a reptile rescue near you. If you google it, you should be able to find one - or you can call an exotic vet and see if they have names of rescues for you. Good luck.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

I'm sorry but I could not and will not ever "surrender" my sweet baby. I'm doing everything I can to help him at home.

 

[Ashly Johnson]

I'm sorry but I could not and will not ever "surrender" my sweet baby. I'm doing everything I can to help him at home.

I mean absolutely no harm when I say this but not being willing to take him to the vet or surrender him to someone who could is highly irresponsible of you as a pet owner. He is obviously not well and needs medical attention. When you are sick or a child is sick you go to the doctor to get well. He needs the same treatment as you would give yourself. If you couldn’t afford to give a pet the proper care (including vet visits and medical bills) then you shouldn't get them. It's not fair to the animal to have to suffer. He can and will die if he doesn't get the help he needs. He could have parasites as mentioned above and you can't treat that at home. There are a number of things that could be wrong with him all of which need to be addressed by a vet. If he's dehydrated then put him in a bath to soak so he can get water. Needs to be warm water no higher than his shoulders. He should get a bath at least 2-3 times a week anyways to be sure to get proper hydration. Once again I am not trying to come off mean or hateful but I am a mother to many types of babies and believe they all need and deserve proper care. Especially when they are clearly in need of medical attention.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

I rescued him from someone that was taking terrible care of him years ago, he is very very old. And I'm not irresponsible, my parents and I don't have money and I'm only 14 and can't work or I would. Yes I get some jobs from my Grandma and neighbor but it's not enough to pay vet bills. I'm trying all I can. He's acting healthy, just doesn't look it too much, he's getting better. I'm giving him Pedialyte and reptiaid and soaks every day. I also feed him salad every day and after eating the salad, that makes him look more hydrated too. Thank you for your concern but I'm not 'surrendering' him, I love him too much and I'm trying all I can and he's getting better. I spend a lot of time researching. Also, he's what keeps me happy and not depressed. Without a bearded dragon I would be very depressed. Animals are what keep me happy. I'm getting more and more informed about care and much better than my brother was at caring for him. Sorry if I'm snappy.

 

[Douglas Ellis]

I would recommend calling the local vet as many will work out a payment plan if you can not afford the initial cost. It doesn't hurt to check.

As others mentioned it could be parasites or bacterial infection. Both will not end well without treatment. Antibiotics is critical for a successful recovery. Often many times than not without them he will suffer in silence until he cant suffer anymore. I wouldn't have the heart to enable another living creature to endure that.

As for being active when the cat is near. Reptiles have evolved to suppress the symptoms of pain when near predators so they don't appear weak or fragile and become an easy target. It may see your cat as a predator if he/she is not accustomed to it.

Diarrhea can and will damage your beardie. It dehydrates them and slowly drains nutrients until they die from dehydration or vitamin deficiency.

Please don't perceive anything as aggressive or a personal attack. I am giving you the honest feedback to the question you asked. He may recover on his own with proper care, but it is a very slim chance. I wish you the best of luck and hope he gets better.

Respectfully,
Ellis

 

[Douglas Ellis]

PS: Please make sure to keep him clean. The watery substance in his stool will put him at higher risk of infection. Baths will also help him hydrate and assist him with shedding.

 

[Alicia Jolley]

Thank you so much Ellis. <3

 

[Jacob melanistic]

i hope he is okay. i know how it feels to not have money. you are doing the best you can and you are a great pet owner. dont let people dicourage you, i beleive in you.

 

[MerithD]

Thank you so much Ellis. <3

Hey im new at this so forgive me for chiming in but having had extreme panicks over not enough light / too much uv/not enough water /too much water /not enough heat /shedding /not eating /eating too much /correct substrate /too much poop and not enough poop I really want to point out that these beautiful creaters somehow survive in the wild without their adoring human slaves and organic veggies! Also in the huge amount of well meaning contradictory and more experienced advice One peice was that you should not take beardies to many inexperienced vets as their honest attempts to balance parasite levels may cause more harm than good. So i really think you should Breathe love your beardie and trust that you are doing your best until you can afford a vet - twice while waiting for my next paycheck symptoms strightened out before the vet visit could happen. It sounds like you are doing your best.Im not sure the thousands of beardies out there could ask for much more.

 

[Fumi]

Hey Alicia --- How is your guy doing now? Just thought of him and reaching out to you.