Adenovirus Alert

I just want to mention that testing can be done in any lab that has an electron microscope. The key is that they use a fixative to stop the virus from breaking down. I also am not saying to not buy dragons from someone who has Dragons by Nature stock. I was specific about Clyde's lines because I feel it is a very real risk. There are differing opinions. You should research as much as you can and form your own opinions. This was not meant to hurt anyone's business or say that everything is an absolute. Doing the right thing is not always easy, but I did what I feel was necessary and for the right reasons.

I am so sorry to hear what happened to you and your dragons. It is terrible to have to put them down but you did the right thing. I appreciate you coming forward and telling us. I am new to having dragons and have never heard of this before. I bought from a breeding that has some of Dragons by Nature dragons. Two females I have came from a german giant snow. I know I would have been heart broken if they had been sick. My heart goes out to you and they poor little ones that had to be put down.

I found out today that when I emailed Dragons by Nature to let them know about Clyde being infected, it went to the wrong Brandon. I received a response back that fit right with the email and did not indicate he was the wrong Person. I want to state the Brandon was not made aware of Clyde's condition until I posted. It was by mistake, but feel that it is important to let you all know he did not know until 9/14/06. This does not change the information I posted in any way, but think it is something you all should know.

So how does a dragon contact this disease? I guess since I havent heard o fit around here I am very interested to know all the things I can since...well..I wouldnt and couldnt handle losing my first or any clutch of babies!!
WENDY: I AM SO SORRY MOTHER NATURE HAD TO DROP HER HAT ON YOU...all I have ever heard of you is good and well to this very day I still dont understand why bad things happen to the best of us...atleast you did what was right and tried everythign you could...

On here is two links that is about the virus
read the one written by the Dr that Wendy contacted and the other one of symptoms
http://www.reptilerooms.com/adeno.php

I need to clarify something, as there is a breeder saying that my husbandry caused the adeno virus outbreak in my colony. When I stated that I thought maybe I had not been hydrating them enough because I had family in from out of town, I meant I only misted them 3 times a day instead of the usual 5-7. It is incredible to me that someone would try and say this was my fault, instead of looking at the big picture.

Make NO mistake about it, Adenovirus kills dragons. By the third clutch I had half of the babies waste away in a matter of days. I had necropsy's done on two of them and the diagnosis was adenovirus in bearded dragons.

It is important to note that, yes, dragons can be carriers and live a normal life. Clyde showed no symptoms and was 22 inches and 580 grams. This becomes a problem when a carrier is exposed to other dragons or bred. Do I have a controlled scientific study to prove this? No, but I had over 40 babies die and about 140 test positive for the virus. I know that this virus is highly contagious and spreads in babies easily and in a very short amount of time. I know this because I saw it happen.

The reason that I started to breed bearded dragons was to offer dragons to people that would make big healthy pets and if bred, be an asset to the US dragon population. Why on earth would I knowingly sell babies that could infect other colonies? I did what I still feel is the responsible thing.

I spoke with Dr. Wentz several times and in one conversation he told me he had a necropsy done on a known infected 6 year old male after he died. He was still shedding the virus. This is a very good indication that even if a dragon appears healthy, they can harbor the virus for years. We must use the common sense God gave us and realize that this is something that we should try and control and as much as possible, remove from the dragon population.

Will it always be in bearded dragon colonies? I believe so. But I also believe with some ethics and diligence it can be reduced. There is still much unknown and there are no absolutes. But I think that people who have dealt with it first hand have valuable insight and it should not be discounted. I also think that while the current research is not scientifically perfect, it is important in shedding light on how this virus works.

There is such a long way to go and honestly, no funding to get there. I tried to donate adenovirus positive babies to four different Universities for research and they all said the same thing, "while it is a great idea and they would like to do it, there is simply no funding." I feel positive that I was able to get some of them to Dr. Wentz and am hopeful that he can do further studies.

The only thing I am guilty of is trying to bring this virus into the public eye and make people aware of it. I am not trying to scare anyone into not buying from any particular breeder. I do, however, think it should be a consideration and a concern when purchasing bearded dragons.

I was on a mailing list for a certain breeder and yesterday recieved a email about this. To me the email was more about them not wanting to spend the money to get thier dragons tested. I have read all your post and im sorry for what you have gone through it must have been heartbreaking and you were very responsible.

Thanks Melinda. This is actually in response to what was said to another breeder, not the email that was sent out. That email contains numerous inaccurate statements and they will be addressed in the next few days. I really just wanted to clear up possible misconceptions that this was something that I caused.

Wendy,
I'm sure I'm not alone in having the utmost respect for you and your actions in bringing this to our attention. Not only did you let this community know what was going on with your dragons, you also were very kind in educating us on what should be done to detect this.
I thank you. The time you've spent explaining this has been more of a help then you know. Personally, I printed the information you gave and took it to my own vet in case she was not familiar with the testing procedures and had my whole colony tested because I was concerned that an animal can look and act perfectly healthy and still carry this.
You are doing us all a service Wendy, I'm just very sad that you had to pay such a huge price in the process.
Denise

Originally Posted by Denisebme

Wendy,
I'm sure I'm not alone in having the utmost respect for you and your actions in bringing this to our attention. Not only did you let this community know what was going on with your dragons, you also were very kind in educating us on what should be done to detect this.
I thank you. The time you've spent explaining this has been more of a help then you know...

Originally Posted by Denisebme

You are doing us all a service Wendy, I'm just very sad that you had to pay such a huge price in the process.
Denise

I couldn't have said it better... Wendy, thank you for all that you are doing!!
I am so sorry to hear that you've had to go through this... Thank you for handling this situation in such a responsible way!