Very sick Beardie..help please

My cousin came over today with a Juvie beardie who is VERY lethargic, severely dehydrated and skinny. He does not attempt to move unless handled but still stays pretty limp. Does not even open his eyes much. She thought I would be able to help but being a snake person, my beardie skills are limited.
She just got him today..he was housed on sand with a heat rock and given large crickets......this is all the info she has on him

I have him on paper towel, 110 degree basking spot (not that he can move), I have soaked him and he did drink some water..he ate 3 small crickets if I put them into his mouth...he is not wheezing that I can tell and seems to be clear of mucous...

Is there anything more I can do? He will be seeing a vet on Friday (we have a snow storm here, otherwise he's already be at the vet). Please help, I feel so helpless and really want to help this little guy
Thanks

I would suggest to continue to make water and a few crickets available to him. what is his(gender?) current weight and how old is he? I feed my bearded dusted cricket and greens, have you put any greens in his cage? How does his vent look? any pictures of him available?

Originally Posted by chadharper

I would suggest to continue to make water and a few crickets available to him. what is his(gender?) current weight and how old is he? I feed my bearded dusted cricket and greens, have you put any greens in his cage? How does his vent look? any pictures of him available?

Thank you for the reply Chad. I have an appointment shortly (my doc, not the vet) and will get a weight and photos as soon as I return.

He will not eat on his own. I have to open his mouth and place the food in, then he will chew and swallow as normal.
I did notice that when disturbed or touched, he will arch sideways and sort of twitch for a minute or so. Like a seizure of some sort.

I did blend up some dusted crickets and kale into a (nasty) yummy paste and he seems a bit more perky this morning.

I am mostly concerned about the seizure type episodes he has when first touched. I'm really hoping with proper care and nutrition, he will snap out of it

I'll post photos (cell photos and not great quality, unfortunately) and get a weight on him once I return.
Thanks again I appreciate the input!

Originally Posted by wyldwurm

Thank you for the reply Chad. I have an appointment shortly (my doc, not the vet) and will get a weight and photos as soon as I return.

He will not eat on his own. I have to open his mouth and place the food in, then he will chew and swallow as normal.
I did notice that when disturbed or touched, he will arch sideways and sort of twitch for a minute or so. Like a seizure of some sort.

I did blend up some dusted crickets and kale into a (nasty) yummy paste and he seems a bit more perky this morning.

I am mostly concerned about the seizure type episodes he has when first touched. I'm really hoping with proper care and nutrition, he will snap out of it

I'll post photos (cell photos and not great quality, unfortunately) and get a weight on him once I return.
Thanks again I appreciate the input!

Im on my cell phone but i will say they will twitch when handle so are you sure its not them trying to get a secure hold on something. My beardies like to have all feet onsomething firm. If i scoop them up by their belly they will wiggle until they are holding onto my arm. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by chadharper

Im on my cell phone but i will say they will twitch when handle so are you sure its not them trying to get a secure hold on something. My beardies like to have all feet onsomething firm. If i scoop them up by their belly they will wiggle until they are holding onto my arm. Just a thought.

Mine do this also & wave their tail around till all 4 feet are touching something.

Also, continue to soak him in water and offer the paste 2 to 3 times a day till you get to the vet.

Thanks for the input but this is a different very severe arch, until his nose (always to the right) touches his tail and he remains like that for about a minute.

I am going to get photos now and will also see if I can upload a video of the arching thing as well...may be a little bit...I've never had to do this and not quite sure how

Let's hope I did this right


Above is a VIDEO of the arching thing he does...any ideas?





Photos (sorry, cell pics) were taken after a couple of hand feedings and he was soaked twice for 20 minutes. He still has not pooped
I have moved recently and cannot find my gram scale but as you can see from the pics, he's not very big. The girl who owns him said that the woman told her he was a YEAR old but from the looks of him, I find that very hard to believe.

I couldn't tell from the video, does he move his back legs? I have seen something similar to this once before, where the dragon (about the same size) had what appeared to be an injury on his spine (a lump) and his back legs never moved. After soaking him for 20 min, I was rubbing his belly to see if there were any other lumps and he finally pooped... about 5 days worth.

I hope the vet visit goes well.

Originally Posted by Snake-Queen

I couldn't tell from the video, does he move his back legs? I have seen something similar to this once before, where the dragon (about the same size) had what appeared to be an injury on his spine (a lump) and his back legs never moved. After soaking him for 20 min, I was rubbing his belly to see if there were any other lumps and he finally pooped... about 5 days worth.

I hope the vet visit goes well.

His legs do move, thankfully! He seems to arch like that when disturbed or right when he wakes up.
He is feeling slightly better today...holding his head up on his own now I did soak him again and he walked a bit in the water (which he could not do yesterday). He does want to eat, if assisted, so that is a plus.
My professor (I am a veterinary student) will look at him tomorrow. She is a Veterinarian and does well with exotics. I am sure she will be able to give me some insight.
Thank you both for all your help I will try to update this thread as he progresses. I really appreciate it!

I don't know dragons but I do know with malnutrition and dehydration animals can show neurological problems, which those movements could be...usually with care and time the issues start to diminish if the animal pulls through.