Resuscitating A Reptile : A MUST KNOW!

[HowlinGaleDragons]

In the years I have owned Reptiles mainly Bearded Dragons I have had two accidents involving a drowning one a dragon I found in his water bowl 5 years ago and one today that swallowed her water wrong. Both I was able to save because I educated myself in how to deal with this situation and I want to pass it on to you. I first learned how to do this in my EMT Training Classes and contacted a Reptile Vet to learn more this is how I was told to perform this.

This could save a reptiles life if something like this happens I feel this is must know for all beardie and herp lovers.


How To Resuscitate A Reptile

1. Carefully Open the reptiles mouth if it closes its mouth you can use an object such as a popsicle stick to keep the mouth open.
2. Carefully Grasp the reptiles tail base as close to the back legs as you can and **Gently** shake the reptiles side to side
3. 95% of the time this will cause the water in the reptiles lungs to drain out, this can be repeated several times.
4. Keeping mouth open place your lips over both the mouth and nose and gently give mouth to mouth, Carefully watch your reptiles sides so you do not give to much air or if you do not see the side rise and fall you will need to reposition it's head if this fails you will need to repeat step 2.
5. Continue Mouth to Mouth until the reptile gasps, or coughs if it continues to breathe on its own get it on a warm heating pad head facing down so any water still in the lungs can drain. If the reptile is not breathing on its own continue to perform Mouth to Mouth.

After a drowning you MUST keep your reptile warm to prevent a Respiratory Infection if there are any signs of one please get your reptile to the vet ASAP.



Sadly in some cases it may be too late to save the reptile But in many cases you maybe be able to save your pets life!

 

[Tiger Lilly]

That is awesome that you were able to save 2 critters! I will keep this in mind should my dragon ever have a mishap.
Thanks for posting this.

 

[seadooz]

Do you mind if we copy and share this on our own websites?

 

[Seamus Haley]

Anyone who has responded positively to this may want to take a step back and consider the source of this medical advice.

Then look at the details, the terrible, abysmal details.

Using a porous wooden item to open a reptile's mouth?

Putting your own mouth on a reptile?

Shaking it? Blowing into a lung with a capacity of a few CCs?

This is absolutely abominable advice. Just pure ignorance generated by a person who's not remotely close to qualified to dispense it to begin with. "95% of the time..." but she's done this, by her own admission, twice. Two points isn't even a pattern, much less significant data and she can't fail ten percent of the time on a pass/fail with only two tests. What we have here is anecdotal malarky with ridiculous conclusions being drawn that there's no factual support for.

The original post is utter garbage that should never have been written. The advice is not something anyone should ever follow. A CPR class at the Y is not a substitute for a veterinary education.

 

[HowlinGaleDragons]

Yes you may use it on your site this is something All herp owners should now, you never know what could happen.

Ignore our friend Seamus up there this has been told to me not only in EMT training but by a certified very well know Reptile Vet who works on all of my dragons. Yes Seamus I put my mouth on my dragons and you know now what? It saved her life and I would do it again!

Oh and CPR class very wrong I am a Licensed and Certified New York State Emergency Medical Technician - Basic and am going to be getting me EMT- Intermediate License very soon which I will follow up to Paramedic Level I also work closely with not only the vet who confirmed and showed me more on this method but another Vet in FL.

I'm sorry you seem to feel knowing this could save your reptiles life is not important to you but it is to many others out there who see their beloved pet as not only a pet but their Kids and family.

 

[Seamus Haley]

this has been told to me not only in EMT training

Your EMT training covered reptile physiology? My my, they have gotten comprehensive, haven't they?

but by a certified very well know Reptile Vet who works on all of my dragons.

Your vet told you to jam a popcicle stick in it's mouth, shake it and blow into it? Not a word about speculas, not any discussion about the shape and angle of the air and food passages which can vary dramatically by species, no comments about lung capacity, lodged objects or the potential damage your inane manhandling could do?

My bet is that you grossly misunderstood what you were told. Or that your vet was just paying you lip service, as professionals in any field are inclined to do from time to time when confronted by nonsensical ramblings issuing from a paying customer. Or your vet is completely and utterly incompetent. Take your pick of the three- but under no circumstances did a competent vet tell you what you have relayed here.

Your ignorance and your negligent attitude towards the responsibilities involved with educating the public in a complete and thorough manner are going to get someone's reptile injured, dead or sick.

I'm sorry you seem to feel knowing this could save your reptiles life is not important to you but it is to many others out there who see their beloved pet as not only a pet but their Kids and family.

Anthropomorphism is a terrible defense against making negligent and ignorant suggestions of a veterinary nature.

Just a reprehensible attitude on all counts.

 

[Ed Clark]

The original post is utter garbage that should never have been written. The advice is not something anyone should ever follow.

Any advice that could help save the life of a dying animal of any type is good advice.

The alternative would be standing there watching a beloved pet die doing nothing at all.

 

[Seamus Haley]

Any advice that could help save the life of a dying animal of any type is good advice.

The alternative would be standing there watching a beloved pet die doing nothing at all.

And that right there is the caliber of person who agrees with HowlinGale.

As I said... people should consider the source and, in this case, reject the "information" as being devoid of credibility.

 

[HowlinGaleDragons]

Me ignorant? You are the most ignorant, Uncaring, and Rude person I have met to date Please stop posting on this thread this has nothing to do with you we all now can see you do not care about the welfare of reptiles thank you for showing your colors. And my vet is far from uneducated she is a great vet and would never lie or tell anyone something that is incorrect Please take your mindless whining and harassing else where.

 

[Ed Clark]

And that right there is the caliber of person who agrees with HowlinGale.

As I said... people should consider the source and, in this case, reject the "information" as being devoid of credibility.

I do agree because it can possibly save a life, and it has.

Seamus...sometimes I don't think you make any sense at all, you seem to argue your point for the sake of .....what?

 

[rosebud945]

Seamus, I agree with your concerns and criticisms to some degree here, but you are being a bit harsh. As for putting my mouth on a reptile, well, I kiss my lizards on the head daily! I mean look at this face! How can you resist! Sweet William, crippled from MBD but smiling anyway! (How's that for anthropomorphizing?)

BTW, I don't care of they like it or not, and I don't kiss unknown lizards. We have to build a relationship first. Seriously, they get a vet check and a fecal first.

However, I do have a problem with this advice, especially the part about blowing air in a beardie mouth. Did the vet actually tell you to put your mouth over the beardies snout and blow? I doubt it because first, a vet would warn that kissing reptiles can make you sick. If they do advise to do mouth to mouth on a beardie then they would be liable if their client got sick. Second, when you blow into a lizards mouth, you are more likely to fill up its tummy rather than its lungs. Lizards have a very small hole at the back of their throats called a glotus, and if your air is not going down it, then it is simply going into the tummy and some expansion of the torso could be air in the belly.

As for the shaking, I am worried by your word, shake here, but agree that this sounds like it might work if you are really talking about S curling the spine and its not a shake so much, but you really should caution that if you do this with too much pressure, you can seriously injure the animal. Can you post a video that shows us what you mean here? Your description is very vulnerable to misinterpretation, which I agree, can be deadly to the pet of someone who reads this and does it wrong. The word shake really bothers me. Do you mean work the spine?

Finally, if this advice is even partly right, you should stress that ANY water in the lungs warrants a trip to the vet, unless you are a reptile vet, a reptile rehabber who has training to administer medications and spot problems early enough to head them off, or someone who has worked closely with a vet. That might be you, I don't know, but suggesting a wait and see attitude is not the best advice.

 

[HowlinGaleDragons]

My dragons get a kiss every day I've yet to in the many years I have owned them to ever catch something.

This thread is not for you people to try to knit pick my vet told me as i stated and I trust her fully and if you keep your reptiles clean and well cared for and love them who cares if you put your mouth over their snout? Or would you rather sit there and watch it die from lack of Oxygen? I will always put my kids (Reptiles) life as a top priority and you know what If I do in some rare instance get sick oh well I saved its life, and as many vets have stated to me and as gross as this will sound it is actually not common to catch things from reptiles that are cared for and clean one vets exact words where "About the only way you can get sick is if you lick its butt"

As I stated before this is a thread for people to learn not for people to harass call me names and shoot things down please keep it off this thread.

 

[rosebud945]

Nicole, I did not call you names or shoot you down, but I have asked some legitimate questions. Instead of reacting from emotions, can you try to understand why I ask them and try to answer them? As a long term reptile rehabber, I am open to new techniques for treating lizards, but I do need these questions, that come out of my many years of animal rehab experience to be answered before I can embrace what you are suggesting here.

 

[HowlinGaleDragons]

Feel free to Private Message me on it other wise I will no longer be posting here as I am tired of people taking helpful information from people and slamming it around and ruining the whole thread. And I did not say you specifically called me names but Seamus seems to like doing it.

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

Id like to see the name of the vet that advised this method of resuscitation.

 

[Miss Tuniwha]

Nicole,

Donna asked a very valid question.

She merely asked for more detailed instructions, or better yet a video, to prevent people from accidentally injuring their animals.

I find it irresponsible to offer up this advise, and not back up this information with facts... By responding with "I will no longer be posting here" comes across as though you do not stand behind this information.

If you are gonna post something like this, you need to back it up, or take it down.

 

[Ed Clark]

I think its reasonable to try any means you can when faced with a life and death situation, weather or not backed up by any facts.

I would try anything in my power to save an animal thats in crises and could possibly be dying. don't you think trying something unconventional is better than doing nothing because its not backed by facts?

 

[Miss Tuniwha]

I think its reasonable to try any means you can when faced with a life and death situation, weather or not backed up by any facts.

I would try anything in my power to save an animal thats in crises and could possibly be dying. don't you think trying something unconventional is better than doing nothing because its not backed by facts?

I do think that one would try what they could to save their pets life.. but I do not think that saying "here's how to do it" is applicable.

Had she said "I lucked out and saved my animals by doing this"

things would be different.

 

[Ed Clark]

I do think that one would try what they could to save their pets life.. but I do not think that saying "here's how to do it" is applicable.

Had she said "I lucked out and saved my animals by doing this"

I think she was relating to how she saved her dragon from drowning. I doubt if there was much luck involved.

 

[Miss Tuniwha]

then.. "Here is how I saved my dragons from drowning" still would have been better suited.