Dex at the Vet

Dex was spayed today. Her belly was filled with undeveloped eggs! More than any other surgery I've seen. 

While in surgery, the vet noticed that Dex's liver is very pale and has quite a few places where it's bleeding. He took a biopsy of it to figure out if it's related to the stuck eggs or to her adenovirus. 

It's very possible that even without her eggs, Dex will still remain unhealthy because of liver failure. :( 

She's home now and sleeping off the anesthesia. Poor girl. I hope she's able to recover from this. 

Dex at the Vet

YDex had an ultrasound today that should a lot of bundled eggs (or egg follicles) high in her belly that haven't dropped down through her oviducts. Her bloodwork showed a high white blood cell count which says she's fighting an infection so chances are good that the eggs are rotting in her belly. 

She needs surgery to be spayed. A $500 surgery. 

Dex also has adenovirus (ADV+) and there's no way to know how she will respond to the surgery or if she will ultimately recover. 

Sickly Dex

In the last few weeks, Dex has been very lethargic. I took her in yesterday for bloodwork and got the results back today. 

Dex has a very high white blood cell count (sign of an infection) and a high calcium level (possibly eggs). 

My guess is that I have another female with undeveloped eggs that are starting to be toxic. :( I'm taking her in for an ultrasound on Monday and we should be able to see if she has eggs. 

Dex tested positive for adenovirus (ADV+) and so the idea of surgery becomes a complicated option. ADV+ beardies are much more susceptible to infection and stress. I'm not sure she can handle the trauma of having her eggs, ovaries, and oviducts removed. 

I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it next week. 

Fecal Testing

When I get a new beardie in, I don't test for parasites right away. A couple weeks of clean tanks and good food usually clear up any parasite infections on their own.

Lately it seems that all my guys are having stinky, runny poops so I've decided to run a test on everyone. 

I pick up the poop with the float kit and fill it full of a special liquid. Then it sits for 15 minutes with a slide cover on top. 

Then I put the slide cover, with the poopy liquid on it, onto a glass slide. 

Then I look at it under 400 X magnification with my microscope that I got on Amazon. 

Yesterday I tested Dex and have never seen so many pinworms in one test! No wonder her belly is bloated! Flame is being treated for coccidia. 

Then I have a list of treatment dates by the meds so I don't forget. 

If you're interested in doing fecal tests on your own, you can get all your supplies and instructions from 

www.beautifuldragons.com

Read about Do-It-Yourself Fecal Testing HERE

Dex, rescue 138

Dex is the only adult of the 5 beardies I rescued last week. She's very sweet and appears to be healthy. Her belly does seem bloated, but she won't poop for me so I can do a fecal test. 

This is how I found her today! Ha! 

Once I get her fecal test done, she will be 

ready to adopt out.