Ziggy's Surgery Success

Ziggy went to the vet today and had two X-rays done. The first showed the infection in his finger had eaten away the bone down to palm. The second showed the bottom three vertebrae on his tail were also basically dissolved by the tail infection.

Dr Folland removed the finger on Ziggy's left hand and about an inch of his tail. It went great! He is all stitched up and was ready to go home right away. I fed him some worms and some greens and am keeping him warm in his tank.

Ziggy this morning before his surgery

What his tail looks like now
 

Ziggy's finger 

I brought him home and he stayed all wrapped up in his blankie

Ziggy, rescue number 39

Found this beardie online yesterday and sent my friend to buy him for $25. Look at his tail! :( No wonder he is so aggressive-- that tail is disgustingly swollen. 

He'd been kept for years (owner had NO idea how old he is) in an outdoor greenhouse and fed kale and superworms. The guy brought home a half dozen beardies to decorate his outdoor greenhouse. Within a short amount of time he had dozens of beardies running around. Totally irresponsible beardie ownership.

Thankfully, he rehomed all his beardies except this one who he said was too aggressive.

My friend picked him up and took him home. Not only was his tail super infected, one of his fingers has been infected for so long that the bones have been eaten away.

She kept trying to put him on the counter and he kept trying to climb back onto her shoulder. He did not want to be put down. She did give him some fluids and a little food. 

Aggressive? Really? Try scared, in pain, and neglected. Poor buddy. 

I attempted to remove infection from his tail, but the tissue is so diseased that the infection has replaced the healthy tissue. It will have to be amputated. His finger infection has spread so badly that at least part of his hand will have to be removed too.

He is in rough shape, but he is still spunky. It was a relief this morning when he woke up. He's so happy to be warm that he's been spending all his time on his heated cornbag and under his blanket.

I have a vet appt this morning and Ziggy will be in surgery around 11:30 am. Today starts the first day of the rest of his "happily ever after." He'll be on antibiotics for a long time, and I suspect that his infection got into his bones & blood stream. Once a beardie gets a systemic infection, it is almost impossible to get rid of all of the small pockets of pus. He will most likely be like Spike, my third rescue, and will fight infection for the rest of his life until it eventually kills him. But at least he is out of that crummy greenhouse in a place where he is loved & cared for.

It will be a month or so before he's ready to be adopted, but I am intent on finding him a home where he is adored and cherished!

This is Ziggy this morning. I was happy he was alive! 

Why I Choose NOT to Breed my Beardies...

What it's Like to Run a Rescue out of My House-- a picture tour

Tanks-- lots & lots of tanks

An empty tank in the front room

An empty tank in my bedroom

Tanks in my front entry way

Tanks in my living room

Cords! ALWAYS cords and power strips!

Shed skin

Our interesting shed collection

Random pieces of shed skin around the house

Food-

My roach colony in the guest bathroom

Greens in the fridge

Food in the tanks-- always spread all over

Supplies--

Summer sunning cages sitting in a cold garage

New tank supplies: dishes & astroturf & logs, etc

Sunbleaching pieces of tile to put in tanks

Sunbleaching astroturf & rocks outside

Medical supplies in the bathroom drawer

Critical Care in the fridge with the ketchup

Bowls & bulbs stored in drawers in the laundry room

Adjusting basking temps again & again & again--

Almost, but not quite

Way too high-- move light up a bit

Keeping track of weights --

Dead Dragons in my garage, waiting to be buried--

The latest dragon's box

My front yard herb garden which doubles as a beardie cemetery--

10 beardies and counting

Beardie supplies in the sink, waiting to washed in the dishwasher--

Trying to take advantage of sunny days by putting beardies in the window--

A "barrier" to use when I have more beardies than sunny windows

Proving Hospice Care for terminally sick beardies--

Spike is happiest when he's in the sunshine

Listening to scratching beardies who just want out of their tanks--

Toothless kept moving and made the picture blurry

Max went from totally bruminating to spending all day trying to get out

A box full of beardie blankies & corn bags in my front room-- 

POOP! Lots & lots & lots & lots & lots & lots of poop. That's what I feel like I do the most. I call myself a "Waste Management Director." :) I'll save you the pictures of this one.



Love! Lots & lots & lots & lots & lots of beardie love.

I have two beardies in my hoodie 

Frilled Dragon, rescue number 38

Picked him up at noon; he is severely underweight with a bad shed 

At 4 pm, I gave him a bath and he drank

Wrapped him in a towel and put him under a heat light; he didn't move

Increased his humidity up to 80% and he seemed to relax some

At 10:30 pm, I found him on his side in his tank 

He was completely unresponsive 

He started doing his "death gasping" every few minutes

And then he was gone :(

Too little, too late, too far gone.

Two dead dragons in three days. I'm feeling raw and tired.