Update on my Sicklies

Lucy had a pretty down day. She didn't move much and didn't eat. It's just a waiting game with her to see how she does.

MuShu still is not eating much and so she's not pooping enough for me to do a fecal test on her. We still don't know why she had a prolapse in the first place. So we're just waiting for her to start eating normally. 

Moose was quite active today. He didn't want to sit in a sunny window like everyone else. We'll have to train him to do that. He showed some interest in food, but I don't think he ate. Usually within two or three shots, beardies with respiratory infections feel & act better. 

Moose, rescue 95

Moose is a beautiful male beardie with a respiratory infection. He's not been eating or drinking or pooping well because he doesn't feel good. 

He got his first antibiotic shot tonight and that should help him start feeling better soon. 

If he doesn't start eating on his own, he'll get force fed Critical Care along with MuShu and Lucy. 

Bird Sitting

We are watching our friend's cockatiel Tickle this week. Tickle has bonded only with my youngest child and doesn't wNt anyone else to touch him. He can be a very bratty bird.

I miss birds and fostering them. I started off doing bird rescue years ago but switched to reptiles since my husband was allergic to the feathers. 

About the time Tickle starts screeching and singing at 6:30 in the morning, I'm okay with not having birds anymore. ;) 

Lucy is Eating on her Own

Lucy ate some of the greens I gave her this morning. That's a great sign.

Lucy is Already Looking Better

Lucy looks better now that the anesthesia has worn off. 

She's hanging out with us tonight on the couch. 

Lucy's Surgery

Lucy's surgery was very successful today. The vet removed over 30 eggs that were stuck in her. A few of them had started to rot so she'll be on antibiotics for awhile. They also removed her ovaries so she won't ever produce eggs again. Phew!

Her X-ray:

The eggs: 

Her incision: 

Her sad, sleepy face: 

Lucy will get pain meds daily, antibiotic shots every 3 days, and I'll force feed her Critical Care day until she eats well on her own. 

I expect she'll be up and going in no time now that she's not a bloated mess. 

Lucy is on her Way to the Vet

Lucy is on her way to the vet for her surgery today. She's a LOT less bloated and she's more alert. I look forward to her being healthy and active. 

I'm so sad that I can't be there to watch the surgery and take pics. I had foot surgery (again) on Monday and have to stay off my foot. I sent a list of instructions for the vet techs and am hoping they'll take pics of how many eggs they take out of her.

She will look SO much better when she sheds too. She was on sand and it has made her scales look dirty and gross. Surgery, a healthy diet, some sunshine, and a good shed will turn this girl into a beautiful lizard!

Update on "Fatty Lucy"

Lucy pooped today on her own which is good. At least she's no longer impacted.

Her surgery is tomorrow morning. She hardly moves or does anything all day. I'm guessing it's just because she's so uncomfortable being so full of eggs. 

I look forward to seeing how she is when she's not carrying around so much weight and is able to move & eat on her own. 

I'll post updates tomorrow. 

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Sweet Roscoe

I am sobbing as I write this. Roscoe passed away tonight in my hand. I tried everything I could do to bring him back. He wasn't gaining weight or progressing. He was too sick and too messed up.

Run free, little sweet Roscoe. My whole family is heartbroken to lose you. You'll be forever in our hearts. 

Goodbye, sweet baby. 

Sweet Bugsy

I'm sad to report that Bugsy lost his battle today. :( He was too sick and too weak. 

Sweet Bugsy will be buried under my apple tree with my other precious ones. 

Surgery for Lucy

Lucy, last week's rescue, is so filled with infertile eggs that she's no longer able to eat or drink or poop or even breathe normally. Without an operation to remove the eggs and spay her, the eggs will become toxic inside her and she will painfully die. :(

I'm just barely back to even after all of the vet bills last week for my three sicklies that the thoughts of a $600 surgery are overwhelming. Plus, on top of everything, I had my 4th foot surgery today. So even though it is hard to do this, I created another GoFundMe campaign for Lucy.

Look at this huge belly! 

If you can, please donate. If you can't, please share the link. Lucy will have a great life ahead of her if we can remove these eggs. Right now the vet says she is full of air & eggs.

Here's the link to the GoFundMe account:

gofundme.com/3b4me58g2k

Lucy, rescue 94

Lucy is a beautiful and BIG female bearded dragon. Between being impacted (constipated) and carrying a few eggs and having pinworms, her belly is very bloated! She also has a nasty respiratory infection.

She got her first doses of antibiotic shots and pinworm meds tonight. I'll make sure she's pooping regularly and then we'll deal with getting her to lay her eggs. It's all triage-- treat the worst things first. 

The antibiotics will start working well within 24 hours and that will help. Good nutrition and good husbandry (daily care) should help her bounce back quickly. 

A Bit of Brightness about Ada

Ada (who is a girl and not a boy which is what we thought when we named her Popeye) will be donated to a study being conducted by my second favorite vet, Dr Echols. He will humanely euthanize her and then use her body to better learn about circulation and respiration in monitor lizards.

So even if her past year is tragic, she will help pass on knowledge to the world through the scientific study that Dr Echols and his team will publish. 

A bittersweet blessing for this sweet girl. 

Balya, rescue 93

I'm helping my friend with Balya's rescue. She's a red tail boa in really really bad shape. Poor thing is so skinny that her belly folds over her back.

Today she's at the vet getting some fluids and having an abscess removed. She should be okay once she starts being tube fed some Critical Care. And hopefully the abscess is an isolated problem and not a symptom of a systemic infection. 

She had at least seven layers of stuck shed on her. 

Roscoe at the Vet

Roscoe is beyond adorable. And today he was intent on staying out of his box!

Dr Folland amputated the dead part of his tail. 

And gave him his first Calcitonin shot-- a med that will help his bones absorb more calcium out of his blood stream. It's the shots that made such a big difference with Newt, my little MBD chameleon. 

After the shot, Roscoe just wanted to be held. Or to be up high. Anywhere but his box! He was happiest sitting on Bugsy's back. 

When they took Bugsy back for his second test, Roscoe sat happily on my shoulder. 

He's so adorable that it's hard to say "No" to him. He'll probably got back in another two weeks for a second Calcitonin shot. 

Bad News for Bugsy

Bugsy has been sickly since he returned to me last month. When he showed no improvement after 8 antibiotic shots, I took him back to my vet.

On Monday, Dr Folland took a blood sample on Bugsy but the results were "unremarkable." Today I took Bugsy back for an X-ray and the results were not good. 

It appears Bugsy has abscesses in his lungs-- pockets of pus & infected tissue embedded into the lining of the lungs. There is no treatment; its terminal. 

This was Bugsy after the X-ray. He was SO mad. 

I'm waiting for the results of a second test they did. It will show the abscesses more clearly. And then we can decide what to do next. :( 

Finally Some Poop!

MuShu has not been pooping normally and started throwing up when I force fed her. So she was headed back to the vet tomorrow. She's only given me tiny poops that are mostly water. See?

Tonight I found her like this: 

As I tucked her leg under the paper towel, I noticed a big & normal looking poop on her hide. 

Yippee!!! 

Finally, her guts are working. 

Now I need another couple poops and then I'll test her for worms. She had a really bad prolapse which is normally caused by an infestation of parasites. Her poop doesn't look like she has pinworms or coccidia. I wonder if the sand she was on made her prolapse. 

Anyways, she's getting a pass for the vet trip and can stay home. It'll just be Bugsy for his X-ray and Roscoe for his tail treatment (an amputation).  

Some times poop is really good news! 

Bugsy Update

Mr Bugsy continues to baffle my vet and I with his behavior. He acts very sick; he's not eating or drinking on his own; he sleeps all day and is still pooping blood.

Yesterday he went to the vet for a checkup. He's had 8 antibiotic shots for a respiratory infection, but still has coughing spells. His breathing was clear and easy for my vet. So we got a blood sample. 

His blood test results were "unremarkable" and don't do much (anything) to explain what's wrong. Or why he poops blood. His fecal tests are clear. 

Tomorrow I will take in all my sicklies and Bugsy will get an X-ray. Maybe that will show something. 

There's no other obvious reason for him to be so lethargic and not eating. Just like there's no obvious reason for MuShu to not be pooping. She'll probably get an X-Ray too. Roscoe has to get the tip of his tail amputated too. It's going to be an expensive visit. 

a Mini Donation Campaign for Roscoe & Friends

I've debated doing this and even now I'm agonizing over creating another GoFundMe campaign but my rescue is stretched past its financial limits right now. Between Roscoe, MuShu, and Bugsy-- and now the dying monitor-- I am not bringing in enough money through my Etsy shop to pay for all the vet bills I'm sticking on my credit card last week and this week. I've even been selling off stuff in an attempt to make extra money.

Will you consider helping me? Either through PayPal (link on the side bar of the blog) or through this GoFundMe link. Even a couple dollars will help make sure I am not so wiped out that by this week's vet bills that I can no longer take in rescues.

gofundme.com/zt9s2ss

Popeye/Ada, rescue number 92

This is a sad sad rescue. This beautiful savannah monitor was given to my rescue friend and we took her to the vet this morning. Originally we thought it was a boy and named her "Popeye" and then learned she was a girl and named her "Ada."

Her arm is obviously swollen and filled with infection. 

But the x-Rays showed that the infection is wide spread caused by 3 retained eggs. 

The infection traveled into her arm first and then spread in the blood stream to her legs where it ate away the bones. 

She is too far gone to be able to save. She has the same widespread infection in the bones that Turbo, my one eyed iguana, has. :( 

The best choice was to opt for euthanasia and put her out of her pain & misery. 

She's at my house for now. 

We'll give her one last warm soak and a last good meal and more love before we put her down. 

UPDATE:  

She pretty much hated me and so I took her back to my friend's house where she is happy. :)