Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have a 16 mo old beardie. He had a rectal prolapse last spring and the vet had to operate & get him all back together. The vet was amazed he lived. A couple of times since then, his innards came out & went back in.

Last nite, they came out again. I took him out of his tank & put him in his mesh outdoor cage so there was no substrate to annoy the tissue. I put a heating pad under the cage. I was hoping they would go back in but as of this morning, his insides are still out. He won't eat or drink, altho he is alert & watching me.

Since this is an ongoing problem, does anyone know of any creative home remedies for this? I really hate to lose him. And yes, I will be calling the vet this AM but in the meantime....any help?

Thanks in advance,
~lisa

soak him in some warm water loaded with sugar. Or you could put him in sugar water and then pour sugar directly onto the prolapsed tissue. This sometimes works. Wife says they actually do this with mammals (horses dogs cows etc) and vet has told me it works for reptiles also.
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

thanks so much! I'm going to try that now. He is acting better, walking around & such..but still won't eat his veggies.

I'll let you know & thanks again!
~lisa

. . . . with a pac man frog! and after a week of daily baths in it and preperation h it went back in and he was fine. As delicate as most amphibians are i didnt expect it to work, but it did! Defintly try the sugar water. Good luck!

peace,
nate

Derek,

How long to soak & how often? It must feel good cuz the little bugger is soaking for the second time & normally he doesn't like to hang out in the water. The first time he soaked about 15 mins, this time he's been in for another 15.

thanks for the help to both you & your wife!
~lisa

I think it just starts to work if it is going to work. Have you seen any prgress of it moving back into his body?
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Derek,

No progress on it going back in yet He is a bit more active but that's it. Still won't eat his veggies. He drank some water while he was soaking, so at least he won't dehydrate.

I swabbed some neosporin on the exposed tissue hoping to protect it. Last time he lost tissue to decay. This time I think keeping him out of the tank (away from basking lamp & sand)has helped as the tissue isn't turning dark like last time. Now I'm worried about how long he can go without lamps. I do have a heating pad under the sheet where he is & he seems to lay on that periodically. Is this sufficient do you know?

Sorry to ask so many questions, I just really hate that the little guy isn't well.

Thanks again for all of your help!
~lisa

My vet always told me COLD water for prolapsed. Cold water with tons of sugar. Warm water will only speed up the blood to circulate to the prolapsed rectum. Please try the cold water and sugar, and soak for a while. I've known cases where people left them soaking for an hour or longer until they could get to the vet and the prolapsed by that time did retract. Cold water not freezing but cold to the touch and lots of sugar. This can be serious so get on the phone with a vet in the mean time. Let us know how this works out? if it does not retract in say 45 minutes make sure he is on moist CLEAN paper towels, do not want this area to turn dark and dry out. After it dries then basically the vet will have to cut the dark dry part away and stitch. Cold water with lots of sugar, and super clean moist paper towels for substrate keep area moist. Good Luck. Wish I saw this sooner =(
-----
Mystical Dragons

You are right now that I think of it you don't want warm water, but don't think you want cold straight out of the faucet either i think you would want more along the lines of a 65-70ish water as to not cool the beardies too cold.
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

yes, your right don't want to shock him either. I just hope he sees this message.
-----
Mystical Dragons

So he should be good, hopefully all turns out well. Hope the poor guy doesn't need another surgery.

Derek
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

If you really coated the prolapsed tissue with sugar while it was in a little water and it did not return to its natural posistion I would seek the help of a vet immediately. The heating pad will work fine for a little while as long as it isn't too hot.
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

THANKS for the updated posts. Sorry, have been trying to deal with real life while hanging out with the little fellow & trying to get some work done<G>

The tissue didn't go back but i had him in lukewarm sugar water up to his shoulders. I'll try putting less water in & more sugar, then pour some right on the tissue itself. Figures today was the day I was low on sugar. I just got more so I'm going to try again. If this doesn't work, he's gonna have to go back for more surgery tonight.

OK...because you guys all understand how i'm feeling, i have to ask this. I love the little critter, he's a great lizard with a good personality. But I'm honestly not sure if i'm doing the right thing keeping him alive via continued surgeries if this is to keep happening...it can't be good The vet is no help honestly, other than she can clean him up & stitch it closed again.

Anyway, thank you all for your help. I'll continue to post & let you know how Rex is doing. You guys are great!!

~lisa
(and Rex)

Both Rex & I want to say thanks nathan, matt & derek, you're the best.

We went to see the vet & fortunately this time, she was able to pop it all back in. She said the tissue was in 'remarkable condition'...thanks to your advice! If I hadn't soaked him as much as I did & kept him on the heating pad, it would have been much worse.

Thank you to everyone for their help, it is much appreciated!
~lisa
& Rex