Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that there are many experts at this forum, and I thank them for their advice given. And I know many people already know this piece of information, but for those of you who do not, I really would like you to know.

Enemas are NOT and I stress NOT to be given to bearded dragons.

Apparently, my vet (and myself) did not know this piece of information, and I yielded to the idea of the enema. Instead of saving my beardie, I lost my 3 year old Fred 2 days later.

I really hope this piece does someone some good, and please don't make the mistake I did. I'm still living with the guilt two months after his death.

Thanks.

I'm sorry you lost your Fred,but Im curious about this warning and how exactly you know it was the enema the caused the death of your dragon. Why was the enema administerd? What was used? I gave a mineral oil enema to a dragon that was impacted and it saved her life. Of course I did administer the oil orally first, but this did not work.
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Paul Morlock
of CaptiveCreations and
Retail Sales Rep. for Sandfire Dragon Ranch

enema's can and are given to dragons if the person knows what they are doing and it can save the life on one seriously impacted low in the intestines.

The thing to be cautious of is that it has to be a low colonic enema and the fluids adminsitered slowly and not forced if there is a blockage that can cause the intestines to preforate.

ITs a delicate balancing act and a knowledgable professional can use it successfully..

I am so sorry what happened to Fred and I think it was not something that he needed at the time, I will forever feel bad this happened to him and you.
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www.reptilerooms.com

I lost my precious Tazzie to a reptile vet unskilled with administering enemas to bearded dragons. He punctured his colon during the procedure, claimed not to realize he did so and later that evening, Tazzie died a horrific, painful death from a massive infection. It's been six months and the guilt, nightmares and horrible memories of what happened are still really vivid. But never say never... I lost 2 leopard geckos to a simple pinworm infestation because I refused to allow a vet to do an enema-type test to check for worms and parasites. With a skilled, experienced vet, a seriously ill beardie could be saved. Believe me there is just as much guilt when you lose a pet to a botched procedure as there is when you lose one to your own misguided refusal to allow a procedure. The key is experience. I now drive over an hour to see a highly experienced reptile vet, instead of seeing one of the 20 or so that are much closer, but with much less experience. Prepare for an emergency when your beardie is healthy, so when something happens, you can feel confident in the recommendations of your vet.

I'm sorry for your loss. I sure do understand why you made this warning. I felt the same way for a very long time.

Good luck,
Lisa