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could it be a respiratory infection?

jwainhause Apr 08, 2004 09:57 AM

My 10 month old male who is not eating and therefor not pooping. I have in the past, perhaps mistakenly, allowed him to spend long periods of time out of his cage. He had learned to 'not ask' to come out until he had gone to the bathroom in the morning. In the past few months sometimes he would spend the whole day in a few of his favorite hangouts. Not all of them warm. Two other things that make me think it could be a respiratory infection. First is that he almost always has his mouth open. I discounted gaping a while ago when I checked and double checked the temps and found that he had his mouth open regardless of where he is. Even in cool areas outside the cage.
His cage temps seem OK - 93-96 on the hot side and 85 - 87 on the cool side. Second, while I don't see mucus in his nostrils, they never seem to be clear and open like the rest of my dragons. I think his mouth is a bit drier than my other dragons.

He is due for a check-up this afternoon at 5 though I would love to get some more feedback before I take him in. Once again, thanks for all the help. This board is a most valued resource.

Replies (2)

beardiedragon Apr 08, 2004 04:34 PM

do you see any excess liquid or musous in the mouth? I would have the vet look at it, you may need some baytril to knock it out and it should be vet perscribed. what is your cage humidity? that may need to change as well. Some folks recomend higher humidity for URI some say lower so ask your vet, hopefully sombody else here has more experience with it than me.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

jwainhause Apr 08, 2004 05:52 PM

Vet took a blood sample and stool sample. He wants to wait on antibiotics until he gets some results back. There is not so much mucus but his mouth does seem a bit dry and yellow. The vet thought that it could be more serious and indicative of liver problems. I hope not...

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