Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How can you tell if a beardie is overweight? Oolong's been gaining so much weight, I'm beginning to wonder if the "buddha belly" is normal or entirely healthy. ;}

Recent pic:

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~Alice

1.0 Bearded Dragon (Oolong)
0.1 ferret (Lil' Guy)
7.4 cats (Angel, Goblin, Hush, Kirin, Sammy, Squee, Toes, Feets, Gypsy, Kana, Raisen)

I've never heard of an overweight beardie. I've always thought bigger is better! He doesn't look fat to me, just big.

I am wondering though if he has some kind of growth on his face?
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

>>I've never heard of an overweight beardie. I've always thought bigger is better! He doesn't look fat to me, just big.

Sweet! I was hoping that was the case, but I'd hate to "kill him with kindness", so to speak.

>>I am wondering though if he has some kind of growth on his face?

Yes, he does... three of them, in fact (one under that right eye, & one on both sides of his bottom jaw). They're the main part of the reason that we've spent over $800 in vet bills in the 2 months since we found him. o_O Originally, he was being treated just for abscesses resulting from an infected wound over his right eye, but after 2 courses of amicacin injections, 2 surgeries, a few shots of fortaz, & twice daily flushing with nolvasan on the jaw abscesses for the last week & a half, the abscesses are smaller than they were, but not completely gone. We just got the results of a lab culture from his most recent surgery, & he's apparently got proteus as well as just garden-variety abscesses. Monday we go back to the vet for oral baytril & a new supply of fortaz.

As I've said: most expensive "free" pet, EVER! ;P

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~Alice

1.0 Bearded Dragon (Oolong)
0.1 ferret (Lil' Guy)
7.4 cats (Angel, Goblin, Hush, Kirin, Sammy, Squee, Toes, Feets, Gypsy, Kana, Raisen)

Oh, I remember you talking about him now! The rescued boy.

Well sounds like you're doing a good job, what devotion! People think I'm crazy when I spend a ton of money on my pets like that, but it just goes along with owning pets. He does look fat and happy. My lizards have big old budda bellies too, they loooove to eat! I encourage it.
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

>>Oh, I remember you talking about him now! The rescued boy.

Yup, that's him! I sometimes like to fantasize about his former life... did his first family "set him free" in the mistaken idea that he'd flourish in the wild, or did he say to himself "y'know, I've got it pretty good here, but I think there're probably some *real* suckers out there who will *really* spoil me rotten." & then strike out on his own to seek his fortune...

;D

>>Well sounds like you're doing a good job, what devotion!

Thank you! I'm not sure it's really devotion, so much as a sense of affection & responsibility. Oolong's care primarily falls upon myself & my best friend/roomate, while his bills are split between the two of us & our SO's. I'm sure if somebody had said to us "Hey, you can have this really nifty lizard, but he's going to need close to $1,000 worth of vet bills almost immediately", we would have found him another home. As it is, though, he wheedled his way into our hearts for a few days before his medical issues became apparent... and by that time, we were all quite fond of him on his own merits, & we all have a pretty strong sense of responsibility toward our pets. Once they're ours, we've got to do our darnedest to get them the care we need.

I think I can speak for the rest of the household when I say that Oolong is totally worth it. Not that any of us can't easily think of a bazillion other things we'd rather spend that $800+ on, but if Oolong needs it, Oolong's going to get it.

Of course, I do tease Oolong about how selfish he's being. A few of our cats are about due for their annual check-ups/shots, & we were just about to make an appointment for my eldest when Oolong's abscesses took a sudden turn for the worse & demanded an immediate $400+ worth of attention. "Sure, I see how you are, Oolong... It's Goblin's turn to go to the vet, but nooOOoooo... you have to steal his spot. The vet techs are *your* friends, & Goblin doesn't *deserve* to go visit them..." ;P

>>People think I'm crazy when I spend a ton of money on my pets like that, but it just goes along with owning pets.

See, I wish more people were like you. I pretty much feel that once you take responsibilty for a pet, if you can make them healthier and increase their quality of life by paying for some medical treatment, you're pretty much obligated to do so. It disturbs me to see how many people don't feel the same way, who feel that if it's cheaper to just euthanize the animal in question & buy a "replacement", then that's the "wise" course of action. F'rinstance, my mom & my roomie's mother, at different times, have both either indignantly suggested that we're crazy to pay this much to keep a lizard healthy, or at the very least increduously asked if it "was worth it".

Harrumph.

Personally, I'm glad my parents paid for my various childhood treatments for broken bones, stitches, & other emergency room visits, rather than just deciding that it'd be cheaper to just have another kid, instead, ;P

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~Alice

1.0 Bearded Dragon (Oolong)
0.1 ferret (Lil' Guy)
7.4 cats (Angel, Goblin, Hush, Kirin, Sammy, Squee, Toes, Feets, Gypsy, Kana, Raisen)

Yep, you're just like me. It's nice to meet a like mind.

A few years ago when my dog got cancer we were told it was terminal right off the bat. We could have put her to sleep then and there, but instead we spent about $3000 on treatment to make her last few months with us as comfortable as possible. I found out a few people would talk behind my back about how stupid it was to waste that money and not just put her down, but for me it was completely worth it to have those last few months with her and get closure.

Of course the instant her quality of life was no longer maintained by treatment, we put her to sleep. I wasn't going to drag it out, but I wasn't going to put her to sleep too soon either. I know what we did was the right thing, and even though it was so expensive I wouldn't have done it any other way and I have no regrets.

Like you, I feel like we have a responsibility to the animals we keep, and should do everything in our power to do what we can for them, because they depend on us for that.
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)