Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He was a rescue, a very bad case of MBD.When i got him he was only 4-6 months and was almost diying.Could not walk or digest his food anymore.I treated him for 2 years and 3 months and the last few weeks he was doing so well i took some pictures of him.He was even running with a lifted tail and sleeping with his arms along his body what he could not do before due to the MBD.

Friday he was perfect, playfull and happy.Saturday he started to become black.Sunday he was still more black and vomited once.I thought it was because he ate too much.But he still didnt look sick.Monday he was black and looking tired.I contacted the vet but the vet didnt come to work.He didnt vomit again but didnt want to eat and slept the whole day.At around 9PM he started to open his mouth trying to breath and died in my hands.

I wonder why he died.I put his body in the frig and ill ask my vet (when he comes to work!) to open him.I really want to find out why he died.

Im very sad .I have been hand feeding him daily for the last 2 years and 3 months.On the beggining he was just always sick,could not behave like a normal beardie but the last few weeks he was so well, flourishing, running well and even headbobing to my birds!

Then he died.Like that.I wonder why.

Flavia

I am very sorry to hear about your rescue beardie. There should be more people like you in the world. The MBD caused by a horrible previous owner shortened his life so much. You made his last years good ones. They are very fragile creatures and can die that quickly, you did everything you could.
-Sara

I'm sorry to hear about your beardie. It sounds like you did everything you could.

I am wondering, since you said the new gardener cleaned the cage, if it's possible the gardener used some kind of chemical to clean it with? Usually when I hear of a dragon suddenly becoming black and then dying like this, it is often a case of some kind of poisoning. Not always, just a thought.

Please update us when you get the necropsy results. If anything good can come of this tragedy maybe we can all learn something from it.
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
1.0 pictus gecko (Nicodemus)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.1 ferreta (Playstation & Genesis)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

Flavia

I am so sorry, you know I was worried about him and all he had going on when he first came to you. Chances are that he had many internal problems due to the prior care he had. Lack of calcium will often leech calcium from their bones and when that gets bad enough it does from the organs too and they are weakened also. Reptiles are hearty animals and even can life a fairly good life with much renal dusfuntion, which is often the result of poor calcium intake and other crystals forming early on.

I was amazed you got him back to the condition you did, he came such a long way, but you can only undo so much and you did so much for him.

He was a lucky beardie to have found you
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www.reptilerooms.com

I just called the vet who opened Croissant.The result was a surprise and i dont know whether it made me feel better or worse.According to the vet Croissant died due to a very bad bacterial attack.The doctor said he got the worst type of bacteria, the one that can kill a human being in 24 hours, almost without symptoms.He had blood inside his intestines and lugs.That is true because when Croissant was dying my son saw and told me he had blood inside his mouth.

He asked me what i was giving Croissant to eat.I said i only gave him Cerelac mixed with water.I have been handfeeding him Cerelac for the last 8 months(before i used to give him vegetables soup). He said that that type of bacteria is found in cases of severe food poisoning.But he said that this bacteria can also be present in the air, and well, im living in New Delhi, what is a great city but not a...very clean one.On the contrary,all the members of my family, including myself, had health problems ("Delhi belly diseases" )here due to the dirtness of the city.

So if i had not brought him to India he would probably be alive by now.

As i told you before Croissant had MBD and when i got him 2 years and 3 months ago his jaw was soo deformed he could not eat by himself and i needed to hand feed him.When he got better he decided he wanted me to handfeed him for the rest of his life and NEVER ate one single leaf by himself. And i only gave him CERELAC mixed with water to eat.So i dont think its food poisoning mainly because he didnt have any diarrhea.

He said Croissant's liver and kidneys were perfect what made me very happy.Croissant was a living proof that even a severe case of MBD can be cured.Completely cured.

Well i do hope my other lizards will not get that infection too.

Bye Croissant.I loved you very much.

(photo taken 2 years ago, a few months after he arrived home)

Flavia