# Bearded dragon operation cost



## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

Had to take our beardie to vets yesterday cause he isn't pooing. The vet gave him an enema and some laxatives to be given twice a day. Got to take him back on Tuesday if not better and said he might need operation. Any idea anyone on how much that might cost.


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

How long has he not poop'ed?


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

he is doing little tiny bits. now the thing is about a week or so ago we think he swallowed the cotton bit of a cotton bud and we are hoping this isnt causing the problems. friday night he went very light in color and was like it sat morning which is why we took him to vets, he just wasnt comfortable. they tested for parasites with a tiny bit he did on the way there and there wasnt any.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

You can help a bit, put a natural stone under the heat lamp..this will radiate long wavelength IR back onto the belly as the wild. Watch the temps!!

Spray it down each day to allow transfer drinking and increase humidity, this will all help slightly

John


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

been giving him warm baths as directed by vet. he did a little poo about hour ago, not much but also he hasnt had anything to eat since friday night again the vet said dont feed him. i am just hoping he hasnt got to have this op


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

There is a trick I have for when my dragon doesn't go for a long time. I just got him to do a poo yesterday after about 3-4 weeks of nothing. 

I put him in a baby bath with hot water, tilt it slightly and get him to swim for a few seconds then tilt it back so he can relax and breathe(they can't breathe while swimming). It took a few tries but while he was relaxing he did a massive poo. 

I've done this a few times and it always works. Keep in mind though it likely does stress the dragon and you gota be careful not to overdo it..


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

thoir said:


> There is a trick I have for when my dragon doesn't go for a long time. I just got him to do a poo yesterday after about 3-4 weeks of nothing.
> 
> I put him in a baby bath with hot water, tilt it slightly and get him to swim for a few seconds then tilt it back so he can relax and breathe(they can't breathe while swimming). It took a few tries but while he was relaxing he did a massive poo.
> 
> I've done this a few times and it always works. Keep in mind though it likely does stress the dragon and you gota be careful not to overdo it..


Soaking often helps, it might be worth looking at why he isn't going naturally though.


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

Satch said:


> Soaking often helps, it might be worth looking at why he isn't going naturally though.


He never really did go naturally, only ever goes in bath for me


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Surgery will cost a varying amount depending on the animal, the vet, the associated costs (how many xrays needed? aftercare needed? medication needed?) etc. 

I would think you would be looking at something in the £100-300 range but the best bet is just give your vet a call and ask for an approximate price so you can consider your funding.


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## ToothlessSav (Aug 5, 2013)

Impactions are usually the result of ingesting a foreign body, slight dehydration, or slowed gut movements. Unless the cotton tip got tangled in his gut, it's probably not the root cause of the problem. I would suggest increasing the ambient humidity in his viv, and upping the basking spot temp (without raising the ambient temps). Rehydration by way of the lungs is a much quicker way to reverse dehydration than absorption my skin. Also, by raising the basking temp you are giving the dragon the option to increase it's core temp (think self induced fever). It will also speed up it's metabolism and get the gut working faster. 
If it is indeed the cotton tip that's the problem, doing the above things will not effect the dragon negatively. These guys experience periods of moderate humidity in some locals.


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

thoir said:


> He never really did go naturally, only ever goes in bath for me


Do you not find that a bit strange and a cause for concern?


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

Satch said:


> Do you not find that a bit strange and a cause for concern?


No not really tbh I've had him around 4-5 years seems healthier than ever.. I've always thought of it as one of his quirks


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## Chunk the tegu (Feb 18, 2015)

You could try cod liver oil? He doesn't have to eat, put a drop on his nose and wait for him to lick it off, then put another one on and repeat. It is a good natural laxative and a good source of vitamins whilst he can't eat, might be worth a try? I give it to my tegu if he doesn't go after a couple of days. With bowel movements, I give a max of three days before intervening, the longer you leave the situation the harder the faeces turns in the bowels and the harder it becomes to move along. 
How did he swallow the bud of cotton wool in the first place? I don't mean anything by that, mine's always hovering stuff off the floor, he's got a thing about a lump of solidified sealant stuck to the bathroom floor at the minute.


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## GavinMc (Jan 9, 2013)

thoir said:


> He never really did go naturally, only ever goes in bath for me


If this is the case then surely there is something wrong with your husbandry. Maybe a quick run down of your set-up with temps would help. No healthy animal should need to be removed from it's enclosure to go to the toilet.

As John has said - get some natural stone in there or even better get two or three different sized rocks. This will essentially create more then one hot spot all at differing temperatures.



Gavin.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

he had an abccess on a tooth and we had antibiotics and also had to bathe it. that cleared up fine but we are not sure if he swallowed the cotton end or it went down the sink under the water.
normally he poos really well he just seemed uncomfortable and went really light colored for several hours and we werent sure what was wrong. 
about a year ago we lost our female dragon due to impacted eggs which we knew nothing about as we assumed that they had to mate to produce eggs and that was wrong. because of our ignorance on this matter she died, didnt want to ignore anything this time.
on a lighter note, ours will not poo in his tank, he decided he would rather poo where he didnt have to smell it. he comes out every day and when he is ready to poo he will then he lets you know he wants to go back in tank.


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## Chunk the tegu (Feb 18, 2015)

Ha ha, mine likes to make sure everyone can smell it. His viv is opposite my bed. He wakes up in the morning and starts basking, when he decides he wants to come out he starts hammering on the glass, then (if I don't get up) he goes back to the rock and poops on it so that it marinates under the heat lamp. Obviously by this point I have to get up and go see him where he is usually back by the glass door. If I do manage to ignore even that, he sulks back to the rock and looks pathetic because he can't sit on his heat rock as someone has left a poop on it.


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

thoir said:


> No not really tbh I've had him around 4-5 years seems healthier than ever.. I've always thought of it as one of his quirks


Ok, I think it's strange. A quirk is scratching to come out or staring at the TV. What you have is a lizard who's digestive system isn't working correctly. If he wouldn't feed without you having to open his mouth you, I would hope be extraordinarily concerned; I don't see this as different. BDs wouldn't soak to assist deification in the wild.

I'm not trying to be unpleasant, but I would seriously look at your husbandry methods. What ever it is that is affecting his digestive system to this extent may well be causing other problems to develop internally that are not yet apparent.


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

Satch said:


> Ok, I think it's strange. A quirk is scratching to come out or staring at the TV. What you have is a lizard who's digestive system isn't working correctly. If he wouldn't feed without you having to open his mouth you, I would hope be extraordinarily concerned; I don't see this as different. BDs wouldn't soak to assist deification in the wild.
> 
> I'm not trying to be unpleasant, but I would seriously look at your husbandry methods. What ever it is that is affecting his digestive system to this extent may well be causing other problems to develop internally that are not yet apparent.


Eh.. maybe you misunderstand what I posted.. My dragon is perfectly healthy don't worry.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

No offence but the viv is perfectly ok. It is our fault he does this, we got him out a couple of times when we first got him 2 years ago and he pooed while out. He decided he wasn't going to do it in his viv unless he had to. Same as we feed him out of the viv, then in the evening he comes out and lays on my chest or my sons for a cuddle. He loves it. Goes to sleep then we put him back in. Beardies are no different to any other animal, they all like love and affection, just cause they are lizards doesn't make any difference. Apart from my husband and baby royal, he is our only pet. We spoil him nothing wrong with that.


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

thoir said:


> Eh.. maybe you misunderstand what I posted.. My dragon is perfectly healthy don't worry.



You said your dragon has "never really gone properly" something you deemed to be a quirk. 

So unless this isn't the case, then I think you are not understanding my posts. 

I'm not looking to start an argument but if you repeatedly have to induce your lizard to defecate (you mentioned he hadn't gone for 3/4 weeks recently) then there is something amiss. He may appear healthy and I hope he is, but do you know that for sure, what ever is causing him not to defecate without intervention could also be causing other issues to slowly develop.

I can assure you the above is said out of concern for the animal, not an attempt to sound superior, but you sound completely unwilling to even consider there might be an issue, even though your lizard is struggling with a very basic bodily function.


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

Satch said:


> You said your dragon has "never really gone properly" something you deemed to be a quirk.
> 
> So unless this isn't the case, then I think you are not understanding my posts.
> 
> ...


Your making me out to be a bad owner you gota drop this.. He very rarely goes that long without going toilet. I was merely trying to show the OP a technique that works even after weeks of constipation. I'm trying to be polite here..

ps: The quirk is that he never went in his enclosure.. which I think is common enough from what I've read in this thread..


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

thoir said:


> Your making me out to be a bad owner you gota drop this.. He very rarely goes that long without going toilet. I was merely trying to show the OP a technique that works even after weeks of constipation. I'm trying to be polite here..
> 
> ps: The quirk is that he never went in his enclosure.. which I think is common enough from what I've read in this thread..


I thank you for your advice. People have different ways of doing things, maybe they think I am daft giving mine cuddles but mine is the same, he poos very well normally just that he comes out to do it. Would any of you like to be stuck in an enclosed space with that smell lmao


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

tanithvosloo said:


> I thank you for your advice. People have different ways of doing things, maybe they think I am daft giving mine cuddles but mine is the same, he poos very well normally just that he comes out to do it. Would any of you like to be stuck in an enclosed space with that smell lmao


Aha ye your right I think the tamer they are the more they hate the smell of it.. quite understandable


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

thoir said:


> Your making me out to be a bad owner you gota drop this.. He very rarely goes that long without going toilet. I was merely trying to show the OP a technique that works even after weeks of constipation. I'm trying to be polite here..
> 
> ps: The quirk is that he never went in his enclosure.. which I think is common enough from what I've read in this thread..


I'm also trying to be polite, and I'm certainly not trying to upset you or portray you as anything. We're clearly not going to get anywhere though, so i'll make this the last post on the subject. I'd really suggest you privately have a think about what both myself and Gavin have posted though.

OP, best of luck with the lizard, let us know how he gets on, apologies for the slight derailment.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

we didnt take him back yesterday as he seems to be ok but what we have noticed is that he is shedding, now this may sound daft but he hasnt shed for about a year, is that possible. we dont really know how old he is, he was adult when we got him two years ago. he is a big lizard.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

This in itself is of great concern!,,





tanithvosloo said:


> we didnt take him back yesterday as he seems to be ok but what we have noticed is that he is shedding, now this may sound daft but he hasnt shed for about a year, is that possible. we dont really know how old he is, he was adult when we got him two years ago. he is a big lizard.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

well when we told the vet abut the shedding when he had the abcess this he didnt seem concerned about it. everyone has different opinions. you can put a question on the net and you can get 20 different answers, from i wouldnt worry about it to well he is dying. no one can agree on anything. no offence to anyone on here i appreciate all your comments.


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

tanithvosloo said:


> well when we told the vet abut the shedding when he had the abcess this he didnt seem concerned about it. everyone has different opinions. you can put a question on the net and you can get 20 different answers, from i wouldnt worry about it to well he is dying. no one can agree on anything. no offence to anyone on here i appreciate all your comments.


It's true, and there are a lot of people giving I'll-informed advice on the Internet. But if you look at John's signature and general posts, he comes across as one of the people who are worth listening to.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

sorry to tell you but whatever was wrong with him he died last night.


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## aquited (Oct 30, 2008)

tanithvosloo said:


> sorry to tell you but whatever was wrong with him he died last night.


One gosh really sorry to read this. 

All the best


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

tanithvosloo said:


> sorry to tell you but whatever was wrong with him he died last night.


Perhaps he would still be alive if you had taken him back to the vets as the vet advised??


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## thoir (May 12, 2014)

tanithvosloo said:


> sorry to tell you but whatever was wrong with him he died last night.


Really sorry to hear that man  hope your ok..


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

ian14 said:


> Perhaps he would still be alive if you had taken him back to the vets as the vet advised??


thats a bit cruel. one, he seemed ok had been pooing, two, we had a quote off vet for £250 and we had to get money together for the op, he wouldnt do it without us being able to pay there and then.
the vet had advised us to give him warm baths and every time we did he would drink quite a bit even with us trying to stop him, last night we think he drank too much and thats what killed him. we bathed him at 7 and he was quite livly and by 9 he was dead.


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

tanithvosloo said:


> thats a bit cruel. one, he seemed ok had been pooing, two, we had a quote off vet for £250 and we had to get money together for the op, he wouldnt do it without us being able to pay there and then.
> the vet had advised us to give him warm baths and every time we did he would drink quite a bit even with us trying to stop him, last night we think he drank too much and thats what killed him. we bathed him at 7 and he was quite livly and by 9 he was dead.


Vets aren't allowed to refuse treatment without payment and demand money up front - they have a duty of care to the animal


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

Really sorry to hear he didn't make it. I can't see drinking as the cause unless we are talking a huge volume. Did the vet make any form of diagnosis?


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

sharpstrain said:


> Vets aren't allowed to refuse treatment without payment and demand money up front - they have a duty of care to the animal


I'm not sure it's quite that simple. I don't think the DoC extends to performing surgery- happy to be proved wrong. The ethics are another matter.


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## tanithvosloo (Sep 14, 2013)

well regardless we couldnt afford it at the time and were told if we knew we didnt have the money when we took the animal they wouldnt perform the operation. to me thats fair enough. we rang vet last night but there was no one who dealt with lizards.
he managed some how to drink a hell of a lot last night and was spitting it out. i dont know, maybe it was that or maybe it was the cotton bud. things happen that you cant forsee. we did what we could


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

Thirst like that generally means kidney problems. But whatever it was I am sorry for your loss.


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