The Mystery of Zelda...

[Breezy9]

...is hopefully solved!

When we woke up this morning, Zelda's coloring was much better! She was still a bit "mopey" and looks skinny but SEEMS better.

We saw my friend who is a vet this morning and she said URI and MBD. We are already doing what we need to for the MBD (which was my original suspicion until she went downhill fast) and for now are doing bathroom steam treatments until the Baytril comes in (it had to be special ordered since my vet friend doesn't see reptiles at her practice anymore).

Does this sound correct to everyone? I'm not sure if anyone followed my earlier thread. Thank you to everyone who has helped! Camimom and Janb especially!

Here is Zelda during her first steam treatment.

 

[Breezy9]

Zelda definitely perked up during the steam treatment but hasn't eaten since Wednesday when she had 3 crickets(dusted with calcium no D3) and 2 medium superworms (hand fed).

 

[Breezy9]

Zelda continues to improve today! She LOVES her Steam Treatments and is pretty active in her terrarium after them. She still hasn't eaten anything (that I've seen) but does seem mildly interested when offered super worms or crickets out of a tube.

During her latest Steam Treatment


Right after

 

[carol5208]

Is she drinking much? Her eye looks sunken in the last pic. I am glad she is doing better and you are getting her treatment.

 

[Riktor Scale]

Is she drinking much? Her eye looks sunken in the last pic. I am glad she is doing better and you are getting her treatment.

I agree, she looks slightly dehydrated.

 

[Breezy9]

She did drink a little bit today but not as much as I would like. She hasn't been eating or drinking much at all. I keep misting and trying to get a few drops here and there on her crest so it drips down to her mouth with an oral syringe but she's not getting much. That and the fact that she hasn't eaten in a few days makes me worried and I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high with her slight improvement because I know we're not quite out of the woods yet.

 

[jannb]

She does look dehydrated. You can also raise her temps a little for the RI. I hope she will respond to the Baytril. Did the vet do a culture and sensitivity test to see what kind of infection she has and which drugs it will respond to? Baytril will not work on all infections. Here's some info you might find useful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/theres-no-such-thing-uri-14277/

 

[Breezy9]

I guess I added the "upper" part. My vet friend said "respiratory problems." We haven't given the Baytril yet as she seems to be getting better with just the shower steam treatments a few times a day. Also, I thought about the warm mist humidifier! I'm borrowing one from my sister in law right now! Thank you so much for that info! I'll ask about Fortaz vs. Baytril now that I know! Hopefully all we need to do is continue the steam.

FINGERS CROSSED!

 

[Breezy9]

Oh yeah! Zelda came in the shower with me yesterday and drank from my hand. I had her on the towel rack while I was showering and she climbed and reached for me. I rinsed all soap off of me and held her in the palm of my hand so the drops bouncing off of me would mist her (I did not put her in direct stream!) and she drank the water that puddled in my hand. She seems a bit less dehydrated today.

 

[Breezy9]

Zelda is really bad today. We found her in the floor of the cage when we woke up. I'm really worried that we might lose her today. We started antibiotics yesterday. Not Baytril but some long name I can't remember. My husband(a Vet Tech) calls it Sulfatrim but tge actual name is much longer than that. I've had a warm stream humidifier going next to her cage on and off but her eyes are so sunken in-I'm so upset! I feel terrible for my baby! The antibiotics are to be given every 48 hours. She's so skinny and needs to eat something! How can I get her to eat! Should I/When/HOW do I force feed her? It's so hard to get even a drop of meds into her mouth!

 

[Mr Jingles]

Oh I'm so sorry Zelda is ill. I really pray that she will get better

 

[nightanole]

might want to try some peach baby food, or even cut it with a little pedialyte.

 

[Breezy9]

Thank you for your advice and kind words but I'm pretty sure Zelda is dying in my hand right now. :-(
All I can do now is be here for her.

 

[jannb]

So very sad. My heart aches for you.

 

[Breezy9]

Ummmmm.....

Zelda still isn't good BUT she is no longer "dying" in my hand. She was limp and i swear I thought she died a couple times there. r Her limbs were weak and not supportive, she wasn't lifting her head, labored breathing, that vibrating head twitch thing. She opened her eyes and looked RIGHT into mine (I'm sure you guys know that feeling when you're looking directly in an animal you truly love's eyes) and I told her that it was okay to go but if not, I will continue to do everything that I can to help her get better.

Seconds later she started climbing up both of my hands! Eventually (when she proved to me that she wasn't on the brink of death) I tried to put her back in her cage but every time she tried to wander she would fall (I had my hands underneath to catch her just in case). I finally found a spot where she would just stay and relax. She has since had a warm steam treatment and climbed a bit up the branch I had her comfy on.

Now just to get her to eat and drink!!!!!!! I really need help with that!!! I was able to get a few drops of water into her by forcing it, but it wasn't a pleasant experience for her or me! I did the same yesterday to get the oral antibiotics into her. Any suggestions for that?

Should I/When/HOW do I force feed her? She hasn't eaten since I hand fed her last Wednesday when she had 3 medium crickets and 2 medium super worms.

 

[Breezy9]

And Thank you so much, Jannb, I know you've been with me through this from the beginning and I really appreciate it. I was really upset and scared for a little while...I'm still scared, but I feel a bit more hopeful now. It means a lot that a total stranger can do so much for someone without anything in return. I'm very grateful.

Hopefully, THIS is not Zelda's time. I will not stop fighting for her until she decides it's her time...and then I will be with her...

 

[Breezy9]

Zelda is still hanging in there!!! I really thought I lost her a couple times that one day but somehow...I found a 5 leaf clover that day at my daughter's bus stop...maybe that was the luck that Zelda needed...