Gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas in bearded dragons

First time posting here , looking for some information. Back story , my female bearded dragon which was born in November stopped eating in July after I had been away for about two weeks ( someone else was feeding her) over the 6 weeks I tried to get her to eat , she ate hornworms about once a week for me with syringe feeding . I finally took her to the vet a few weeks ago they did a exam and blood work and stool sample. Few days later stool came back with pin worms . About a week after blood work came back and the vet gave me the bad news of Gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma she is also in kidney and liver failure according to the blood work . Does anyone have experience with this ? How long did your dragon last after the diagnosis.

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Hi @lizardcrazy22 , welcome to the community. I’m very sorry to hear about your beardie’s diagnosis. :pensive: What did your vet say about the diagnosis and possible palliative (or other) treatment options? How old is your beardie and how long have you had her? Has she had previous health problems?

I am a veterinarian, but I am retired/rusty and I worked mostly with dogs and cats. If your girl has been having symptoms for weeks, has gastrointestinal parasites, malignant cancer, and is in both kidney and liver failure, it may be kindest to help your little girl not suffer anymore. I say that with the greatest respect and do not say that lightly. It is the most compassionate course of action to euthanize an animal that is suffering and terminally ill when their suffering cannot be ameliorated.

I don’t know the specific survival times with that kind of neoplasia in lizards, but the prognosis sounds very grave. There’s definitely the possibility that I’m incorrect, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It may be the wisest course of action to consult with your reptile veterinarian to see what they suspect the effects would be on your beardie if her health issues are left unaddressed.

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Sorry to hear that news. I hope she isnt suffering. Its hard to have news like that about the animals we love. If you had to euthanase her, im sorry for your loss. Just know the community supports you and that you did what you could and that there likely wasn’t anything to be done, nor any wrongdoing on your part.

I know for some of us ( im one ) we tend to shift blame on ourselves even if we didn’t actually cause it. Alliw yourself to grieve and with time the sadness will be replaced with fond memories.

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