Here’s To Lil’ Murph’s Health

Murph hasn’t had it easy lately. It’s difficult to  select videos or photos to share, but I think we kept it as short (while being informative) as is  possible. below is a recap of color variations and behavioral differences that have taken place since Lil’ Murph’s diagnosis of a gastric neuroendocrine tumor on Sept. 27, 2024. One thing that remains constant (except for a few times when he had a far-away look in his eyes) is that his mind is sharp. I can see his ponderings and realizations as he observes the world.

I know much of his silent language through the looks in his eyes, overall behavior, body language, color variations, and expressions (yes, when you are bonded with a lizard, you see that despite the lack of flexibility of facial muscles, they somehow do still have expressions). Although I love the silentness of lizards, unfortunately, the aforementioned are their only means of communication. So, one thing I can say is… trust your gut. It’s sometimes the only thing we can do. You’ll read into what I mean as we continue.

When we go to the vet, we receive paperwork, upon which they itemize what has been done, the costs (ouch), as well as some other details. One thing they have repeated to us is that he is observant.

When he has gone to the vet, we show the paperwork on this blog for two reasons: Some of his fans genuinely care about Murph & what’s happening in his life. Also, in keeping with our tagline: Dedicated to helping our little lizard friends,” we desperately want others to know what to expect in regard to what may go unexpectedly wrong, and the potential costs involved. We don’t want lizards (or any animal) becoming part of a family only to then be  unaffordable or neglected as a result of people not realizing what they are investing in: a dear friend and animal entirely dependent on them for their lives, love, and well-being… they come with financial expenses as well as a lot of joy.

I want to point out his bloodwork results. Two years ago, seen HERE, they doctors determined his liver count was high & his calcium level was borderline low. A possible mass was detected then as well. So borderline was his calcium level that they didn’t suspect MBD. He went because he has occasional tremors and a lack of coordination (i.e. often not keeping his wrists bent the right way when walking) that made me ponder metabolic bone disease (despite his up-to-date UVB bulbs & being at the proper distance under a 10.0 emmission beneath his enclosure’s screen lid) & receiving calcium powder with D3 on his food.  At this recent visit, it was determined that his liver count & calcium were fine, but his blood glucose was  512, indicative of that type of tumor. Normal is 45-100.

I’ve done a lot of research after this diagnosis. He is doing so well, that I don’t know what to make of this!! Today is November 10. The doctor said maybe he had a month to live on the 27th day of September… and he seems marvelous!

Stress can raise blood glucose levels in humans. Perhaps it can do the same in other creatures. No doubt something was terribly wrong with Murph that day. And, a few days before the 27th, his chin was slightly darker than normal. The morning of the 27th, his chin was black, and he occasionally moved as if trying to crawl away from pain.

Maybe miracles do happen! Maybe the doctor is wrong. Maybe the test results were correctly deciphered, but the cause is incorrect.

I thank Murph every day for giving me another day with him.

Sept. 27, 2024:

Notice his blackened chin. This may occur on beardies during mating season, when they are very angry (Murph did this at the neighbor’s dog & even hissed with an opened mouth!), are in distress, pain, and/or dying.

*They may turn darker on the entirety of their body to absorb more vital rays from sunlight. If they are not catching some sun with a loved one outside or basking at an open window, this is unusual, and the reason I do not know. But his backside was quite black for a few days after this strange paleness went away.

The top of him here is very pale, with much of his beautiful markings nearly indistinguishable. I have never seen this happen.

• Into that baby food jar goes Murph’s calcium + D3 powder & a tiny bit of his multivitamin powder; a small spoonful (included with the  bag) of bee pollen; a pinch of Himalayan salt; a dash of sugar; and a scoop of milk thistle powder (scooper included with the bag); a tablespoon of hot water to blend better, and I shake the hell out of it, with the lid on, of course.
• The pain medicine is near the yellow syringe. I continued to give him his once-daily dose for a week after there were no signs of pain. I’m glad to announce that his pain medicine hasn’t been given nor needed since October 19th!
• I give him about ½ or .25 ml of the skinny, orange syringe twice a day until a couple of weeks ago. Now he gets one, but occasionally wants more.
• I began soaking him in warm water every evening within a few days after his vet visit until a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s either every or every other evening for 25-60 minutes.
• Sometimes, I also dunk his dryer food like carrots into water before he eats.
• As we all age, I think we dry out in the skin and organs. 😄 Through all this, one would assume this darling is not dehydrated, but once in a while, he leans down to drink the water he’s in!
• The large, white jar is used for brushing his teeth (or teefers:). I pour a small amount into the water bottle lid & use a cotton swab to get the food out that is stuck between his lips & teeth. I use small ripped up towels to wipe food off of the swab & wipe his lips (or wippies). Throw those away, rinse the cap & toss it all back into the bag.
• Those syringes you see to the right… they remain frozen until 1 is thawed for use. They are for a bacterial infection of his mouth. Penetrating his skin SUCKED! I did it 3 times (once every 3 days). It hurt him so badly. I called the doc to see if there was an oral version I could administer. There is. But she said it wasn’t as potent. The doc wouldn’t give me anything else. I was pi**ed. If she thinks he has a month to live, why should his last memories include my sticking needles into him? What’s the point?
• Now he seems fine, and I could resume that medical treatment, but it hurts so bad & I am working as quickly as possible, but he flinches so hard that I can’t administer the entire yet small amount before he jerks out of my grip & what I’m doing! So, there they sit in the freezer, being $60+ of the total of $422 USD that Murph’s last visit cost.
• Fatty liver disease can happen by a few different ways, including weight loss. (Btw, his weight hasn’t changed much since his visit). I’d share the liver stuff if I could find where I saved it. Maybe that’s a true diagnosis & it’s reversible. And if I could get these bullet points to go away now that they are no longer needed, I would.
• Thank you for reading. I hope this all helps someone to help a precious lizard somewhere if the same stuff can possibly help.
• I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but man o man, we covered a lot.
• P.S. when he poos, his urate (a white urine- like part of the potty) looks perfect (no yellow or greening stated to be indicative of liver issues).
• “Give me Lizardry or give me Death!”
• ❤️ Murph & Dawn

September 30th: Lethargic. You can see he doesn’t feel well, but he is holding on & seeing & thinking:

Oct. 2: Weird. Later that day, I read excerpts of the Bible to him as well as flipped around & read excerpts from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to him. The rainbow was mentioned in there. Pg. 112, 159… I can’t recall now.

Oct 4th:

Also Oct. 4th:

This was late on a Friday afternoon. Vets were either closed or no one could tell me what to do.  Research was futile. I put a cold pack on it for as long as Murph would allow (a couple of minutes). It did nothing.

Oct. 5th:

This is not as bad as what both eyes were doing 3 days later. I cannot show Lil’ Murph looking that way to you. He wouldn’t want it. It’s heart-breaking. I don’t think he wants me to show any of this if he could answer me. But, I want for the sake of lizards everywhere (yet so may he), to show their families:

Don’t give up on them. If you sincerely love them, they love you back. If you can control pain at home, don’t let the doctors talk you into euthanization. Let them go or fight for their lives at home. Wouldn’t you want the same?

Oct 8th: Both eyes so sunken, I will not show him that way. I thought it was a last day together.

I held him tightly outside and cried so much. I told him (this is personal & nearly verbatim, but you have to tell them, everyone, how you feel) exactly what & who he is to me. I reminded him how strong he is, that I’ve called him “Mommy’s little fighter” for years, & why I have called him that. I told him that one day, the strongest of everyone will not win the final fight. I went on to say that one day, I would have to say goodbye to him or him to me , and that he is why Lizardplanet.com & our MetaMURPHosis collection exist. And finally, it isn’t okay for us to be apart, but that if he must leave, I understand, and it’s okay in that way. That I forgive him for leaving, that I hope he forgives me for time away from him and idiocies on my part. I told him to take a piece of my heart (that feels like it’s being ripped out of me) with him so that he’s never alone and feels my love any time he needs it.

In my research, I learned of the benefits of milk thistle powder & bee pollen. I learned you can soak lizards in & offer orally, a homemade electrolyte concoction to them, and other reptiles as well..

Crap, I’m crying and snotting as I type. Oh goody

Break.

Didn’t plan on a 2-day break…

Anyway, he rested in my embrace and just listened. I believe he intently listened. Sure, there is a great chance he doesn’t know all of those words (they do learn many words like other animals), but I know he felt what I said.

There are more details and color variations, such as yellow showing on his face (but maybe a morph shining through) as he was in a great mood the day this color variant occurred and the backside of him was very black from being in the low sun.

Here’s Murph as I type:

You can see his markings are back!! I’m so grateful the weather has been mostly good for us, just when he needs it with me more than ever.

*We have a follower who loves him in his dragon wings harness… Gigi, here ya go😁

What we’ve been doing:

In my research, I learned of the benefits of milk thistle powder & bee pollen. I learned you can soak reptiles in & offer orally, a homemade electrolyte concoction.

• Into that baby food jar goes Murph’s calcium + D3 powder & a tiny bit of his multivitamin powder; a small spoonful (included with bag) of bee pollen; a pinch of Himalayan salt; a dash of sugar; and a scoop of milk thistle powder (scooper included with the bag); a tablespoon of hot water to blend better, and I shake the hell out of it, with the lid on, of course.
• I give him about ½ or .25 ml of the skinny syringe twice a day until a couple of weeks ago. Now he gets one, but occasionally wants more.
• The pain medicine is near the yellow syringe. I continued to give him his once-daily dose for a week after there were no signs of pain. I’m glad to announce that his pain medicine hasn’t been given nor needed since October 19th!
• I began soaking him every night in warm water until a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s either every or every other evening for 25-60 minutes.
• Sometimes, I also dunk his drier food like carrots into water before he eats.
• As we all age, I think we dry out in the skin and organs. 😄 Through all this, one would assume this darling is not dehydrated, but once in a while, he leans down to drink the water he’s in!
• The large, white jar is used for brushing his teeth (or teefers:). I pour a small amount into the water bottle lid & dunk a cotton swab to get the food out that is stuck between his lips & teeth. I use small ripped up towels to wipe food from the swab & dry wipe his lips. Throw those away, rinse the cap & toss it all back into the bag.
• Those syringes you see to the right… they remain frozen until 1 is thawed for use. They are for a bacterial infection of his mouth. Penetrating his precious skin SUCKED! I did it 3 times (once every 3 days). It hurt him so bad. The doc wouldn’t give me anything else. I was pi**ed. If she thinks he has a month to live, why should his last memories include my sticking needles into him? What’s the point?
• Now he seems fine, but it hurts so bad & I am working as quickly as possible, and he flinches so hard that I can’t administer the entire yet small amount! So, there they sit in the freezer being $60+ of the total of $422i-ish USD that Murph’s last visit cost.
• Fatty liver disease can happen by a few different ways, including weight loss, surprisingly. I’d share the informative link if I could find where I saved it. Maybe that’s what this is & it’s reversible. And if I could get these bullet points to go away now that they are no longer needed, I would.
• Thank you for reading. I hope this all helps someone to help a precious lizard somewhere if the same stuff can possibly help.
• I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but man o man, we covered a lot.
• “Give me Lizardry or give me Death!”
• ❤️ Murph & Dawn