I’ve been trying to find the words to appropriately explain this situation for a few days… I feel like this girls story has to be told. Warning - long post ahead. Please keep all negative comments off this post. 

Meet Yennifer, a 2 year old bearded dragon. You may notice that she does not look the same as other bearded dragons. Unfortunately Yennifer has severe scoliosis, with displaced spinal deformity/luxations.

Her owner reached out to me because she did not eat for a week, and they were unable to care for her any longer. They said they purchased her from a pet store about a year and a half ago for their children when she was just a hatchling. They said she went to the vet once before for a “kink” in her spine last year. The second I saw this girl’s photo, I knew I had to do something. 

I have worked with reptiles and other exotic pets for most of my life, and this case has been by far one of the most extreme cases of metabolic bone disease that I have ever seen. The worst part about this disease is that it is mostly caused by lack of calcium and vitamin D in a reptile’s diet and environment, which can be easily supplemented. She may have some genetic component to her disease, but it is clear that it was exacerbated by by poor husbandry. 

A wonderful exotics veterinarian examined her yesterday. She determined that she most likely suffered a severe calcium deficiency as she was growing, causing her spinal deformity. Fortunately, she is able to walk and run in her own special way. It is very difficult to quantify pain in reptiles, as they do not exhibit the same behaviors of pain symptoms that mammals do. However, she has been eating well for me hand fed, and enjoyed a few warm soaks already. The vet does not believe that she is in horrific acute pain, despite her deformities, since this probably started a while ago. We are going to continue to work together and monitor her quality of life carefully, she will essentially be on palliative care for the rest of her life. 

For now, Yennifer will be staying with me to get some much needed TLC. She will see the vet again in about a month to have some bloodwork done to check her calcium levels. In the meantime I will be keeping a very close eye on her, and try to support her and keep her comfortable. If at any point I feel she is in significant distress, I will have to make the decision to put her to sleep, but I want to give her a fighting chance. My hope is that she will continue to maintain her appetite and spry attitude and may be a candidate for adoption at some point. 

Yennifer is just one example of why I do what I do. I am the voice for these animals. I am an animal advocate and educator. My new business  Small n Furry Creature Care, will focus on educating exotic pet owners about appropriate husbandry and care for these unique animals. For Yennifer it is too late to reverse what her people did to her by not providing appropriate husbandry, but hopefully her story can help save others. 

Any donations towards yennifer’s supplies and medical expenses are greatly appreciated. I’ve also added some Bearded dragon items to the rescue’s Amazon wishlist. 

GoFundMe https://gofund.me/34bc98fc
PayPal/CashApp- smallnfurryrescue 
Amazon wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2SSMCPKZEA3I5?ref_=wl_share