A little dragon, with a big impact.
In November 2018, Forever Friends Small Animal Rescues manager, Emma, was notified of a lizard in a very dangerous predicament. ‘’Free to a good home’’, a rescue workers worst nightmare.
‘’Broken back’’, ‘’Don’t have the time’’, ‘’Nothing can be done’’, ‘’Put her down’’
Just a few things listed in the description on the selling post, labelled like a item of clothing. This poor animal was in dire need of emergency care, and within hours, Emma organised to travel a 2.5 hour round trip to save this poor dragon from a potentially dangerous future. She was soon placed into my hands where her journey started.
MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) is a horrible condition that strips the animals bones of calcium and leaves them to die.
Bearded Dragons, along with a number of other reptiles, are dependant on the sun and the UVB that it produces. In the wild, dragons will bask in the hot sun for 12 hours or more, in between hunting and travelling. UVB is massively important because it supplies the reptile with Vitamin D3, which starts the calcium cycle. Through basking in the sun and UVB rays, the body receives D3, with this the body can then take in a very important vitamin, calcium. The calcium is then used to keep the bones strong, and for females it allows them to lay healthy eggs. You can already start to see, that without sufficient UVB, the whole cycle can be affected.
When you think of the weather in Australia, the bearded dragons native country, you have to realise that this environment needs to be replicated in captivity , with pet dragons. By this I don’t just mean the scorching heat, but the UVB as well. Unfortunately, this is where research is limited and the neglect of these animals start.
No UVB = No Vitamin D3
No Vitamin D3 = limited to no calcium intake
Limited to no calcium = brittle bones
Brittle bones = fractures, breaks, and our friend MBD
MBD is different in each dragon, in Millie’s case she unfortunately got the more severe side of it. Her bones had become so soft, that she had fractured her back at some point in her miserable life. Due to the body having little to no calcium, it cannot heal properly, and instead a fibrous tissue forms around the fracture to protect it. Millie’s spine has then become shifted by this lump, cutting off nerves to her back legs and leaving her partially paralysed. She also had a bad break in her front arm, which added to the difficulty of getting about. The future did not look good for this poor animal.
I still remember the day Emma showed up at my door, I was still living with my parents and we had been waiting for her all day. I opened the door and we sat at the bottom of the stairs as Emma opened the travel box. This poor, twisted and pale bearded dragon looked up at me with dull eyes. I couldn't believe that she was still alive, as I picked her up.
Her bones where soft to the touch.
I held her in my hands, making sure not to move her. I couldn’t imagine the pain she had been through, and even in this broken body, she had recently laid eggs. I looked up at Emma and I just shook my head, there was no way this animal could recover, and the next day we booked her into the vets to be put to sleep. I stroked her beard that night, knowing it was the only place that wasn’t painful for her.
The next day while we where waiting for her appointment, I began to notice how fascinated she was with people moving around the room. She would twist her head and look you right in the eye, something I’d never seen with either of my male dragons. We would offer her food, she would refuse and just look at me, as if to say she was more interested in me. It hit me then, the slightest bit of hope, that maybe, she could make it.
The drive to the vets was very unnerving, we did not know whether she would be coming home with us. We sat in the waiting room, and eventually our exotic vet Vicki, called us in.
I placed Millie on the table, and again she looked up at me and Emma, then to Vicki. We commented on how beautiful she was as Vicki examined her. She confirmed our suspicions of MBD, and she admitted that was was very ill. There was a silence, and then the best decision of this dragons life was made.
Millie was sent away with pain killers and a very strong calcium supplement. It was a miracle, that this sweet girl might just have a life ahead of her.
The following weeks were hard, she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t go to the toilet, she wouldnt move. I sat crying with her multiple times as I wondered whether we had made the right decision or not. During this time, we picked out her name, it instantly just sounded perfect for her.
Millicent, it fit her fight for life attitude perfectly, and Millie matched that sweet face of hers. Soon after we named her, she ate her first worm, and moved for the first time. No one could believe how far she had come. Then the worst thing possible happened, she stopped breathing.
She had tried to reject her medicine, and within seconds her mouth was bubbling and foaming. I grabbed her, opened her mouth and removed as much of the substance as I could, but she went limp and white and started turning cold. I had preformed CPR on a number of other small animals, but their survival rate is almost non. I had no choice but to try and get her lungs pumping again, while I jumped in my partners car. It had been 10 minutes since she last breathed. We drove as quick as we could to the vets, they already had a vet on standby for us. I was crying, pumping her lungs. It had been 15 minutes now.
Then, just as we were about to pull into the vets, she gasped, coughing up liquid, and finally breathed. She opened her eyes, and looked up at me. The vets took her to the back, she was in critical condition. The nurse came out to me, and told me she really wasn’t well, and her chances of survival where very slim. I cried as the nurse gave me 2 options, keep her here on oxygen and steroids, or put her to sleep. All I could see were those sweet eyes looking up at me, and I made what was my best decision in my animal carer. I wanted to try and save her.
I left the vets without her, not knowing whether I would see her again. They said they would call me later in the day to tell me the verdict.
The phone rang about 5pm, I answered straight away. I took a breath as they told me what had happened.
‘’Shes actually doing good. Do you want to come get her?’’
They had discovered she had a terrible respiratory infection, which had made in even more difficult for her to breath. They had given her steroids and I was to continue with antibiotic injections at home. They were still unsure on her future, but I took her home that night for good.
After that Millie had done nothing but go uphill. She had a lot of firsts, and it was amazing to see her learn to trust.
First bath, first cricket, first piece of veg, first day out in the sun, even her first p**p was an exciting day. She began to show her personality, crawling over to you when you got home. My mam fell in love with her, and so did the rest of the world. She quickly grew a fanbase, people asking about her and wanting to help support her. She met so many people at fundraisers, charity days and just walking around with her on my shoulder on summer days. She started being sassy, and would let you know when she wanted something. She learned that she loved fruit and veg, getting it all over her face. We knew she would never walk normally again, but the one thing we knew was that she was no longer in pain and she had her whole life in front of her. She has won the hearts of many and raised a lot of awareness of the importance of having the correct setup for these animals.
Millie has so many adventures ahead of her, and we are so lucky to be able to share this journey with her. Millie has proved that nothing can stop you when you are determined enough.
Special thanks to the following people,
Emma for acting fast and saving Millie’s life. Although she hates your driving skills, she still loves you.
Supporters of the rescue who helped raise funds to give this girl the help she needed. We couldn’t do this without you.
Sarah Lewin, the worlds most awesome apprentice for making her chair.
My mam, Karen for putting up with me bringing animals home, but loving Millie unconditionally and baby sitting her while we are away.
My dad Craig for being Millie’s private lizard taxi.
Sarah at energus for helping us with our secret project for Millie, you have truly changed her life and given her so much independence.
James for being as crazy about lizards as me and cleaning up their p**p.
And everyone who supports Millie and follows her journey.
