Cellulitis or Gout?

My dragon has an extremely swollen front leg & is unable to walk. At first she limped, not using that leg, & I thought maybe she had broken it. Then she began having trouble with her other legs. She moves when she has to by dragging herself. New thought was MBD, though not sure how since she is well taken care of. It took a bit to get her into the vet, but finally had her seen yesterday. He said it was MBD, but did X-rays to be sure. It's definitely not MBD, her bones are strong & he was happy with her diet. She weighed in at almost a pound. He was stumped by her overall health. His opinion was either cellulitis or a circulatory issue. Said one lung didn't look the same as the other which could indicate a mass that may be causing pressure & blood restriction. But there are no breathing difficulties & at her age (1 1/2) that heart failure was unlikely. So he's treating her for cellulitis, with me giving her antibiotic injections today & the next 5. I brought it up with my bd group on fb & the consensus was gout which, if that is what it truly is, antibiotics will worsen. I could find no info on cellulitis in bds, but isn't that a skin issue? Not sure how long it will take to get another appointment & I know time is critical, so really needing some expert advice. Thank you.

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of the issues on your dragon!
Do you happen to have any pictures we could see to assess the condition?
Did the vet do a blood test by chance or just x-rays to determine metabolic bone disease?
I ask because I was wondering if you knew what her uric acid levels were? You are correct, if it is gout antibiotics absolutely should not be given under any circumstances. Allopurinol is the only drug that should be given.
Until you can get the medication, you can start by giving some Black cherry juice, daily to help begin breaking down any excess uric acid crystallization. Also, give 4-6mls of oral fluids as well to help the overall kidney function.
How old is she?
Can you review your tank setup with us, such as the UVB type & brand along with supplementation & temperatures just so we can be sure that is all correct, too.

Tracie

She is a year & a half old. They did not do any blood work, took xray only. I called this morning to set up appt to get it done & she can't be seen until Monday. i attempted to find some black cherry extract today but the best I could do was cranberry black cherry juice. Is that ok to give her? I found some on Amazon but it would be probably Tuesday before it got here. Her tank temp is 90-95 on the hot side & 80 on the cool side. I replaced both of her bulbs when the problems started. Her UVB is a reptisun 10.0. I do have photos, let me see if I can figure out how to post one. And thank you so much for your response.

Hope this works

Supplementation: Fluker's Calcium with D3. When she initially began to slow down on her eating, I tried switching to a liquid calcium spray made by Zilla. It did not have the D3 so I supplemented that with a vitamin supplement spray also made by Zilla. Neither of my dragons liked it tho, so bought a new jar of the powder & switched back.

Hello,

That does look suspiciously like gout. It would be very helpful if a blood test could be done so you can know what the uric acid levels are. That is a huge indicator of gout & pre-gout conditions.
How often are you giving the supplementation?
That is fine, the cranberry Black cherry juice would be ok. You can try the health food store, or puritan's pride also, online. They used to carry Black cherry juice concentrate.
Do you have a basking temperature of a range of 95-100 or 105 for her & do you use a digital probe or temp gun to measure the temperatures?
The Reptisun 10 is a long tube bulb, correct? How close is it to her & is there plastic, or screen in between her & the light?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

Hello, any update on your beardie with swollen limbs? Mine is 6 months old with the same issue. A vet I went to strongly believes it's gout... I started her on antibiotics just in case it was an infection, and also on Allopurinol. But today I have cut her antibiotics off because I believe it's doing more harm than good.
Please let me know if you have an update! Thanks

Hello,

Yes, please do update us when you can! I hope that she is making some improvements.

Tracie