Gout and mbd

I purchased Sandile from PetSmart on April 1st. He was approx 6 inches and now he's about 10 inches. He resides in a 55 gal glass tank with 2 spot lights and a 34 inch repi sun 10 where he sits about 8" from it. He has a temp gradient from 110 ° - 80°. I feed him fresh collards, boc choy, and romaine dusted with a little Calcium D³ every am and he gets about 15 phenix worms 2 times a day. I also fed him horn worms until he had a prolapse trying to poop that long thing out (I soaked him in sugar water until it went back in which took about 10 minutes)
About 5 weeks ago, I noticed poor little Sandile had a swollen r foot. He didn't really favor it until about 2 Weeks ago. I then noticed his left leg slightly swollen around his elbow and he was having a hard time walking so I took him in to the vet yesterday. She did an x-ray and said his bones look thin so she diagnose him with mbd. She thinks he may also have gout but does not want me to give him any meds because it may hurt his kidneys. I convinced her to give me some gout med so She gave me Allopurinol 20 mg/ml to give 0.05 cc daily, but insisted that I not give it to him.
I have not given him any Allopurinol yet because of what the vet said.
Should I give it to the little guy?
I am giving him tart cherry concentrate mixed with water and squash baby food. About 3 ml daily. Also spring greens (butter, romaine, and red leaf lettuce). I am giving him 8 Phoenix worms too.

Honestly, you need to drop the lettuce of all types, it has no nutritional value other than hydration. Try collard, mustard or turnip greens, they have more value (aka...vitamins) and, stuff they need.

Thank you for the quick reply, I really appreciate the advise. I only switched because of something I read about treatment for gout. I will absolutely buy some tomorrow if that's the consensus. I've increased his fluid intake and tonight i made a slurry of cherry juice, spring greens as mentioned above, and baby food squash.

Hello,

Oh poor thing, he is so young to have gout & MBD!
The tart cherry juice is great so definitely keep giving that to him. Personally, I would start the gout medication because it is designed to help the kidneys, not hurt them. They are also designed for long term use, too.
The spring greens minus the spinach is very good because they are low in oxalates. If you do feed mustard & collard greens, feed in lesser amounts because they are higher in oxalates thus harder on the kidneys. You could look into dandelion greens, since they are lower in oxalates. Try to avoid kale & spinach especially. The baby food squash is great, he should love that.
If you want to double check the dose of allopurinol, let me know & I can be sure it's correct per his weight.
Is the Reptisun 10 tube bulb directly overhead mounted underneath of the screen or on top of?

Tracie

Thank you for the reply Tracey. I have learned a lot from your posts and have been looking forward to hearing from you! His light is sitting on the wire directly over head. I will work on getting that attached under the wire and I will get you his weight today, when the vet opens. Thank you for all your coaching you have done over the many years here on this site.

The vet didn't write his weight in his electronic chart so I used a digital scale of my own. Sandile weighs 45 grams. I did give him his 1st dose of Allopurinol just now. His elbow seems more swollen and a rear digit looks swollen too, compared to yesterday.

Hello,

Great, thanks for the weight!
The correct dose for his weight with the strength of 20mg/ml is .045ml which was correct then, from the vets, surprisingly! LOL You can go ahead & round it up to .05ml which is half of .1ml or halfway up to the 1 big line on a 1ml syringe.
This medication definitely wont hurt him so do keep him on this dose for at least 1 month, then, we can reassess his physical condition.
I hope it helps him out. How is he doing today?
I'll try to help as much as I can!

Tracie

He is alert and able to get around. He tries to hide his discomfort but I can tell he's in some pain because he favors his front legs and is not happy when I go to pick him up. Likes to hiss at me. Poor little guy. I will update you tomorrow after 24 hours of being on the med.
Thanks Tracie!!!

Hello,

You are welcome! Poor guy, his joints must hurt him. I hope it helps him out. It may take a bit for the Allopurinol to kick in & start to show some progress, but, it should soon.
He shouldn't have any side effects at all from being on the meds, either.

Definitely let us know how he is doing! At least he still has some spunk in him, too, which is great news.

Tracie

Hello,

Just wondering how Sandile was doing, is he feeling a little bit better yet?
Keep us posted on him.


Tracie

Sandy seems to be doing much better. He is moving around like the curious little beardie he is. I'm so grateful to have listened to your posts about giving the Allopurinol. The swelling in his foot doesn't appear to have gone down however the opposite leg swelling seems reduced.
I continue to give him his med and fluid therapy. I am feeding him butter lettuce, cilantro, and a small amount of sweet pepper. I am giving him 8 phenix worms a day, but I am wondering if I should increase that and not worry about what effects on the high protein would have on his kidneys. I have moved his uvb light to the inside ceiling of his viv. I took him outside each day, to let him bask in the sun for about a half hour or so, over the weekend. I'm hoping I'll have some time after work this week as well. Whatever damage was done before this little guy came into my life two months ago, I am ready and willing to give what needs to be given to make his life as best as it can be. He is my third beardie and I have learned a lot from them and this site. My first beardie only lived 3 years. That was very sad for me. My second beardie lived for 8 years which was also very sad. These little guys are so delicate and it is so important to do extensive research before ever purchasing one of these little loves. My hope and plan is to have Sandile for 15 plus years and I hope to keep in contact with you for guidance, Tracie. All my best.

We're home from a follow up very visit and I'm happy to say the vet agrees Sandile is doing better. I think she almost had a heart attack when the little rascal tried to jump out of her hands. She recommend another week on the Allopurinol and then she wants to see him a week after that. I'm a little on the fence with taking him off the med because he appears to be doing so good. I'm hoping to hear some advice.

Hello,

I am so happy to hear that Sandile is doing better. I completely agree, he shouldn't be taken off of the meds. It takes months for them to really fully work & they aren't hurting him at all.
Is he enjoying his foods I hope? You could increase the phoenix worms some, just be careful & watch for increased swelling.
It sounds like he is active, especially if he tried to jump out of the vets hands!
That's great you moved the UVB to inside of his tank. I am sure taking him outside he probably loves it!
I'm so sorry that he developed gout so young, I know it's upsetting. I'll help as much as I can & we can definitely stay in touch, absolutely. There are not many documented gout cases, so it is wonderful to see how far they can come with proper care.

Tracie

Thought I would update on little Sandile's health. His right foot is still swollen, but continues to decrease. His left leg doesn't seem to be swollen at all anymore.
I'm continuing his daily dose of Allopurinol and fluid therapy with dark cherry juice, and spring greens as listed above. I have increased his Phoenix Worms to about 16 a day.
Sandile is very active and he is enjoying his viv. It is a gift to see such a young beautiful beardie get a second chance at a healthy life. I hope to continue to see him get better.

Hello,

Wow, that is terrific to hear Sandile's swelling is going down. It is a slow process but keep up with his medication, black cherry & hydration. Since he is young, his body should be able to bounce back. It sounds like he is feeling better & has a great appetite too.
I am so glad you got him on the meds so quickly! That really is the key. Unfortunately, there are so many inbred dragons which will affect their health in one way or another. He has a great chance at life now, thanks to you.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie