Swollen and discoloured leg

Hey there! I have noticed my Western bearded dragon, Hyperion, has a slightly swollen leg and the scales look foggy? I'd assume this was just shedding, if her leg wasn't swollen. She is five years old and I've had her for about two months. I was just wondering if anyone knew what was going on with her leg and whether it's something I need to go to the vet about. Her appetite seems fine though, and she loves gulping down bugs every Saturday. Her temperature sits at 40 degrees Celcius on the hot side and about 30-35 on the cooler side. Her basking rock hits 50 degrees and I use a spray bottle to give her water daily. She eats greens, though so far I've only found she likes Rocket and Parsley. I'm still experimenting with other types of greens. I was told by the pet store I bought her from that she was fed only silk worms by the person who sold her to them, and originally told me she was over weight. However it turned out she was gravid and laying eggs, which was a highly stressful thing for me, as a new lizard owner. She turned out fine and the vet said she was okay. I hope this extra information might help you guys figure out what's going on with her leg.

I linked pictures on Imgur, as I couldn't figure out how to insert them here. https://imgur.com/a/FWQU62M

I've also just noticed that the top of her nose is darkened, kind of going black around the edge and grey in the middle

Hello,

I am thinking you are in Australia? We don't have any Westerns over here in the US, or at
least not to my knowledge.
It is looking like a possibility of gout, just based on the pictures & high protein diet previously.
Plus, a lot of times when they are gravid & not provided the adequate UVB lighting & calcium
supplementation it throws off their balance of calcium, & the absorption of calcium.
They can develop gout, but you would have to get a blood test to try & confirm gout or try &
treat it naturally first without meds.
What UVB are you using for her?
You could get some black or tart cherry juice extract to give to her to help flush out her kidneys
right now. Do you have a vet to take her to?
The darkening on the snout is probably going to be preshed.

Tracie

Hi Tracie

Yeah I'm Australian, and what an odd coincidence, I bought some cherries today and as a Christmas treat I let my beardy try half of one.

I'm using an Exoterra and think I'm using a UVB 10?

Hello,

Terrific, I figured as much since we don't have the Westerns here.
How is he doing today? That is odd, so you have some cherries at home? That will be fine
then, you can give 1-2 daily. He will probably love them, too.
Ok, if you are using a long tube, the Exoterra Reptiglo 10%, just be sure that it is mounted
directly overhead, using a light fixture with reflective backing. It needs to be at or around a
6-8 inch distance for maximum UVB exposure.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Hyperion is doing well. She's been sleepy lately, but when I get her out she perks right up and runs around like a madman. Her leg doesn't seem to bother her and I've felt it and moved it gently and she doesn't react. Apparently gout is supposed to be painful?

Hello,

Yes, in a lot of cases, gout can cause pain due to the uric acid crystallization in & around the
joint areas. Were you able to find any black or tart cherry juice for her?
It sounds like she is doing pretty well right now. How is her appetite doing?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

I have not had any luck yet. A lot of them have sugar added in and I don't want to give her too much sugar. She is doing perfectly fine though and seems completely healthy. She's full of energy and eats about as much as usual. Because of her feeding previously I'm still struggling to find leafy greens that she'll eat. She likes rocket and parsley though so that's good

Turns out she was just shedding! All is good

Hello,

That is very good news then....so there is not any swelling now that she has shed that area?
Sometimes they can really have some strange looking skin prior to shedding. I'm glad to hear
she is doing well now!

Tracie

Hey, no there's no more swelling. It seems there was a gap growing between her leg and shedding skin that made it appear swollen.

Hello,

That is great, they sure can cause us to worry about them!

Tracie