My old lady

It's been since 2013 that I've visited this forum. So my bearded dragon is now 11 years old. She was making a clearing throat noise on Sunday. I thought she had a caught bug but the noise continued all day even after lights out time. So I thought maybe it was a uri. So I took her to the vet on Tuesday afternoon and the vet said it seems like nothing is wrong with her but she is really thin. She hasn't been eating well for a couple months. She won't touch greens. I recently within the last two weeks added a new mvb bulb in her tank. She use to have a tube light prior to the mvb bulb.Then I realized the mvb bulb wasn't providing enough heat so I put in another heat bulb a week ago. I will probably switch her back to a tube light. However, over the last year or so I've noticed it's getting harder for her to walk around. While she was trying to eat from her dish she was falling over. She might just be weak from the respiratory infection but because her back legs have been weak I was nervous that her front legs are starting to go now as well. What could cause weakness in the legs?

Her setup:
40 gallon tank thats about 24 inches tall. She has no cage decor other than a large water bowl and two hammocks. She was kept on tile but because of the legs not working the greatest I switched her to reptile carpet. She has two lights, one 100 watt mercury vapor bulb and one 150 watt intense heat bulb. She is 8 inches from both lights. I feed her crickets, superworms (when I can find them), and offer greens but she never wants them. She use to eat them all the time more than crickets but shes been sticking her nose up at them all types. I have sulcatas tortoises so I always have a variety of greens. She had a hide in her tank but would always be under it and never out and about. I was cycling her lights 14 on and 10 off but I recently left then 24/7 on because she's ill.

The vet prescribed .1 MG of baytril once a day for 14 days. I did not get a blood test done because it was 160.00 and I wanted to try the baytril first. She has perked up and is eating way more crickets than before but im concerned that she looked a bit dehydrated and skinny. Also the limbs being stiff or she just looks odd when trying to walk on them. Really wobbly and it seems like she is using a lot of strength to move. She is going to be 11 this year in a month so if it's old age I'll continue to accommodate her and let her live her best life until she passes but I wanted to see if there is anything I can do or of she sound deficient in something.

Hello,

Bless her, at 11, that is a great age, no doubt about it. That is a testament to your care so I
am sure she is very spoiled.
I was going to ask about your UVB lighting. You mentioned that she had a MVB light & you
were also using a tube bulb, too? Which brand of MVB are you using & what brand is the tube
UVB?
It is highly possible she is having some bone issues from too weak of UVB output, but of course
I can't guarantee that. Not all bulbs are created equal.
How often do you give her calcium supplementation?
At her age, gout or renal issues could come into play too. That is very common for them to
develop renal issues. You could be proactive & give her black/tart cherry juice to help flush out
her kidneys in case she is having some kidney problems.

Tracie

I am using only an mvb bulb right now. She was without uvb for a while. I didn't think anything if it and kept telling myself but also forgetting when I was at the store. Honestly throughout this pandemic I'm lucky if I look presentable lol. Anyway she currently only has the mvb bulb. No tube light for uvb. I was thinking about switching her back. Since she's been this way for about a year I'm thinking it's not vitamin related? I give calcium when I remember. I'm trying at least once a week. I don't have a multivitamin so I think ill pick some up this weekend. I wondered if beanies get arthritis because some says are worse than others.

What a pretty old girl, she looks really good despite her symptoms ! I think it's worth getting a strong uvb bulb and use the MVB for heat. It will produce heat long after the uvb output has diminished. At least most of mine have. What type of MVB do you have ?

I want to say its a powersun.

You keep mine for heat even after they are no longer putting out uvb, those are mostly what I've used. Just add the long tube uvb for better coverage.

I plan on heading to the pet store tomorrow before the huge snow storm. I'm going to get her some superworms and hornworms for hydration. She has a water dish however she rarely gets in. I have to set her in it and take her out and I think this is why she ended up with a uri because 9ne time she got in and then waited for me to take her out and I dont know how long she was in the water. She seems to be recovering from the uri.

So the leg thing is normal in older dragons or is she deficient in something?

Hello,

How is your girl doing today?
Sometimes in older dragons, they can lose strength. It can possibly be the MVB if it is
a bit older. The Powersun is a decent bulb but not particularly strong. I would keep that
bulb for heat/basking, as suggested, but consider getting a T5 tube bulb for a stronger
UVB exposure.
So, it could be a problem with calcium absorption if she hasn't had strong enough UVB
exposure for awhile.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Shes doing a little better. Chasing crickets a little more but tires easily. The antibiotics are working because she's got more of an appetite. Planning on stopping at the store to purchase some greens. I am ordering a bulb from Amazon should be here in a day or so. I have an old Walmart fixture I'll use it with. Here is a pic of her Viv. I use to have fun stuff on there but she would climb and fall so I have decreased the amount of decor. The light on the left is a regular 150 watt heat bulb the one in the right is the mvb.

We seem to be doing much better. Thanks for the tips. She has been eating and moving around more. I've been dusting her food everytime I feed her. She is having a soak every other day in her water dish also she's chasing crickets. We are done with meds this coming Tuesday. Shes had very healthy poops nice and firm with good urates. They are still a little hard but much better than before. I think she's turned it around and will continue living.