Swollen toes & feet

Glad to hear he's at least getting some medications that will hopefully help him feel better.

It makes sense that gout could be the result of his kidneys not functioning well enough to clear out the uric acid. Hopefully the Allopurinol will be able to help with that.

I hate to mention this because it sounds pretty drastic, but was there any talk of amputating the diseased part of his tail to prevent the infection from spreading? Hopefully the antibiotics will clear it up and that won't be necessary, but if the part that's already dead doesn't fall off naturally, then removing it surgically might be a wise precaution.

Another thing I also hate to mention is did they ever test him for adenovirus? If not, and if they think that might be an issue, they should be able to do it with a poop sample, so it would be easier on Shelby because his next poop would be the only thing that would have to go to the vet and he could stay home.

I hope that Shelby can get better once on the Allopurinol. Be sure to give plenty of hydration, esp. while he's on antibiotics. Sorry to hear about the tail, can you post a few pics of it ?

I dont believe she tested him for adenovirus. Only time I gave a poop sample was when they had hookworm couple mths back. I dont think his symptoms point to that to require the testing. But just in case, anyone know how much the testing kit from Pats is? As for his tail, dr said it might just fall off. Ill post pics of how it was a mth or so ago (1st pic), & then today. Not sure pics show very well tho.

The middle picture is especially good -- you can tell it's shriveling up, but as long as it's not spreading any further or causing him any pain, and as long as you're watching it, then it's probably best not to do anything drastic.

I didn't use a kit of any kind when they tested our beardie for ADV -- I just took in a poop sample and they sent it out somewhere for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). I don't know if that's the best or the only test available. My beardie was having gout-like problems with his elbows, wrists, and toes at the time, as well as apparent infections that they couldn't identify, which was what made me think of it being a possibility in your beardie's case, but if your vet doesn't think it's worth testing for then it's probably just as well because there's not much they can do about it anyway, except try to treat the other conditions that arise.

Even if he does end up losing the last couple inches of his tail, I hope he recovers otherwise.

The tail looks worrisome, sometimes the infection is under the scales and traveling up. So really keep an eye on it. It might need amputation after all, starting just above the obvious shriveled part.

He is started on an antibiotic for infection in the tail, & we're hoping it will help his other symptoms as well. Still waiting for Allopurinol to come in mail. So its a waiting game right now.

The tail does look like your vet may need to do a bit of an amputation. But that's not too big of an issue, it's only cosmetic and doesn't hinder quality of life. I just did an tail amputation on one of my reptiles about a week ago. The reptile still isn't happy with me...the surgery wasn't even painful. I injected lidocaine before I amputated...I think restraining him was the reason for the grumpy mood

Hello,

I hope he is feeling better & hopefully the antibiotic will help out for his tail.
When did they send off for the allopurinol? Hopefully that will come in the mail soon for him.
Some vets will send off for the adeno test for a decent price but others really charge a lot, up to $200.
If you are interested in testing for adeno, you can sign up on my site at:
www.thepats.info

The test is $19 & is done at home, it is very easy.
I hope your boy is feeling better soon,

Tracie

Thanks! I got the allopurinol finally, hes been on it for few days now. I havent noticed any change for the better in him yet. If anything his feet might have become more swollen. Hard to tell little changes when you're staring at them every day. Not sure if all the meds are supposed to make any changes for the better or just stop it from getting worse.

Drache613":r3b9g7xg said:

Hello,

I hope he is feeling better & hopefully the antibiotic will help out for his tail.
When did they send off for the allopurinol? Hopefully that will come in the mail soon for him.
Some vets will send off for the adeno test for a decent price but others really charge a lot, up to $200.
If you are interested in testing for adeno, you can sign up on my site at:
http://www.thepats.info

The test is $19 & is done at home, it is very easy.
I hope your boy is feeling better soon,

Tracie

Click to expand...

This is of interest -- our beardie tested positive for adenovirus over 2 years ago, and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to test again. Is it true that once an individual has it he's always going to have it? So if I were to get another positive test it would mean it's still in his body, but if I were to get a negative test, would that mean that he's fully recovered and we don't have to worry about it anymore, or maybe that we got a false positive on the first test, or could we get a false negative on the new test? (My guess would be that PCR is usually pretty reliable?) And since this seems to be mainly about breeders, would it be of any help for research for us to retest our one little beardie? :?: :?: :?: :?

And Misky -- that's a good question to ask whenever you start on meds -- when can you expect to see improvement and what sort of improvement and/or side effects should you watch for. I'd ask the vet that question if I were you, unless someone else around here who has more experience than I do can give you a better answer.