Input wanted about health issue/vet visit

Hello all,

Long time no see!! Hope everyone is having a good summer So Mr. Taz developed a swollen hand(and knee, we found out) and some loose stools so I figured it was time for a vet visit. I was scared he maybe had gout, but blood test came back clean(big sigh of relief!!), except for a high count for something concerning his muscle(didn't really understand what it was) leading vet to believe some sort of trauma had caused the swelling and he had an infection from that. So she gave us metacam for 7 days for pain and inflammation and ceftazidime(7 injections total, 1 every 3 days) for antibiotic. They are also sending blood out to the lab for a further analysis. So with that said I just wanted your guy's opinion on this treatment. I assume the loose stools must be from the infection because they did not want to do a fecal(i forget to ask this question). I was also confused how the trauma could cause an infection??? Or does antibiotic just treat the trauma itself? They told me Taz still has great body condition and he still has a big appetite so i'm happy about that. I am worried though that the antibiotics might give him an upset tummy, but I guess we will see in the coming weeks how that pans out.

Need much more information and details on your beardie's setup and your husbandry otherwise we can't even hazard a guess.

Here's my Cheat Sheet :
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050

If you work through it methodically , the chances are their are likely a lot of issues that need to be tweeked or changed and they will pop right out at you, if you can give very detailed answers we will then be in a position to offer help. Is impossible to help you if you don't provide thorough details .

Hi Nicole, it has been a long time ! Poor Taz, hope he gets sorted out quickly. Can you give a quick rundown on his tank again, exact type + brand lights and how old they are as well as pics ? A few pics of Taz's hand + Taz himself as well ?

Thanks for replies! Taz is in a 40 gallon breeder(working on upgrading) and gets out to run around everyday. hot spot is ~97 and coolside is 70. Have a reptisun uvb that I replaced beginning of summer. He has collards greens everyday with squash and fruit when we have it. Crickets every other day, rep cal calcium and herptivite 2-3 times a week dusted on crickets. He also gets dried grasshoppers sometimes for treats(he goes crazy for them). He had a tall basking structure that I replaced with a cinder block and bricks to climb onto that is easier for him, especially after this started...will get some pictures when I get home. Hope I got everything. Substrate is tile.

I agree with you that it makes no sense that they think the swollen leg is the result of a trauma, meaning he injured himself, and this injury, like a bruise, muscle strain, sprain, etc. is causing a bacterial infection (Ceftz is for treating bacterial infections only). Trauma would not cause a bacterial infection unless he has an open wound as a result of the trauma.

The blood test they are referring to is probably his Creatine Kinase level, which indicates muscle damage, or his Myoglobin level, or Aldolase level, but both of these indicate muscle breakdown and/or kidney damage, not muscle injury due to a trauma....So most likely he has an elevated Creatine Kinase (CK or CPK on blood test results)...So he has an elevated CPK level indicating muscle damage, but not indicative of a bacterial infection unless his white cells were also elevated?

Sometimes vet (often actually) give a broad-spectrum antibiotic "just in case" when they aren't sure what's going on, it's not a good practice at all, especially in beardies because the meds are so hard on them. A swollen leg coupled with pain or limping, lethargy, etc. plus an elevated CPK level indicates a muscle bruise or strain, makes sense, but not the antibiotics...

Do you have a copy of his blood work results? It would be helpful to see them, maybe there's something else going on that they haven't yet told you...Did they do an x-ray?

I'd be calling the vet and asking him to fully explain why he was put on antibiotics for an injured leg muscle without open skin...

Thanks for the input will call tomorrow.it definitely was cpk. I was confused about the things she said yet, like always, did not speak up. I really am mad at myself rn. Sorry to get personal