Blood test results

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Peeps

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Hey my Bubs is having problems with eating. I will attach the bloodwork she is a female 1yr and 4 months about and she is around 530g, i am upgrading her UVB as i dont think hers is adequate for her needs. She used to love eating her greens but now she wont at all. Her setup otherwise is ok no loosensubstrate she poos only when i give her a bath but it is normal. She will eat a couple roaches and hornworms for me. I do syringe feed her critical care fromm the vet. Her fecal was negative her lungs and heart looked good. I can attach an xray as well but it looked normal they said. I dust her greens with calcium as well. She seems to have small spasms in her muscles i noticed in her limbs. I’m assuming mbd which is why im getting the reptisun 10.0 t5. If anyone could try to get Tracie to read the bloodwork for me i would greatly appreciate it!❤️ In the meantime what greens/vegetables wont bind calcium (if it is mbd) if not any ideas i miss my bubs being herself. Ok update today her head was darker on only one side. She also coughs when i give her critical care sometimes. She has had stress marks often lately. I give her baths everyday as well.
 

CooperDragon

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Can you post some photos of her? What UVB light do you have in place now? Upgrading to a good T5 is a good idea either way. Can you post some current photos of her? 530g is a good weight - about the same as my 3 year old.

Based on my limited (and untrained) experience with blood test results, those numbers look to be similar to a healthy dragon. WBC count is low so probably no infection. Calcium is good (so combined with good bone density shown in an x-ray, probably not MBD). Uric acid levels look reasonable. Nothing sticks out to me as a problem based on what I know.
 

Peeps

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Long time! Hope all is well! But here are some pictures of her [ximg]87949 6776662646[/ximg][ximg]87949 6616247827[/ximg] she is sleeping which she does a lot :/ uhm its a slimline t8 mounted right underneath the screen.
 

CooperDragon

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Slimline T8 under the screen at about 6-8'' should be OK. The T5 is still a big improvement. That should sit about 12'' above the basking area. Maybe closer to 10'' if it's sitting on top of screen.

She looks healthy to me based on those photos. Her fat pads are well developed on top of her head. Her muscles still look well developed on her arms and legs. She definitely doesn't look outwardly ill or starving to me. She may just not be hungry (they can go much longer without food when they are older) or going into some level of brumation.
 

AHBD

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Hi there, sorry that she is not so well. It's so easy to worry about our precious babies and it's obvious how much you care about Bubs. :) Having said that, lots of vets prescribe Critical Care but this should not be given daily to a dragon that is overweight, which your girl is a bit. This is becoming a big problem where dragons are going in to a natural brumation but the owner becomes very concerned + takes it to a vet. I'm surprised at the number of vets that do not recognize when a dragon is overweight and try to force food in to them , especially at brumation time.

If she does have any health issues I would attribute it all to being overfed, possibly over supplemented and being somewhat obese. It may also be a uvb problem, but her weight is definitely a problem. Try not to worry about getting extra food in her, let her rest and offer water every 7-12 days. If she'll take a bit of the Critical Care just offer it twice a week, but only if she's not eating. Cut back on the bugs, she really needs to lose weight. Best wishes to your girl Bubs !
 

Drache613

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Hello,

Your tank settup is very good, so that definitely isn't a problem there.
I agree, she could benefit from leaning down a little bit. Overall, she
looks healthy & hydrated. As an adult, she only needs 30-50 feeders per
week.
After reviewing the blood test results, the readings don't indicate that
she has any type of infection at all.
I do however, think her calcium is a bit too high & so is the uric acid. I
like to see the uric acid levels lower than 4-5mg/dl for ideal kidney function.
How long has she been acting this way?
Did the x-rays reveal any eggs possibly or tophi buildup on or around the
joint areas? Pre-gout symptoms are a possibility so for now, I would
recommend giving more oral fluids, some black cherry juice & cutting
back on protein right now in case gout could be developing in her system.
The level it's at now can have the tendency to begin having swelling &
mobility problems along with other health issues.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
 

Peeps

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She has not beein eating her stuff normally for about 2 months now. She used to love eating her greens (collards,mustard greens butternut squash). Her calcium levels might be a bit high becaue I’ve been doing supplements a bit extra in case of mbd which is what i was thinking for the tremors. Her thighs are deflated like almost. Her xrays looked great the vet said I can uplaod a picture later today just for a second look though. No eggs. I try to do everthing right and something still seems off and I can’t figure out what it is
 

Drache613

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Hello,

Thanks for the x-rays pictures! Sorry I haven't responded sooner.
The head & thigh bones look pretty good & are a nice bright white, but, it looks like there
may be some fanning or thinning around the hip bone area & possibly the spine.
So, I think upgrading her UVB light to either the Reptisun 10 T5 or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14%
T5 tube. She is probably developing a calcium issue or already has one due to low UVB exposure.
She may not be absorbing her calcium properly & her body is overcompensating on the levels.
The body's parathyroid gland controls the levels in the blood stream. If there isn't adequate
levels or absorption, the calcium will first become leached from the bones to help maintain the
blood stream levels. Next, once the bones become leached, that is probably when you will start
to see more physical changes. The calcium levels in the blood may actually become a little bit
elevated to overcompensate while leaving the bones more vulnerable.
She doesn't need any critical care right now, but I do recommend upgrading her light as soon
as possible & continuing to supplement her calcium so her system will start to absorb better.
Many times when there is a problem like metabolic bone issues going on, it will cause other
troubles also like the higher uric acid levels. She likely doesn't have gout but could have what
is called pseudo gout or gout like symptoms. This condition is completely reversible & is almost
always caused by supplementation & husbandry problems.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
 

Peeps

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Original Poster
[ximg]87949 7432994987[/ximg][ximg]87949 1038967097[/ximg][ximg]87949 6809545732[/ximg]Hi I am back! So Bubs came out of what I think was burmation because she became very active one day all of a sudden and now she runs around my room exploring. Her strides look good and she has plenty of energy now. However she still isnt eating her greens like she used to. I havent gave superworms since the weight issue began, however her beard gets very swollen sometimes. It will go down and just become some extra skin in the morning but it seems like there is fluid in there but im not 100%. Possibly edema but I really have been good about feeding she will eat a cricket or two every week or so but i give her some pieces of butternut squash and slide some repashy veggie burger in there along with added calcium. She is shedding again which she hadn’t for awhile. She is almost 2 now. I will uplod the picture of the beard and she doesnt have trouble breathing and no gaping at all.
 

CooperDragon

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It's good that she is active again. The more she gets to run around the better. They seem to get pretty hyper after brumation in general. Is the beard full just around meal time? Sometimes they just store food there temporarily and it's not a big deal unless they keep it there for an extended time.
 

Peeps

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Yeah it comes and goes seemingly after she eats it gets very swollen. I know this isnt normal it feels like fluid buildup its very soft to touch not hard at all just like a water balloon. Sometimes even when she doesn’t eat it sags a big and feels like theres still a little fluid at the bottom of the sagging.
 

Drache613

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Hello,

She looks really good there. When does her beard look swollen, after eating or drinking?
That's great she came out of brumation, being so active. Some dragons have saggier beards
than others, due to genetics. Plus, as CooperDragon said, they do store food or water in their
beards sometimes. If it continues though or becomes hard, I would definitely consider getting
her to the vet. How is her appetite doing so far?
Definitely let her run around more, for some exercise daily, it really helps out.

Tracie
 
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