Calcium Deficiency, Help

Hello all!

Its been a long ten ish months. My bearded dragon Norberta has had a lot of medical stuff happening and kinda bad veterinarians, so I'm looking for a bit more advice and support.

Norberta has a calcium deficiency and can't take in her powdered calcium and has to take liquid calcium pretty much every day or her limbs start swelling up and she can't move them. She goes in phases of being able to run around and feeling great to only having the use of one or two limbs and not eating. So I have a few questions hopefully people can help me with:

1- Anyone out there have or have owned a calcium deficient dragon? What are some general tips for living with them?
2- Could she end up paralyzed?
3- Could she get any neurological problems? (Sort of random but she does get pretty twitchy/shakey)
4- Is there anything I should be watching out for?
5- Will she ever get better or is she going to have this for life?

Thanks so much anyone who chimes in! Norberta and I appreciate it!

Makayla

Hi Makayla, I do remember you posting about Norberta, sorry to hear of her troubles ! There's no way to guess how it may improve or get worse so just take the best care of her as possible. Obligatory questions of course.....what type of uvb bulb has she had for that time ? What has she been eating ? Does the liquid calcium contain D3 ? What were her medical problems and how was she treated ? Can you post a few pics of her ?

Thanks for the reply AHBD!
She currently has a Reptisun 10.0 24", she was using the same light except it was 18" before she started swelling and was sharing a tank with my other beardie (I am now aware of how bad that could have been!). She is now separated and in her own setup.
She eats mostly dubia roaches and superworms, with collards and some other veggies/fruits thrown in occasionally. She is pretty good with eating salad and bugs she flies across the tank to get them, lol!
The liquid calcium does not have D3, she gets Zoo Med's Reptivite Reptile Vitamins with D3 twice a week on her bugs.
She stopped using her limbs because the joints started swelling up hugely, so she was taken to a vet back in January who took reptiles. He did an xray and a biopsy and told me she had a calcium deficiency, bacterial infection and yellow fungus. He sent us home with about five medications and basically told me she was going to die. Two months later still no sign of YF, and she wasnt getting better. I found another vet who would see reptiles and she told me no yellow fungus and just a big calcium deficiency and to just drop all the extra meds and give her liquid calcium daily and an anti inflammatory. She got better after that!!
Now every now and then she swells up again like now and I'm just trying to figure out what more I can to to help her.
Pics:
In the beginning when she couldn't move she was so swollen.
Close up of her front leg.
Earlier this month feeling fantastic!
And just today swollen.

Thanks again! Hope this was understandable.

I'm not sure what would cause the on + off swelling. Are you giving her plain calcium with D3 now or is it the vitamin with calcium + D3 ? Because too much vitamin supplement could cause organ problems + possibly water retention. And was she ever checked for gout ? Does she drink water or how do you hydrate her ? Oral hydration is always best , esp. with a sick animal.

She gets plain liquid calcium daily and then gets vitamins +D3 powder on her roaches twice a week, so she shouldn't be getting to much.
I am pretty sure she has not been checked for gout. She drinks from her baths usually or if you drip water on her nose, and her collards usually have some water.