German Giant strange positions, deformed toe, swollen leg.

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Drache613

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Hello,

He does look pretty swollen in those x-rays. Try to keep him warm & comfortable overnight
& be sure he doesn't have to climb much to get to his basking & UVB area either.

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
After 2 doses of Serrapeptase and Allopurinol he just tried to leap off of my bed for the first time in 5 or so months. No longer hesitant to move, getting himself up on his basking platform etc. The left leg is still giving him definite issues but there is such a difference already that I can't help but feel he has a full chance of recovery. Thank you all so much for your input.
 

Drache613

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Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Wow, I really hope that the treatment helps out for him. Give it time, as it will take awhile for
the swelling to start coming down. It's a great sign though that he did try to jump. His joints
must be feeling a little better.
I am rooting for a full & fast recovery for him.

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
He just chased crickets all around my room, Supers also. He has been eating baby food daily to build up his strength, at times very stubborn about fluids. He is very strong-willed and will back up his entire body and push as much as he can against syringes, so I have only been forcing his mouth open for the Allopurinol and not so much water and Serrapeptase.

He feels like he has an arch back in his back (at his most swollen he almost laid flat like a board), is able to posture himself and seems very quick and can outrun prey no problem. He is not even a week into treatment and the difference has been astounding. No visible swelling differences yet, but I can tell he feels so much better.
 

Drache613

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Moderator
Hello,

I am very happy to hear that he is doing so much better. I really hope that he has been getting
some relief from the joint pain right now. It does sound like his energy levels have greatly
improved along with his mobility!
That is just terrific. The swelling will take a bit of time to show improvement due to the large
uric acid buildups but keep him hydrated & on the meds to flush his system.
Keep up the great work! When you can, post more pictures of him, as you would like to.

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
He has packed on a little too much weight from baby food, but his activity level has increased a lot. He has not been willingly taking the serrapeptase but have been forcing the allopurinol. He willingly drank about 6 mls of water today. He attempts to climb up the back-wall of his enclosure but he use to but he more ends up laying up-right against it. Does not seem capable of holding on with the way his back toes point up and his left leg is swollen.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Do you have new pictures of him we could see?
Be sure to not give too much protein so it doesn't tax his kidneys too much. The baby food can
get them to gain some weight. You could make just simple greens slurries with squash & greens
without protein for a few feedings so that he doesn't put too much weight on.
Is he still active?
You are sure he is getting the correct dose of allopurinol?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":1c08heni said:
Hello,

Do you have new pictures of him we could see?
Be sure to not give too much protein so it doesn't tax his kidneys too much. The baby food can
get them to gain some weight. You could make just simple greens slurries with squash & greens
without protein for a few feedings so that he doesn't put too much weight on.
Is he still active?
You are sure he is getting the correct dose of allopurinol?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Yes, he has been on your exact dosing instructions in regards to the allopurinol. He is very active, tries to climb but it seems as if his back feet just don't do that at all right now. His left front leg is still swollen and bothering him as well, but not as much as the back left foot seems to be.

https://imgur.com/a/zWYL6

Front right leg: https://imgur.com/a/eYsYR

Front left leg: https://imgur.com/a/MJFb4

Back left foot: https://imgur.com/a/8CJwS

https://imgur.com/a/sbX5M

https://imgur.com/a/2wRIj
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

He looks good, alert too, which is important! He is improving slowly, but it will just take
some for the swelling to go down. The uric acid buildup is stubborn that is for sure, but it
will hopefully begin to recede some soon.
Keep up with the fluids, as you ar doing now. I hope he is feeling better!

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
Hello!

It has been quite some time now since Pablo started on the Allopurinol. He is eating salads again, overall very alert and moves around quite a bit. Climbing is still a definite issue for him, and his swelling has been very stubborn. The front left leg and back left foot are still considerably swollen. They may have gone down somewhat since starting on the medication, but it is difficult to tell. He is acting much better, but as far as physical appearance goes he is quite similar. Is there anything additional I can do for him to accelerate the swelling going down?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

It usually takes awhile for the swelling to begin to go down, unfortunately. Since they are so
swollen, it does make it harder to see if there has been any improvement.
I am happy to hear he is more active & able to move around better though. So, he must be
feeling better then?
Just be sure he is getting adequate oral fluids also, daily to help his system flush out the excess
uric acid. That's great he is eating his greens again, that is an improvement.
I hope Pablo continues to improve, but, it will be a slow process. I don't think that there is
anything else that can be done to accelerate the reduction of swelling, it just takes time.
The fact that he is moving around more & eating better are great signs though!

Tracie
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
Pablo has just passed away after a 10 day period of going downhill. He was with me at the vets on November 13, 2017 when my neurological issues started as a result of brainstem compression and died exactly a year later. I was significantly closer to him than with any animal in my life, and I've had so many. I can't believe this. I have been hospitalized so many times this year and would always get home as fast as possible just to pick him up and see him. I don't know where I go from here. All the vet appointments in the world couldn't save my boy.. He didn't even make it to 3 years old. Thank you Tracie for everything you did.
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
Pablo's necropsy revealed nothing at all, despite us treating him for what was seemingly gout for a year. No uric acid buildup, no infection, no enlarged spleen, no digestive food, everything seemed as it should be. His necropsy was done by an expert who has been doing them for a very long time and he was baffled and frustrated that he had no answers for me. It's almost as if he died of old age at nearly 3. When flipping him on his back and side on November 11th, he didn't flip himself back up or respond in any way shape or form. Which is the characteristic of a dead dragon. But he would still open his eyes every once in a while and eat something. It's almost like something in him died off before he actually died. Because a dragon that doesn't flip off of his back or respond to being put on his side etc in any way shape or form shouldn't be alive to open his eyes, eat etc. Makes no sense. He kept his eyes open and kept going right up until the 13th, that one year year anniversary of onset of severe neurological symptoms when my whole life changed and his first vet appointment there.

Has anyone else ever had a necropsy with no cause of death given on their Beardie, and at such a young age?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I'm sooooo sorry to see this, and also sorry to have missed your last post here on Tuesday. How very devasating for you, especially with no answer after the necropsy. I can imagine that you were very close to your boy Pablo. A couple things to keep in mind.....reptile medicine is still behind dog/cat + mammal care by a long shot so there is still not as much info , clinical studies, etc. to determine exact cause of some illnesses in them. Even with humans, Dr.'s still have many mystery illnesses [ either in diagnosis ] or in curing ] that lead to debilitating symptoms or at times death. Look at the new disease that's causing polio like symptoms in children just recently in the U.S. Dr.'s have no cure and don't know exactly what is happening. And there are many other diseases as well. I've had a neuro problem in the past as well that had an unknown cause.


So it's not surprising that some cases with our reptiles will go unsolved. At least you did everything you could to help your dragon, as much as it hurts it will pass in time and you will remember the good times. Try not to dwell on the fact that there was no conclusive cause of death, just know that you were a good, caring owner and Pablo had the best life that he could have with you. Take care and please accept my sympathy. My heart goes out to you and I hope that you can manage your illness as well. Best wishes !
 

GermanGiant3

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3riclwiw said:
I'm sooooo sorry to see this, and also sorry to have missed your last post here on Tuesday. How very devasating for you, especially with no answer after the necropsy. I can imagine that you were very close to your boy Pablo. A couple things to keep in mind.....reptile medicine is still behind dog/cat + mammal care by a long shot so there is still not as much info , clinical studies, etc. to determine exact cause of some illnesses in them. Even with humans, Dr.'s still have many mystery illnesses [ either in diagnosis ] or in curing ] that lead to debilitating symptoms or at times death. Look at the new disease that's causing polio like symptoms in children just recently in the U.S. Dr.'s have no cure and don't know exactly what is happening. And there are many other diseases as well. I've had a neuro problem in the past as well that had an unknown cause.


So it's not surprising that some cases with our reptiles will go unsolved. At least you did everything you could to help your dragon, as much as it hurts it will pass in time and you will remember the good times. Try not to dwell on the fact that there was no conclusive cause of death, just know that you were a good, caring owner and Pablo had the best life that he could have with you. Take care and please accept my sympathy. My heart goes out to you and I hope that you can manage your illness as well. Best wishes !

Thank you very much. Pictures of Pablo when he was just 3-4 months old, he looks like his head and body is bigger than my dragon that is a year old (who is a very big boy) it's almost like Pablo rapidly grew in length and size, getting to 600 or so grams very quickly at seemingly instantaneous speed and then didn't grow again. Like he died of old age or something, but at only 3. I will never understand it. I've been trying to find Beardies that look similar to him at that age or trying to determine his morph etc, but I just can't.. His legs were always very big. His legs/head at 3-4 months were significantly bigger than my other Beardie's now at a year old. He had such an odd build to him. He kept me going through all of the neurological disturbances. Carrying on without him is going to be very hard
 
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