My Baby has a broken femur...acting little weird

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So..... a week ago my daughter accidently sat the basking habitat on Ozzies leg and soon after we noticed he was dragging it. After $600 we found he has a fractured femur. I removed everything from his habitat and cut the size in half. We are not handling him only to do his soaks 2xs a week. Up until today things seemed to be progressing. He is eating good, basking, sleeping good and pooing daily.

However.....today when we went to pick him up to take him for his soak he began arching his back at us. Now I read thats a sign of stress or aggression. He has never done this before. After his bath he was even doing it when he was walking across his habitat. Should I be worried that something has went wrong with his leg? Or is it maybe he is just stressed from the changes in his environment? He was held very frequently before the accident and now can't be held at all. ? It is breaking out hearts but we know it's for the best for him and his healing.

He is not dragging his leg anymore. Actually he seems to be using it almost like normal until this arching his back deal. This is my first beardie and I am just a worry wart but sometimes that can be a good thing. Any thoughts???
 

loljelloclowdz

Juvie Member
Stop soaking him, soaking isn’t absolutely necessary as they hydrate through their food. Did the vet stabilize the leg with a cast or brace of some kind? He’s arching in pain as moving him around moves the leg. Just leave him be in his tank but still give him attention and hand feed him so he’s not terrified of you and aggressive during the next two to three months of healing.

Edit: do not attempt to immobilize his leg yourself, let a vet do it.
 

Beardiemom76

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Original Poster
When I took him to the vet she said that immobolizing his leg would/could cause more harm than good. She said the bandages get soiled with poo and can get stuck in the carpet substrate so it was better to just let him be and heal up.

Thanks for the info. We won't give him any more soaks if it is better to just let him be. We do still go to him several times a day and talk to him and pet his head and upper back staying away from his leg. He is on Tramadol for pain once a day. Like I mentioned he does seem to be holding it in a more normal position now amd using it more each day. I think it's just gonna take time. Hurry up and wait.
 

Beardiemom76

Member
Original Poster
When I took him to the vet she said that immobolizing his leg would/could cause more harm than good. She said the bandages get soiled with poo and can get stuck in the carpet substrate so it was better to just let him be and heal up.

Thanks for the info. We won't give him any more soaks if it is better to just let him be. We do still go to him several times a day and talk to him and pet his head and upper back staying away from his leg. He is on Tramadol for pain once a day. Like I mentioned he does seem to be holding it in a more normal position now amd using it more each day. I think it's just gonna take time. Hurry up and wait.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I am sorry your little one fractured his femur, unfortunately accidents do happen. It sounds
like though, he is slowly healing up. As you already have done, removing everything done
like removing things from his tank, etc is the best you can do just to help keep him from
having to climb too much.
Did you adjust his UVB lighting for him, to ensure he is getting adequate UVB lighting? How
much calcium do you give & how often do you use the calcium?
Try putting your hand in his tank a few times daily, letting him climb on you, just so he continues
to be familiar with you.
If he is using or starting to use his leg more he should be getting back to normal soon.
Is he eating enough?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

Beardiemom76

Member
Original Poster
Hello all!

Update: my Ozzie seems to be doing better. No more arching his back which is good. He seems in good spirits. Using his leg much more now. However....he did not poo yesterday and not so far today. He did just go thru a shed yesterday so he may be stressed from that and his leg. He doesn't have his normal stuff to rub on to help him shed so he was stressing staying to get it off but he did.

Should I worry yet that he has not pooed? (Is that a word? Lol) He is still eating good. I was considering putting a little olive oil on a bug or on some greens and seeing if that works. I don't want to soak him if I don't have to due to his leg.

Any thoughts?

Oh and about his lighting. I have a dome light that has UVB and his heat light then I also have a strip UVB that is over his area he can be in. He doesn't have a basking spot that is elevated due to his leg. Don't want him climbing. As far as calcium I dust his bugs once a day with Calcium With D3. I also ordered a multi vitamin to give a few times a week. Apparently I was not giving enough Calcium as the vet said his bones weren't as solid as she would like for his age. He's about 4 months now....approx. he weighs 40 grams when at the vet. We have a follow up on Sat including x-rays to make sure he's healing up ok. I will let you know what they say.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Dome UVB that would be a coil please get rid of it unless its a MVB if so what brand and bulb please --- the strip UVB is what brand and what bulb please they have certain distances and placement ---
 

Beardiemom76

Member
Original Poster
My dome light im not sure what type it is. The shop I got Ozzie from sold me a "setup" (this was such a setup...a setup to get my money. I didn't know any better and he knew it) including the dome light and bulbs. I changed out the heat bulb as his tank wasn't getting hot enough however I do not know what type of UVB the other one is. I can take a pic and post it. I guess I'll ask....what should I have in that dome fixture? I do have a ReptiSun desert 8t strip light. I'm going off memory the exact name but I do know it's an 8t and made by Reptisun. Hope that helps.

The vet said that he may be having a little trouble going poo because of his paint medication Tramadol. So I was told to soak him 2xs a day but keep him calm in the soak. Easier said than done. ?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The med will effect his appetite- I would only bath him if you absolutely need to- the UVB's are going to help w/ the pooping and absorbing/ synthesizing of the calcium- your T 8 needs to have the cover off the fixture and placed in the tank approx 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor-- you only need one good bright white basking bulb--- no coil UVB's- no colored bulbs-- no heat mats or rocks- the basking temp needs to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer - stick ons are inaccurate--- the 3 most important things in the tank are your digital probe basking temp and UVB- if you need help hanging the fixture I can post things to help--- please do not listen to the pet store owner- your little guy needs a salad everyday-- a good staple feeder like crickets or dubia roaches or BSFL-- those work great as salad toppers- feed as many as you want and do not dust them - if you need more help I can post websites for worms/ insects- and nutrition website
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder - rinse the greens before serving he will get a lot of moisture thru them ---
www.symtonbsf.com
here some things to hang w/ 3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire –long plastic zip
ties-- fishing line --- and this stuff works great I use it in my two tanks - its like a Velcro strap cut into strips and wrap around the fixture https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-15-ft-Cable-Ties-Hook-and-Loop-Spool-Black-10375/304220195
 

loljelloclowdz

Juvie Member
If you want to help him shed, you can put a slate tile in his enclosure so he can rub on it without having to climb. You can probably get one for like a dollar at Home Depot. It doesn’t have to be a big one, even a 4x4”” one would be fine.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Beardiemom76":3emb9ldz said:
When I took him to the vet she said that immobolizing his leg would/could cause more harm than good. She said the bandages get soiled with poo and can get stuck in the carpet substrate so it was better to just let him be and heal up.

Thanks for the info. We won't give him any more soaks if it is better to just let him be. We do still go to him several times a day and talk to him and pet his head and upper back staying away from his leg. He is on Tramadol for pain once a day. Like I mentioned he does seem to be holding it in a more normal position now amd using it more each day. I think it's just gonna take time. Hurry up and wait.

That's BS ( regards immobilising the leg ).

I know for a fact immobilising the leg in a cast works , and will have a good outcome , I had a juvenile eastern bluetongue skink who somehow broke his humeras bone in his left arm - vet made a stainless steel pin and inserted it into the humeras to realign and hold it together while the bone mended , immobilised whole arm and left shoulder in a lizard sized cast ( looked comical with his arm poking out perpendicular to his body - not that this slowed him down in the least ).
8 weeks later cast came off , George good as gold , no issues at all . Still have George ( he's 11 years old now ).

I see no compelling reasons why a skilled reptile surgeon can't do the same for your dragon's femur. Outside of the cast can be made in a way that poo wont stick very easily or made so the surface can be wiped clean .

I was required to
>> bump up the photoperiod to 16 hrs per day
>> give a specific daily dose of CalciVet orally by mouth each day ( based on his body mass ).
>> install a heatpad set to 30 degC under his hide for overnight to boost his metabolic rate and immune system
>> inject (SC) preprepped frozen pain relief - anti-inflammatory - antibiotic mix combo every 2nd day
Never saw a drop off in appetite.
 
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