2 Broken front arms... help!

[mactac]

We brought our beardie to the vet today because there seemed to be a flat spot or missing muscle in an arm.

The vert told us that there was a break in one arm and a fracture in another.

He said that there was nothing at all that could be done. In cats and dogs they put a pin in, but beardies are too small to fix it in any way. We were told to give the beardie omega 3's to help with inflammation but other than that, it's just a matter of hoping things don't get worse.

Does this sound right? Here are the 2 x-rays from the left and the right elbow:

 

[AHBD]

Sorry to hear this. How is she walking, can she use those legs ? Flat spot is not a real diagnosis. Post pics of her legs to show what you mean

 

[AHBD]

Also, what is her diet, and calcium schedule , and type of lights ? The one leg does look like a piece has separated and other is very slightly fragmented.

 

[mactac]

Also, what is her diet, and calcium schedule , and type of lights ? The one leg does look like a piece has separated and other is very slightly fragmented.

Husbandry is all on point, no problems there.

 

[AHBD]

That's good, how is she walking ? Has she jumped from any heights at all ? And can you post pics of her ?

 

[mactac]

That's good, how is she walking ? Has she jumped from any heights at all ? And can you post pics of her ?

She is walking with a slight limp. The vet said that it might be an old injury, she has not jumped from any heights that we know of. I can't post a pic right now (she is asleep), though it doesn't really change the X-Ray

 

[mactac]

Sorry to hear this. How is she walking, can she use those legs ? Flat spot is not a real diagnosis. Post pics of her legs to show what you mean

She can walk, but has a slight limp. "flat spot" was a description of why we brought her in, not a diagnosis. The diagnosis is a break and a fracture, which can be seen in the x-rays. My question was about the fact that he said that nothing at all can be done, I wanted to know if this is the case, or if in fact something should be done to help.

 

[AHBD]

I know it won't change the xray. I was just looking to see her condition since an overweight dragon will have more stress on all the joints so that dangling and jumping are going to be apt to causing injury more easily. I'm sorry you're going through this. I'll bow out of here since my reasonable questions irritated you.

 

[mactac]

I know it won't change the xray. I was just looking to see her condition since an overweight dragon will have more stress on all the joints so that dangling and jumping are going to be apt to causing injury more easily. I'm sorry you're going through this. I'll bow out of here since my reasonable questions irritated you.

Your questions did not irritate me in any way, I'm sorry that I came across that way to you, I apologize as it was not my intention. She is a tiny bit overweight, so that could have been a contributing factor. I'm not sure why it happened, but it did, unfortunately. I did not feel confident about what the vet said about what to do (ie nothing). It seems very unfortunate that she has to live the rest of her life with broken bones with no treatment at all.

 

[AHBD]

No that's O.K. I owe more of an apology to you for my rash response during your crisis. I'm glad that she can still walk but not sure on what more help she can receive. Maybe Tracie can be of some help. I wish you the best possible outcome.

 

[mactac]

No that's O.K. I owe more of an apology to you for my rash response during your crisis. I'm glad that she can still walk but not sure on what more help she can receive. Maybe Tracie can be of some help. I wish you the best possible outcome.

It's all good. We are all funny humans

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry about the bone issues there. This does happen from time to time, but the reasons are variable.
Did the vet not suggest any liquid calcium to potentially help strengthen the bones?
If she is walking & getting herself around, that is positive news. Be sure to keep her basking spot at a
reasonable level, lower towards the ground if possible so she doesn't have to climb too much. Try some
water therapy to encourage her to swim & move around some to help with strength.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[mactac]

Hello,

Sorry about the bone issues there. This does happen from time to time, but the reasons are variable.
Did the vet not suggest any liquid calcium to potentially help strengthen the bones?
If she is walking & getting herself around, that is positive news. Be sure to keep her basking spot at a
reasonable level, lower towards the ground if possible so she doesn't have to climb too much. Try some
water therapy to encourage her to swim & move around some to help with strength.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

Thanks Tracie. The vet didn't suggest anything at all, basically said that fixing the bone is not an option. Does that make sense, or should we bring her to another vet? Her walking has actually gotten much worse since that initial vet visit, and her arm is starting to be fairly limp/without strength. I'm very concerned.

I feel like we should do something, I just don't know what. A cast? Amputation?

From the x-ray, it seems like that one bone on one side is broken right off. The other side seems to be almost broken all the way.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

This is a frustrating situation for you & your dragon I realize. Can you get her to another vet?
It does need to be confirmed, I agree. I am not sure why the bone would be broken like that &
for both of them to be going bad. I would not go with amputation quite yet though.
Which UVB light are you using? Are you using a liquid calcium since it seems that her bones
may be compromised to some extent. Are her back legs ok, or does she use them that you can
tell?
You could make a splint for her out of popsicle sticks to support the arm. You can use gauze to
wrap around the arm to help secure the popsicle sticks in place. Be careful not to make things
too tight but, snug enough to stay in place. Simple encircle the arm to try & give it some support.
I would really recommend putting her on liquid calcium right now, to help build up her reserves.

Let us know how things are going.
Tracie

 

[mactac]

Hello,

This is a frustrating situation for you & your dragon I realize. Can you get her to another vet?
It does need to be confirmed, I agree. I am not sure why the bone would be broken like that &
for both of them to be going bad. I would not go with amputation quite yet though.
Which UVB light are you using? Are you using a liquid calcium since it seems that her bones
may be compromised to some extent. Are her back legs ok, or does she use them that you can
tell?
You could make a splint for her out of popsicle sticks to support the arm. You can use gauze to
wrap around the arm to help secure the popsicle sticks in place. Be careful not to make things
too tight but, snug enough to stay in place. Simple encircle the arm to try & give it some support.
I would really recommend putting her on liquid calcium right now, to help build up her reserves.

Let us know how things are going.
Tracie

Thanks Tracie! One thing I'm not clear on - with that first break, the muscle has pulled the bone chunk right off the rest of the bone, so the muscle has nothing to "pull" on. (her muscle is bunched up on one end because of this). How would I splint this - on the femur (where the muscle doesn't work because it's not attached)? Or both sections of her leg? What's the idea of splinting? Thanks!