Hey guys! My beardies arm suddenly got swollen and she was limping yesterday (which she wasn’t doing for the past week) so i took her to an urgent care that claimed they specialized in lizards (they didn’t) basically i got stuck there for over 6 hours and only got one xray and blood work done. apparently her bone density is great so mbd is ruled out. i got the blood work done but no one explained anything to me but they told me it’s either gout or soft tissue damage. i have no clue what the blood work means and i would really appreciate your help! they sent me home with some anti inflammatories and pain meds but if gout is possible i don’t want to give her meds that might make her kidneys worse. i’m going for a second opinion tomorrow but i’m extremely worried. thank you guys in advance! (for reference shes 2 yrs old)
I sent a PM to you & answered a few things in the message.
Can you post a few pictures of your dragon, along with your tank setup so that we can see
her condition. How swollen is the arm & are there other areas that have swelling?
Can you review your tank setup such as the type/brand of UVB, the supplementation & the
nutritional regime for us, that would help.
On paper, it doesn't look like she has gout, but her kidneys might be having trouble. The uric
acid levels are very low. She could have a mineral or vitamin deficiency or she might be a
bit dehydrated. Are her urates hard or soft?
The AST which is the liver enzymes, looks to be in the normal ranges.
The calcium is good, but the phosphorus levels are not quite balanced. The levels can become
imbalanced due to improper lighting, supplementation, etc.
Could she have hurt herself somehow in her tank?
What medications did they send you home with?