rmelena127
Member
Hello,
I have a five month old beardie named Alfred. We purchased him from petsmart at around one month old. We had done some research on bearded dragons but unfortunately purchased a kit that included the wrong UV light. When we first got him he had a slight discoloration on his lower back but we didn't think much of it until a few months later we noticed that the discoloration was greater and that his right leg seemed a little swollen. We took him to a vet who in reality didn't know anything and then a week went to see another vet who knew what he was talking about. He diagnosed our beardie with MBD (metabolic bone disease) because his (jaw would bend and had fibrous bones). He prescribed some food supplements and told us to give him at least 30 min of natural sunlight a day and to start gut loading the crickets instead of just dusting them. We also, then discovered about the UV light and replaced it with a better one that spans the length of the tank (the other one was a coil around 1/4th the length).
After a while of having Alfred on the medication and exposing him to UV more, he started looking and shedding better. Due to freak weather, we were unable to take him out as often as before, so for a while his condition just stayed at a standstill. That is, until one day, he fell off of a plastic cactus-looking food dish while sleeping, a fall of about 3-4 inches. We assume he had hit his head and gotten a concussion, due to his sudden erratic behavior. He would stargaze a lot and would constantly favor his left side in anything he did, and for, what seemed like, for the longest time he wouldn't walk normally, only wobble here and there. His head would almost always be vertically, and he would basically spin around to look at you with his left eye.
We took him to the vet again, and he said that it was most likely due to a concussion and his bones being weakened. He gave us 3 weeks and basically told us that if he lived past 3 weeks he'd be fine, and just to continue on the medication and remove all the rocks and high areas so that he wouldn't move about too much or risk climbing and falling off again. By this time the discoloration hadn't gotten much better and had spread, and his leg was still quite swollen.
Through intensive care, lots of food, calcium supplements, sun and time later, his discolored areas began to shed off, with a more natural color of skin underneath, except for 1 or 2 spots. They were more like clumps. His head as well as his motor skills have also gotten much better (except when he's cold). Which brings us to more or less right now. One of the clumps has shed, and had an unsightly black welt underneath. Since then he hasn't shed, but the more worrisome part, is how his leg looks. His left hind leg had gotten bad when the discoloration had spread, but eventually healed more or less back to normal. His right hind leg, however, looks much worse off than ever before. The lower part of the leg is swollen to roughly 2 and a half times the normal size, and the upper part is black and skinny. Both knees look slightly bad, with a crusty look to the skin. His swollen leg is tender to the touch, and he usually favors keeping it close to his body. The vet suggested that it might be a fracture or break, but it seems to be much worse than that, because of all the awful looking things in that general area. I will attach pictures as soon as possible, but right now he's asleep, and it'd be best in better lighting. If you guys know of anything that could be causing such an awful swell in his leg/ankle please let me know. I'd greatly appreciate any help or advice.
I'll probably have the pictures up by tomorrow.
Thank you.
I have a five month old beardie named Alfred. We purchased him from petsmart at around one month old. We had done some research on bearded dragons but unfortunately purchased a kit that included the wrong UV light. When we first got him he had a slight discoloration on his lower back but we didn't think much of it until a few months later we noticed that the discoloration was greater and that his right leg seemed a little swollen. We took him to a vet who in reality didn't know anything and then a week went to see another vet who knew what he was talking about. He diagnosed our beardie with MBD (metabolic bone disease) because his (jaw would bend and had fibrous bones). He prescribed some food supplements and told us to give him at least 30 min of natural sunlight a day and to start gut loading the crickets instead of just dusting them. We also, then discovered about the UV light and replaced it with a better one that spans the length of the tank (the other one was a coil around 1/4th the length).
After a while of having Alfred on the medication and exposing him to UV more, he started looking and shedding better. Due to freak weather, we were unable to take him out as often as before, so for a while his condition just stayed at a standstill. That is, until one day, he fell off of a plastic cactus-looking food dish while sleeping, a fall of about 3-4 inches. We assume he had hit his head and gotten a concussion, due to his sudden erratic behavior. He would stargaze a lot and would constantly favor his left side in anything he did, and for, what seemed like, for the longest time he wouldn't walk normally, only wobble here and there. His head would almost always be vertically, and he would basically spin around to look at you with his left eye.
We took him to the vet again, and he said that it was most likely due to a concussion and his bones being weakened. He gave us 3 weeks and basically told us that if he lived past 3 weeks he'd be fine, and just to continue on the medication and remove all the rocks and high areas so that he wouldn't move about too much or risk climbing and falling off again. By this time the discoloration hadn't gotten much better and had spread, and his leg was still quite swollen.
Through intensive care, lots of food, calcium supplements, sun and time later, his discolored areas began to shed off, with a more natural color of skin underneath, except for 1 or 2 spots. They were more like clumps. His head as well as his motor skills have also gotten much better (except when he's cold). Which brings us to more or less right now. One of the clumps has shed, and had an unsightly black welt underneath. Since then he hasn't shed, but the more worrisome part, is how his leg looks. His left hind leg had gotten bad when the discoloration had spread, but eventually healed more or less back to normal. His right hind leg, however, looks much worse off than ever before. The lower part of the leg is swollen to roughly 2 and a half times the normal size, and the upper part is black and skinny. Both knees look slightly bad, with a crusty look to the skin. His swollen leg is tender to the touch, and he usually favors keeping it close to his body. The vet suggested that it might be a fracture or break, but it seems to be much worse than that, because of all the awful looking things in that general area. I will attach pictures as soon as possible, but right now he's asleep, and it'd be best in better lighting. If you guys know of anything that could be causing such an awful swell in his leg/ankle please let me know. I'd greatly appreciate any help or advice.
I'll probably have the pictures up by tomorrow.
Thank you.
