Beardy with Gout. Need help with next step

[milkplox4]

Hello, I have recently gone to the vet and they have done blood work, turns out that my beardy has an extremely high uric acid level, along with a high phosphorus level.

She is a 9 month 13 inch 200 gram bearded dragon

She has a 21 mg/dL high uric acid level (normal levels are 1-10). She also has a 6.6 mg/dL phosphorus level (normal max is 5.7). Her calcium levels are within norms. What I am asking is; if you guys can recommend anything to lower the levels, I am currently using Septra(coccidia didn't die last time, its a pretty bad infection), Meloxicam , Allopurinol, and Probenecid.

I am thinking about switching at least partially to a alfalfa pellet mush (or fresh) diet (since its high in plant protein). I am also buying black cherry extract and adding it to the water.
What other measures can I do to lower the acid levels and slow the disease?
What methods should I use to administer fluids to her. I have been doing it orally but dont know how much ml i should give to her daily.
Thanks for reading.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry your girl has gout!
That is an extremely high uric acid count. She isn't in renal failure then?
You are giving everything needed to get it lowered. The medication will take time to work. What is the dose you are giving of the Allopurinol?
The black cherry addition, along with the alfalfa should help a lot, also. As for fluids, I would try for 4-6mls daily if you can.
Try to keep her protein at a minimum, 25 feeders weekly along with greens, veggies, etc. Does she have any swelling yet? I would presume she does, but do you have any pictures also?
If she has full blown visceral gout, then all you can do is slow it down & manage it. She will have to be on a maintenance dose/level of the Allopurinol, for life.
Which UVB are you using & what types of supplementation do you give? It sounds like the calcium to phosphorus ratios are off for some reason. Did you feed too much calcium with D3 or other type of vitamin too frequently?

Tracie

 

[milkplox4]

Hello,

I am sorry your girl has gout!
That is an extremely high uric acid count. She isn't in renal failure then?
You are giving everything needed to get it lowered. The medication will take time to work. What is the dose you are giving of the Allopurinol?
The black cherry addition, along with the alfalfa should help a lot, also. As for fluids, I would try for 4-6mls daily if you can.
Try to keep her protein at a minimum, 25 feeders weekly along with greens, veggies, etc. Does she have any swelling yet? I would presume she does, but do you have any pictures also?
If she has full blown visceral gout, then all you can do is slow it down & manage it. She will have to be on a maintenance dose/level of the Allopurinol, for life.
Which UVB are you using & what types of supplementation do you give? It sounds like the calcium to phosphorus ratios are off for some reason. Did you feed too much calcium with D3 or other type of vitamin too frequently?

Tracie

She already has tophi (the solid crystals by the joints), but she is still very exploitative and "active".
both the allopurinol and probenecid got bumped up to .20 ml (from .14) due to her getting bigger. I have already given her the meds for more than a month, just recently went to the vet and the dosage got upped.
I am using a reptisun 10.0, long lamp, I haven't dusted the crickets or other feeders with calcium (I thought they could be calcium deposits; and the bones looked dense in the xray), but i do dust the veggies(she only eats the powdered veggies, when she even eats them) the supplement is rep-cal.
For the cherry extract and alfalfa, what do you recommend :what exact black cherry extract and if i should use pellets(rabbit, or just plain ones) or fresh alfalfa as a protein source (Since she is still growing), and what are more precise directions for the food.

You might have to zoom in on some of these

The most messed up limb

a different angle

rear left leg almost twice the size of the normal right leg.

There are also a couple deposits in the spine and in the tail, but those are small
Thanks.
there are also deposits in the front right arm, and in various digits.

 

[milkplox4]

Oh, and is there a good method to kill coccidia on terrarium objects, I have dunked them into ammonia for 30 minutes to kill the pests, but that doesn't appear to have worked.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would try using a small steam cleaner to sanitize objects that have been in contact with coccidia. I use a 1000w tea kettle sized one that works pretty well. It cost about $40 or so.

 

[kyleena29]

I think the key is hydration. Did the vet not suggest injecting fluids? Make sure you are getting her to drink. I am also going through coccidia and using a hand steamer to clean the cage, I think I got it for around $25. Your vet should of provided you with critical care or some powder supplement to mix up for her to eat. Black Cherry is great. I'm not real sure just how much fluids, maybe a mil or 2, to give I would probably do small amounts several times a day to keep a constant level in her. Just make sure you don't force it on her and she accidentally inhales. People say to give them 15 minute baths but there are disputes if they actually get any fluids that way, if anything it might be comforting if they like it.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That seems ok on the Allopurinol dose, it depends on the strength of the solution, too.
The Black cherry juice is usually easy to give, if you can get her to drink from a dropper off of her nose. I would go for 2-4mls of extra oral fluids to help out.
I would have figured she had crystallization around her joints. Poor girl, it can be very painful. I am glad she is still active right now.
The steamer would be very effective in killing coccidia & so is bleach, too. If you do use bleach, you will need to be sure everything gets rinsed off well so there aren't any fumes left over.
She gets calcium a few times per week then? I am glad that her bones looked good on the x-rays, too. The Reptisun 10 tube bulb is a great bulb so she should be getting adequate UVB.
I have never used alfalfa but you could get rabbit pellets & crush them up for her.
It may take some time for the swelling to go down, sometimes several months.

I hope she is going to get better & recover. Keep us posted on her.

Tracie