Help, swollen discolored paws (not shed)

[Aleeeexli]

Hi, my baby rankins dragon (born mid July) has a swollen paw on and off since almost 2 months. Now since 2 weeks, his paw is discolored, but it is not shed (he just shed his whole arm!). There seems also to be a dent in his arm where the discoloration begins. I don‘t know how to really describe it but it doesn‘t look like stuck shed to me and the vet also thinks it is something else.

Since two days ago, the other paw seems a bit discolored too.

There are weeks where he isn‘t using this arm a lot and then suddenly he is very active again and using it as usual. Right now, he is resting it more again and seems lethargic, but is still eating well.

I went to two different vets and they don‘t know what it is. They don‘t think it is MBD or stuck shed. One gave me pain meds and antibiotics for my baby which didn‘t seem to help at all (I gave it to him the whole 10 days the vet described it). He said if it doesn‘t get better he might need to amputate it but doesn‘t even know what it is… The second vet didn‘t have a clue either but thought that amputation is quite drastic. Both vets went over my husbandry and thought it is good.

Do you have any idea what this could be and how to help my baby? I am glad for any tips I can get!

The first two pictures are of the paw that is swollen/discolored since 2 months, the last picture is of the other paw.

 

[xp29]

I can't see it on my phone, it gets to distorted when I zoom. I'll flag Tracie she is a vet tech. But she is usually on kate night. @Drache613

 

[Aleeeexli]

I can't see it on my phone, it gets to distorted when I zoom. I'll flag Tracie she is a vet tech. But she is usually on kate night. @Drache613

Thank you for flagging Tracie!

 

[xp29]

Thank you for flagging Tracie!

Your welcome

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry I missed this. How is your dragon/rankins doing today? It looks suspicious to me, possible gout.
You mentioned it has been swollen for awhile now? When was the last time that area shed?

Tracie

 

[Aleeeexli]

Hello,

Sorry I missed this. How is your dragon/rankins doing today? It looks suspicious to me, possible gout.
You mentioned it has been swollen for awhile now? When was the last time that area shed?

Tracie

Hi Tracie! Thanks a lot for your answer!

I went to the vet again last week, they took an x-ray and said that looked well. They gave my dragon antibiotics again, which didn‘t do anything yet. Wouldn‘t gout have been visible on the x-ray?

My baby is doing ok, she still eats very well and uses both paws but isn‘t as active as I‘d like.

It is still swollen and discolored, which seems suspicious to me. The last time she shed her paw was 1.5 weeks ago.

Could it be something viral or fungal? The other rankin that was kept with her until a few weeks ago also started developing a discolored paw.

I am really at my wits end and the vets don‘t really know what to do either and she is too small for blood drawn to test her for different diseases.

 

[AHBD]

If it was gout they wouldn't be active because of the pain. It's most likely uneven shed. If the vet said amputation is possible I doubt he knows much about reptiles. If the drahon is eating and active that's all good .

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, it is a very good sign that they are still active & eating. Gout is very elusive & wont always show up on an x-ray. It depends on the composition of the uric acid crystals, if they are present.
I would definitely keep an eye on the swollen fingers, etc. If they have gout developing, the antibiotics wont help out but will make it worse.

Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

 

[Aleeeexli]

Hello,

I agree, it is a very good sign that they are still active & eating. Gout is very elusive & wont always show up on an x-ray. It depends on the composition of the uric acid crystals, if they are present.
I would definitely keep an eye on the swollen fingers, etc. If they have gout developing, the antibiotics wont help out but will make it worse.

Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

That‘s the thing, I am worried she isn‘t active enough. While she had a few good days this week, the week before there were days where she basically stayed in the same spot all day (except when I was feeding her). And even now, those „active“ days are less active compared to my other dragons who are the same age as her.

Is there anything else I should keep my eyes on? What would be other signs of gout? And is there a way for the vet to test for gout?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Overall, just watch the fingers & wrists. If gout is developing, the fingers will
start to get rounder which isn't normal. Also, the wrist or ankles may start to look puffy & losing the definition of muscle in that area.
If they start losing strength or have decreased appetite, that might be an indication. If they weigh over 100 grams, they might be able to do a blood draw to test the Uric acid levels which helps indicate whether or not the body is building up uric acid due to kidney stress.

Tracie