May have gout, how can I comfort him?

[Thefriendlyghost]

My bearded dragons joints are very swollen and painful right now. His culture came back with nothing on it and the antibiotics didn't work. While we didn't see any crystals, he most likely has gout. How can I make him comfortable and reduce the swelling before my next vet appointment? He has trouble getting around and doesn't eat his veggies as a result (he eats his insects very well though, I use tweezers).
He is 18 months, eats dubia roaches, and is a bit under weight. He's in a 4x2x2' enclosure with a tile floor.

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Stop the dubia roaches firstly. They are the worst bug to feed a dragon suffering from gout.

Was bloodwork done? That would tell you the UA levels in the blood.

There are medicines to help with gout, hopefully your vet will prescribe them.

Oral hydration is very important too. If your dragon doesn't drink in the baths, you will want to try to give him water via dropper, or by gently spraying him and allowing him to lick up the water.

I really hate how often we are seeing cases of gout, especially in relatively young dragons. Overfeeding of Dubia is a common cause of this.

-Brandon

 

[Thefriendlyghost]

Thank you for the reply. What insects would you recommend instead of dubia roaches? Should I keep giving him calcium powder?
And no, bloodwork was not done. They only tested the pus in his joints.

 

[KarrieRee]

He needs to have blood work done so they can get UA levels --- if he does have gout they can prescribe Allopurinol -- diabetics get gout I am one of them --- If he is in pain and not moving much I would get his basking area lower so he does not haft to climb -- make sure you get temps if you move the light - it would be best if he doesnt haft to climb -- it hurts for him to move -- I would lay off the calcium too - You can try feeding her some silk worms --- they are supposed to be half the content of protein than dubias
www.reptilianarts.com they only have cups now w/ food they are out of bulk everyone else that I know of is out of them but here are some websites for you
https://www.coastalsilkworms.com/
www.mulberryfarms.com
Karrie

 

[Claudiusx]

At 18 months he should be about full size correct?

If so, I'd basically cut out insects completely for a bit until his gout starts becoming less severe.

He should be eating mainly salads, and spritz the salads with water so that he gets extra hydration. Very important in cases of gout.

If he is a good salad eater, I'd give him a small amount of supers once or twice a week. If he isn't eating his salads though, I wouldn't give him any bugs.

So did they actually tested the pus, found no infection, and still prescribed antibiotics? Gah...
It seems common sense to me that if the fluid they drew was clean, that gout would be the next most logical step, not antibiotics. They should have either prescribed a gout medicine, or proceeded with bloodwork to test UA levels.

Is this a reptile vet, or a general one?

Black cherry extract also helps a lot with gout symptoms. One of our moderators here has a website that sells it (along with other supplies) if you can't find it locally. Here is her site:
https://bug-de-lite.com/Item/Black%20Cherry%20Powder

Additionaly, if your vet is unwilling, you can buy the Allopurinol from her website too (the gout medicine your vet should have prescribed)
https://bug-de-lite.com/Item/Gout-Ease

-Brandon