My Fat Boy

[fatboysmomma]

I'm a first time bearded dragon owner. I have had my Fat boy for a year now and I haven't had any issues until now.
(I purchased him at Petco for 8 bucks on black friday)

This is a photo of his set up. NOW

Only difference from now and before is the UVB light and the whole jar of calcium that i spread all over the sand.

My issues...His rear right leg is swollen. He has had a lost of appetite. He has never been extremely active...so no change there. He puts weight on the leg and it doesn't seem to bother him when I touch it. He does seem a bit better after install the UVB light and the calcium...He walk over to the greens...I'm not sure if he ate or not.

After bathing him, I did hear a faith clicking noise. He did it twice and he then sat underneath his light with his mouth open for about 30 minutes. He would occasionally close it.

Some insight please!

 

[tempusfugit]

Why did you spread calcium in the sand?

Swollen limbs is a sign of mbd among other things. Clicking when breathing is a sign of respiratory infection.. I would get both checked at the vet.

 

[fatboysmomma]

I was told he was having a lack of calcium and that's what I was told to do. He has been lacking calcium.

He only did the clicking twice and never again...yet. Never heard it before and He's in my room and I'm almost always in here. I'm pretty alert to him.

 

[H31d1]

could you try and post a pic of the swollen leg please?

could you also answer a few questions

what brand is your uvb?
what is the basking temp and how do you measure it?
what diet does your beardy have?

personally i would not put calcium in the sand, it might encourage your beardy to lick the sand which can cause him to become impacted. Dusting food with calcium is a lot safer.

hope you can get some more answers
best of luck!

 

[GlueStick]

I agree with the above. Please take him to a vet.

The swollen leg could be associated with mbd, or metabolic bone disease, which is due to a lack of D3 supplementation and/or no use or improper use of a UVB. Either or, whether it was no supplementation or UVB, or supplementation without a UVB, could mean that your beardy was not synthesizing that D3 into proper calcium necessary for muscle, bone, and organ functioning. And usually when the body is lacking in this essential macro-molecule, the body will take it from the bones causing soft or rubbery bones, or painful swollen joints.

The clicking could be associated with a respiratory or sometimes unusual parasite infection, which can also be associated with your use of sand as a substrate. Sand is a great bacteria harborer, which means that many harmful microorganisms are allowed to grow under caged environments caused by moisture (from water and poo), etc and may cause bacterial or viral illness to your dragon (such as, but not limited to skin infections, infections of the eye, mouth rot, etc) if not completely cleaned weekly and spot cleaned daily. Sand can also cause respiratory issues, as the dust from sand can irritate the cilia and more associated with the upper respiratory system (sand can clog nostrils and cause excess mucus or 'clicking sounds' of the mouth and throat due to this irritation. RI's are to be taken seriously, as they can kill your reptile in a fairly short amount of time. Symptoms of RI's usually do not appear until the infection is at its worse). Sand can also irritate, block, or permanently damage the gastrointestinal tract. Silica pieces from sand can cause perforations or lesions along the GI tract, causing infection or overtime blockage, making your dragon terribly sick (from possible systemic infections) or severe constipation. It can also caused recently treated reptiles with parasite infections to become reinfected, or in some cases become so bad (in terms of parasites and the specific type) take refuge in your reptile's lungs.

I do apologize if you have been ill informed about the uses of 'calci' sand or in your case, was told to put calcium in the sand. If you wish to supplement your bearded dragon with calcium associated with D3, then put it on your salads/insects. Bearded dragons, and any other reptile, are NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EATING SAND, or encouraged to do so- which is why it boggles me to even put it in there in the first place (stupid companies). Alternatives can be reptile carpet, ceramic tile, NON adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, or newspaper. And please, if he is exhibiting these symptoms, remove the sand and take him to a reputable vet because these types of complications do not dissapear on their own.

As mentioned above also, what type/brand of UVB are you using?

And as a last note, I am so sorry to hear about his swollen leg =(

 

[fatboysmomma]

Ok so I haven't had a chance to post. Been really busy. So I took him to the vet. They wanted to do an xray but I really couldn't afford to dish the 100 to 150 for an xray. So I ended up with a 140 bill for the exam and meds and supplement.

I'm feeding him 3 times a day, He has greens, and crickets. I'm also giving him meds 2 times a day. He seems better...So I'm hoping and praying.
Waiting for the Vet

Swollen foot

Feeding time!

 

[GlueStick]

Wow, he really lost a lot of weight (at least thats what the first picture looks like) and ouchie! that leg! Poor little guy.

I'm glad you took him to the vet =) Hopefully with you feeding him 3 times a day he can put some of that weight back on. What did the vet say about his leg anyway? or what did he assume by looking?

I would still remove the sand, and it would probably relieve any type of pain or discomfort associated with his leg because he won't be having to drag the sucker through it. And with all the syringe feeding, it would be easier to clean and change.

I had a total $1200 vet bill racked up from sand, so if I were you, I would remove it anyway XD I'm still suffering the consequences of sand use 2 years later. My guy has permanent GI damage.

Anyway, keep us updated! Hes def a soldier, hanging in there. And cute =D

 

[tempusfugit]

Ok so I haven't had a chance to post. Been really busy. So I took him to the vet. They wanted to do an xray but I really couldn't afford to dish the 100 to 150 for an xray. So I ended up with a 140 bill for the exam and meds and supplement.

Wow, they are overcharging.. Did they say "100 to 150" for the x-rays? Because that's something that should have a pretty set price, and it sounds like they are just trying to gouge for extra money.

It was like 80 bucks for and exam, fecal test, and meds last time I went..

What was the diagnosis from the vet and what meds?

Is he still on sand/calcium?? I really think its going to make it a lot harder or impossible to get him in better health... Honestly you can just dump it all out and put him on paper towels and it would be 100x better..

 

[fatboysmomma]

I tried my hardest, but he passed away about a week and a half later. He was fine one moment and when I went to turn off his lights i picked him up and he was gone. He tried to hang on but didn't make it. I miss him

I did adopt another beardie, she's a healthy and eats like a champ, very active and totally bipolar (She doesn't not enjoy her baths.).