Osteomyelitis

[JeffFisher]

Im sure your using calcium and good UVB lights.
But how old is your dragon?
How often do you feed insects?
Sub adults and adults do not need much protien. It is actually unhealthy for them. Protien molocules are hard on the kidneys. It plugs up renal tubules and damages the kidneys. It also breaks down into uric acid. Urea is the white portion of the dragons stool. It is how uric acid is excreted. If large amounts of uric acid builds up, it can cause kidney stones. It also deposits in the joints causing gouty arthritis.
This is what I think might be the problem. It will cause the tissue around the joints to be painfully swollen. The swelling can extend into the limbs. There is medication that will help with clearing the uric acid. Mention this to your vet, I would not be surprised if this is the issue.
I also discourage people from feeding insects to adult dragons. It is healthier and cheaper to care for your animal. A better way to give your dragon protien is to buy good quality parrot food. It is the kind that looks like fruity pebbles cereal. Grind it up in a coffee grinder and sprinkle it lightly (very lightly) over the greens once (or even less) per week. It is a healthier form of protien. No messy, stinky, diseased, parasite ridden crickets to deal with. I did this for many, many years for my dragons and uromastyx.
Anyway, talk to your vet, cut down on any protien (even the parrot food) until you speak with him/her. Keep us posted.

 

[pghmomofbeardies]

It really is important to have the fluid around the swelling tested to see exactly which bacteria it is. Mine had this- i thought she had broken an arm somehow, but then got her to a vet... the infection had eaten a hole in her elbow. He prescribed her one med, then when the results of the fluid came back he switched her to a much stronger med.. this one she is on for 40 days (every other day) she is almost done with meds at this point and is not showing any signs of infection. good luck!

 

[JeffFisher]

I really wish I could see that xray better. I cant zoom it on my phone. But what I did see didnt show any bone deterioration. I'm not an expert on xrays, but have looked at many over the last 25 years.
Lots of water containing greens right now. Avoid bugs until you see your vet. Get your animal in there as soon (tomorrow) as you can.

 

[JeffFisher]

What makes me think this isn't an infection, is that it is in multiple limbs.
One limb maybe, but multiple would not be common.
I hope all these suggestions helps when you next see your vet. Throw everything at him/her and see what sticks. Tell them putting your animal to sleep without a good diagnosis is not an option.

 

[emma1992]

Hi,

This is what I thought; in my amateur opinion, I couldn't see anywhere that the bone had been 'nearly completely eaten away' which is what I was told by the first vet. I am going to try and get an appointment this Wednesday to see another specialist.

The UV bulb is only two months old at the most. I had been using Vet Ark calcium supplement, but have recently bought an Exo Terra one which contains extra D3.

In terms of food, Stan has gone completely off his veg; he used to love peppers, kale, a little carrot, spring greens, but now he turns hisnose up at it all. So the worms are the only thing he will take, dusted with probiotic and calcium. Tried him on baby food, but he is so stubborn.

I'll keep you updated if I can get an appointment.

Emma

 

[JeffFisher]

Yes, please do keep us posted. I want you to know I am worried about your lizard buddy. I did a lot of thinking about the possible cause last night. Your first vet sounds "off base" on this one. If your dragon had osteomyelitis it wouldnt be so wide spread. It is usually confined in one area. If the infection is so bad its systemic it still wouldnt affect all the bones. Your pet would (sorry) pass away from the infection. I doubted it was the calcium or UVB issue. Just being on this lists proves you are wanting the best care you can provide your animal.
Keep your chin up, there is hope. And Im hoping right along with you.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Emma,

Great I am glad you were able to get the silver expedited.
It takes a pretty good amount of it though to overdose. Since he will be taking it short term, you can give .5mls to him daily.
I agree, if there isn't any bone involvement then it isn't Osteomyelitis. If there is an infection, it should be mild. Gout is a somewhat common ailment in adults & can cause a lot of swelling. The best way to determine it is to do a blood test to test uric acid levels, as well as aspirating fluids to see if there is uric acid crystals present. I didn't see any tophi on the x-rays but sometimes they can be evasive.
Your UVB light is a Reptiglo tube bulb, correct?
Try to keep him warm overnight in his tank, around 80 to help his immune system.
How much extra D3 is in the vetark vitamin? It has calcium in it too?
Did you get a greens slurry made for him?

I am glad you are getting a second opinion for Stan. Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[JeffFisher]

As much water as you can get your critter to take might help clear some of the uric acid (if it is gout)
If your vet feels its wise he/she can use a needle to inject NS to increase hydration.

 

[emma1992]

Hello Emma,

Great I am glad you were able to get the silver expedited.
It takes a pretty good amount of it though to overdose. Since he will be taking it short term, you can give .5mls to him daily.
I agree, if there isn't any bone involvement then it isn't Osteomyelitis. If there is an infection, it should be mild. Gout is a somewhat common ailment in adults & can cause a lot of swelling. The best way to determine it is to do a blood test to test uric acid levels, as well as aspirating fluids to see if there is uric acid crystals present. I didn't see any tophi on the x-rays but sometimes they can be evasive.
Your UVB light is a Reptiglo tube bulb, correct?
Try to keep him warm overnight in his tank, around 80 to help his immune system.
How much extra D3 is in the vetark vitamin? It has calcium in it too?
Did you get a greens slurry made for him?

I am glad you are getting a second opinion for Stan. Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Hi,

I have managed to get Stan an appointment with an exotic vet specialist in Hertfordshire this Thursday for a second opinion; I will ask for a blood test etc. to see what's going on, so we can get him some proper treatment.

I managed to syringe some colloidal into Stan today. He took .25ml in the morning and another .25ml this evening; he also had a drink with probiotic, a bath and three morios. I plan to blend up some veggies for him and attempt syringing tomorrow.

He's got a hot water bottle that he likes to lay on overnight, I have a heat mat as well so he stays plenty warm enough.

The uv bulb is Arcadia D3+ reptile lamp 12% 18w (24ins) which was replaced less than two months ago.

The Vet Ark is just calcium but the Eco Terra one is the one with extra d3, I've just looked on the container but as far as I can see it doesn't say how much d3 is in it.

Emna

 

[JeffFisher]

I bet thursday cant get here soon enough for you. The waiting is probably very stressful.
Hope your vet has good news for you both.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Emma,

That is great you were able to get another vet appointment.
How is he doing today?
The Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb is a terrific bulb, so he should be getting great UVB exposure then.
The heat mat & hot water bottle will be fine! I am glad to hear you were able to get some fluids into him today. It sounds like Stan is doing well today!
I know a lot of people do use the Vetark products so that should be adequate supplementation for him.

Keep us posted on him & let us know how the appointment goes.

Tracie

 

[JeffFisher]

I just wanted to wish you luck at the vets today.

 

[emma1992]

Hi guys,

Stan has been to the Vets today. He has got osteomyelitis, but the vet was confident that she can get him over it. He's on two different antibiotics and a painkiller/anti inflammstory. I have to inject under the skin every day with Metacam and one of the antibiotics, then every third day he has all three.

After one week she expects the swelling to have gone down mostly, and by the second week she hopes he will he more mobile. She said he may not regain full use of his left leg but fingers crossed.

I'll keep you all updated with his progress. Thank you all for your help and kindness, it has been overwhelming.

Emma

 

[JeffFisher]

Sorry to hear about that. It is so odd to have it in three legs. But if she feels it will get better that is good news. Its nice you can do the shots at home that will save some money. Did she say what might have caused it?

 

[Drache613]

Hello Emma,

I am sorry to hear about Stan!
Well, at least it isn't quite as extensive as previously thought & there is some hope of getting it cleared up then. He isn't going to like all of the meds though!
Be sure to keep him on probiotics to help out his system during this time. I really hope that the swelling does remarkably go down in the first week, that would be great. Hopefully he will regain all of the mobility too. You can work on getting him stronger by doing water therapy daily for a 5-10 minute session.
We are all hoping for a full recovery. Keep us posted on him.

Tracie