Squirt had his first check-up and boy was he not happy. Good news is that he had gained 6 grams from when I first met him, so now he's 224 grams.
Bad news is that his elbow and wrist swellings aren't gout, or not completely gout related. While the vet was dispensing the panacur, I kept tossing the idea of having an x-ray taken on him to rule out MBD and possible old fractures on his arms (what the vet had speculated). Well, whether it's a mom's intuition or what, but it's a good thing that I had asked for the x-ray because the bones where the swellings are looked "abnormal", in that there were a slight separation of the elbow joint and the wrist from the bones that connect to it (can't remember what those bones are called, but they're long stick-like). The rest of his bones look great though.
The vet didn't totally rule out gout though, but he leaned more on the swellings were a result of bone injuries.
Oh poor Squirt, wonder what happened, just thinking of him being abused hurts my heart. It's great that he's already gaining weight. Is there anything that can be done about his arms or is it just something he'll have to live with? Glad you have a good vet & that you insisted on the x-rays. If he'll allow it, give him a hug from us all.
Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done with his joints. Dr. Curro said that as he grows up, he may end up with arthritis because there are pockets where air/fluid could build up. He wasn't too worried about Squirt's mobility because he was quite mobile in the exam room.
When Dr. Curro was away dispensing the med, Squirt was back in the shoebox (what I was able to put him in for transport, as I still don't if he's adeno positive or not and don't want to risk contaminating my babies' carrier) but standing up. I was rubbing his beard and telling him that it's ok and that I was sorry for putting him through the exam. To my surprise, he was very relaxed where he kept leaning his head on my fingers to the point where he was almost sideways , and his black beard went away. This went on for close to 15 minutes, but as soon as Dr. Curro came back into the room, he got all tense again.
That's good that he has gained 6 grams already. Poor thing having damage to his bones like that. Not having a decent UVB probably didn't help much either.
Sounds like he was pretty good at the vets considering all that was checked on him and also that you've only had him for a short time. That is so cute the way he was leaning his head on your fingers, so sweet, he totally trusts you already.
Did he stay in the shoebox on the ride there and back?
I'll bet Serrapeptase or silk worms would help him, great for inflammation and swelling.
Boy Diane, you just read my mind. Gina, silkworms and Serrepeptase will help him a great deal, I've been giving Lonzo Serrepeptase (he won't eat silkworms) for years and it's helped him mobility a lot. He's had arthritis in his back for years. I buy it from Tracie's website, it's a liquid and even Titan is on it now, as I know he's in pain.
That was so sweet that he was leaning into you, being reassured about the appointment, he really does trust you already, you are definitely a beardie whisperer, not to forget Zim, so dog whisperer, too. I'm so glad he's comfy with you, Gina, but then how could he not be
I was amazed at how receptive Squirt was to my touch. If I had put a bet down on him freaking out during the entire ordeal, I would've lost big time. He had stayed in the shoebox during the ride there and even in the waiting room, but because he was all wound up from the exam, he was very antsy during the ride home where I had to put the lid on so he couldn't escape (though he still tried).
Given he'd only been with me for 6 days, he is adjusting quite well. He'd still have moments where he wouldn't let me touch him and would make a run for it (not that he'd get very far, being in a 20-gallon and all); but I wouldn't let him win and would still touch him after he stopped running.
He is eating a lot of escarole, about half a cup to three-quarters a day (at least that's the amount he had yesterday). His poop is still small, but at least he poops.
Is he eating any bugs yet? It's great that he's eating all those greens! And I'm not at all surprised that he now enjoys your touch. I know you have a carrier, but what I've done for my boys is put a shoebox into a gym bag, put a blanket underneath & then cover with another one (or facsimile) and zip up the bag. So much easier to get a dragon around & they're comfy inside & warm. I have 3 bags so can transport 3 at a time, which makes vet visits a lot easier.
He'd been eating worms too, but not so many because we thought he had gout and wanted to limit his protein/fat intake.
I forgot to mention that he's getting a little better with baths too. Yesterday I had to give him a quick back because he ran over his poop, and he only fought me when I was rinsing him.
That's funny Deb. :wink: I have used Serrapeptase for many years too and have had very good results. Gina, you really might want to consider it. It won't do him any harm at all either and I never measured out an exact amount either, also, no side-effects.
What a good boy Squirt is. He totally trusts you already. Good that he is getting used to his baths, that will help him out a lot. I don't see him going anywhere either.
the serrapeptase is so easy to dose... its literally .1 ml for every 100 grams, unless Tracie changed the dosage chart (I have a bottle on order, so I'll know in the next day or two). And its the enzyme for the silkworms, so it will not hurt beardie at all. I know it helped Xena too with achy joints. We ordered a fresh bottle for Psycho, she seems to have some arthritis, and now she's got this trepidation-reaction going on when she is hunting her live food, its like a Parkinson's shiver when she is over-excited or over-stressed. Its not a tremor to worry about, so we're told... more than likely, vet thinks its part neurological damage from when she was starved to near death for who knows how long by her previous owner(s).
Somehow, the serrapeptase calms her down a little... not sure how that works, but if it helps her, I'm all for it.