I think I may have posted about by Bearded Dragon, Hadron, a few other times in the past about his health but now it's starting to gradually worsen. I'll post the answers to as many questions as I can below then I'll explain more at the end:
How old is your dragon? I got him on May 1, 2015 as a baby (21g), estimated 8 months?
How long have you had your dragon? almost 6 months
How long is your dragon? 19 inches
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? slightly bigger than 45 gallons
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? clean play sand
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? flourescent
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Reptisun T8 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 weeks
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 12-14 in
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? separate, ZooMed 50w, white
What are the basking temps? 97-100
What is the cool side temp? 85-90
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Infrared Temp Gun by Nubee
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? 2-3 inches from the rock
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Small/Med Dubia Roaches, Occasional Superworms, Mustard Greens, Spring Mix w/o Spinach, Basil, Occasional Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? morning, afternoon
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Reptivite every 2 days (vet said to stop rep-cal)
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? More or less, always goes in his bath 1-2 times a week
Do you bath your dragon? How often? usually every 1-2 days, lately everyday as per vet instructions
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? water bowl always available
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Yes (more on this below)
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? No
Rough Timeline:
- August 2015: Went to the vet for a wellness exam and fecal. Fecal came back with coccidia and a protazoa (don't remember name) treated for both with oral medication.
- September 2015: Took him to the vet for lethargy and a swollen joint on his middle front toe. They gave him fluids and sent him home with instructions to limit his movement by lowering his rocks/boxes.
- October 2015: Swelling in his arms and left leg, possible muscle loss. Past week or two it got much more severe, swelling is located around both of his forearms (not joints)-most severe and some in his hand/fingers, also swelling around his left ankle but none on the right. Mobility is far more limited-unable to jump, tends to scoot around with his belly slightly touching the ground. Doesn't want to eat as much, difficult to get him to eat very much if any veggies. Took him to the vet, they did an exam, full body and arm x-rays, and a blood test. He's on an antibiotic (Fortaz) that is injected into his tricep every 3 days, we've done 2 out of 5 doses so far. Uric acid came back slightly elevated so vet consulted with other specialists and thinks it is gout or possible kidney/renal failure. Also told us to soak him every day to try and increase water intake and I have started giving him black cherry juice diluted (haven't been able to find extract yet-is it a liquid or capsule?). He doesn't like to drink from a syringe (i put drops on his nose) and I only got about 1mL into him today over multiple attempts and a soak.
Questions:
- How can I get him to eat his greens?
- Is it okay to reduce the amount of insects(protein) he eats to give his kidneys a rest?
- Is there anything else that would explain the swelling around his forearms?
- How else can I get him to drink more fluids?
- Does his condition sound like gout or is it something more serious?
- The vet wants to do a needle aspiration of his joint fluid in about a week, do you think this is beneficial/necessary?
- I know this is really my decision but, is it fair/humane to continue trying to treat him? What would you do with your own beardie?
I'm worried that we're doing all of these tests and medications for me and taking away from his quality of life. I don't want him to suffer but I also don't know if he will get better. And I don't know how long we should keep trying to treat him. I have already decided that surgery is out of the question because it seems too cruel to put him through that and the long recovery process. Anyways, thanks for the help!
Pictures:
How old is your dragon? I got him on May 1, 2015 as a baby (21g), estimated 8 months?
How long have you had your dragon? almost 6 months
How long is your dragon? 19 inches
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? slightly bigger than 45 gallons
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? clean play sand
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? flourescent
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Reptisun T8 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 weeks
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 12-14 in
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? separate, ZooMed 50w, white
What are the basking temps? 97-100
What is the cool side temp? 85-90
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Infrared Temp Gun by Nubee
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? 2-3 inches from the rock
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Small/Med Dubia Roaches, Occasional Superworms, Mustard Greens, Spring Mix w/o Spinach, Basil, Occasional Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? morning, afternoon
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Reptivite every 2 days (vet said to stop rep-cal)
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? More or less, always goes in his bath 1-2 times a week
Do you bath your dragon? How often? usually every 1-2 days, lately everyday as per vet instructions
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? water bowl always available
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Yes (more on this below)
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? No
Rough Timeline:
- August 2015: Went to the vet for a wellness exam and fecal. Fecal came back with coccidia and a protazoa (don't remember name) treated for both with oral medication.
- September 2015: Took him to the vet for lethargy and a swollen joint on his middle front toe. They gave him fluids and sent him home with instructions to limit his movement by lowering his rocks/boxes.
- October 2015: Swelling in his arms and left leg, possible muscle loss. Past week or two it got much more severe, swelling is located around both of his forearms (not joints)-most severe and some in his hand/fingers, also swelling around his left ankle but none on the right. Mobility is far more limited-unable to jump, tends to scoot around with his belly slightly touching the ground. Doesn't want to eat as much, difficult to get him to eat very much if any veggies. Took him to the vet, they did an exam, full body and arm x-rays, and a blood test. He's on an antibiotic (Fortaz) that is injected into his tricep every 3 days, we've done 2 out of 5 doses so far. Uric acid came back slightly elevated so vet consulted with other specialists and thinks it is gout or possible kidney/renal failure. Also told us to soak him every day to try and increase water intake and I have started giving him black cherry juice diluted (haven't been able to find extract yet-is it a liquid or capsule?). He doesn't like to drink from a syringe (i put drops on his nose) and I only got about 1mL into him today over multiple attempts and a soak.
Questions:
- How can I get him to eat his greens?
- Is it okay to reduce the amount of insects(protein) he eats to give his kidneys a rest?
- Is there anything else that would explain the swelling around his forearms?
- How else can I get him to drink more fluids?
- Does his condition sound like gout or is it something more serious?
- The vet wants to do a needle aspiration of his joint fluid in about a week, do you think this is beneficial/necessary?
- I know this is really my decision but, is it fair/humane to continue trying to treat him? What would you do with your own beardie?
I'm worried that we're doing all of these tests and medications for me and taking away from his quality of life. I don't want him to suffer but I also don't know if he will get better. And I don't know how long we should keep trying to treat him. I have already decided that surgery is out of the question because it seems too cruel to put him through that and the long recovery process. Anyways, thanks for the help!
Pictures: