EllenD":2h59u09h said:I totally agree with AHBD, the antibiotics only make things worse and are most likely unnecessary anyway. This was not a Certified Reptile Vet or even a Reptile Specialist, I'm guessing, which you need to find ASAP. I'd stop the antibiotics immediately, as she will never eat while taking them on top of the underlying issues.
Lack of proper UVB can obviously cause a calcium deficiency and MBD,, which she most likely is suffering from, but it also causes a condition called "Pseudogout", where the dragon has a Gout flare-up due to improper lighting and temps, diet, etc. This can be corrected by getting the lighting corrected (you need a T5 strength UVB tube instead of the much weaker T8, if that's the Reptisun that you got, you can buy a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO and matching 24" T5-rated tube fixture on Amazon.com both for under $50 shipped if you don't have a T5 tube already).
Judging from her symptoms I'd say it's a combination of the start of MBD, but also Gout. A Certified Reptile Vet or at the very least an experienced Reptile Specialist Vet will know about how common this is in Bearded Dragons (not an "exotics" vet) and they will need to take a routine blood draw from her tail to check her Uric Acid level, as well as her blood counts to check for an infection, but I don't think that's the problem. She'll need a simple prescription for human-grade Allopurinol (there is no veterinary grade of Allopurinol, and people get the prescriptions called in to their own pharmacies by the vet), which I believe 2 months worth of a daily dose only cost around $25 at most. This is the only way to bring down the Uric Acid levels and get the joint swelling down, along with a pain reliever. Be sure to give plenty of fluids (water or Pedialyte, which is better) BY MOUTH, not soaking her in a bath (this does nothing), several times throughout the day, as Uric Acid build-up causes the kidneys to fail eventually, so they must be kept flushed out.
EllenD":9ojyhsko said:No, the T8 UVB tubes are much, much weaker (15 or 17 watts) than the T5 UVb tubes (24 or 26 watts), and the T5 tubes only need replaced once a year, while the T8 tubes need replaced once every 6 months, as they have double the UVB light decay-rate.
The problem your vet created by prescribing the antibiotics first, before testing for Gout, is the antibiotics are extremely hard on their kidneys themselves, so if she does have Gout and the vet didn't do the blood work to test for it, and they just put her on antibiotics, if her kidneys are already very, very stressed from the built-up Uric Acid from the Gout, the antibiotics can make it much much worse, even killing them at times from kidney failure....that's why I said I'd stop the antibiotics immediately and demand a blood test...
Drache613":24v8t1pd said:Hello,
Oh dear, poor girl!
So what caused the mouth sore/issue, shedding trouble? I would stop giving the antibiotics
for sure, in case her kidneys are having a hard time. Definitely keep on giving the black
cherry juice daily to help out her kidneys. Which calcium are you giving her?
Let us know how the vet visit goes.
What insects do you feed her?
Tracie
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