Swelling at the joints.

[carverbain]

Hi All,
I am really concerned with my beardie. Just today it seems that he is not really wanting to eat, and only had two small Phoenix worms in the morning and only one right now. He also has some swelling in his joints. Is this normal for shedding or something else? I included a photo of the swelling. Hopefully, you all will be able to see what I am seeing.

 

[MissT]

Do you have a close up of the swollen areas?

 

[carverbain]

Can you see if holding down CTRL on your keyboard and then using the mousewheel to expand the page? That should work.

The swelling is in each limb.

 

[MissT]

Ahh, I have no mouse wheel. If all of the joints are swollen it could be MBD. Does he move around much?

If you can answer these questions it may help to rule out possible causes...

What brand UV light are you using?
Is it a coil/compact or long linear tube?
What is the temp on the basking spot and on the cool side?
How are you measuring these temps?
Are you using any calcium or vitamin supplements? WHat brands and how often?
What do you feed him? Be specific and note quantities.
What size viv are you using?
How close can he get to the uv lighting?

 

[carverbain]

I have had him for a month now, and I got from a PetSmart.

Does he move around much? He really doesn't move around much. But I have been giving him Phoenix worms twice a day, with 2 or 3 Dubias. He goes nuts and runs after them. From what I can see, he has been doing regular poops daily sometimes twice a day and they seems to be healthy.

What brand UV light are you using? Reptisun 10.O

Is it a coil/compact or long linear tube? Tube

What is the temp on the basking spot and on the cool side? basking 100 -105 coolside 78 - 82

How are you measuring these temps? I have two probe thermometers for each side of the tank.

Are you using any calcium or vitamin supplements? What brands and how often? I have been using a calcium supplement with D3 when I feed him crickets and sometimes when I feed dubias. I think the brand name of the Calcium with D3 suppliment is Reptivite. I just received a vitamin suppliment, but I haven't used it yet.

What do you feed him? Be specific and note quantities. Small Phoenix worms twice a day. about 15 to 16 each feeding. about two or 3 dubias at his last meal. I fed him crickets two days ago for one meal and I dusted them as well. I just got some vitamin supplement but I haven't used that yet. I haven't been using crickets often as the last shipment he received were pinheads and were too small to feed him. I haven't been dusting the Phoenix worms as I thought I didn't need to. I dust the dubias about everyother time I feed him.


What size viv are you using? I think it is a forty gallon. about 42"x18"x18"

How close can he get to the uv lighting? within 8 inches
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[carverbain]

Here is clickable thumbnail that should redirect you to a larger pic.

 

[MissT]

Ok, I got a look and managed to zoom in.
Those joints do not look good. His back legs in particularly. Some of his toes also look swollen - this can sometimes be the result of retained shed but in this case, I do not think it is just a retained shed issue.
Right now, I really think you need to get him to a vet ASAP. It could be MBD, broken bones, some kind of infection or another problem. I would recommend that you have x-rays done to determine if there is anything broken. How long is he and roughly what does he weigh? If he is big enough, I would strongly recommend that you have some blood work done. The vet could also aspirate some fluid to culture also.
Keep us posted on him!

 

[carverbain]

I did see that two weeks ago that his head started to shed, and then it seems to have stopped. The rest of his body didn't shed at all. He is about 7".

 

[MissT]

It really looks like a lot more than just shed. At his size the vet wont be able to take blood samples but he may be able to do the x-ray and possbily aspirate some fluid if you ask him. He really does need to be seen!

 

[carverbain]

I talked to the Exotic vet close to me, and they said that it should be safe me to wait until tomorrow to have him looked at as they had no more appointments for today. Here they are: http://www.seavs.com/ The lady I talked to said that giving him a good soak might help. So am I doing that now that I am home. I am so thankful that I live only three blocks from my office.

Here are some more pics including some from the soak I gave him.

 

[MissT]

Thats great that they can fit you in tomoro! Hopefully it is nothing more than a bad case of retained shed but the vet will be able to assess it more thoroughly:

 

[carverbain]

Well, it seems that the soak made him a little happier. I could tell that he had really brightened up, and almost all of his stress marks had really faded after I had pulled from the soak.

 

[carverbain]

So I took Obi-Wan today to the vet. I have some good news and some bad news. While he doesn't have MBD, he does have a pretty several case of gout. I'm not sure what I can do. I have never seen eat any veggies even if I try to hand feed him. Now he will eat only one little worm, and then ignores the rest. I removed the all the hard surfaces from the tank, but he will not move from the soft towel I have placed him on.

 

[Beardednoob]

This might help you gain some information..
http://www.anapsid.org/kidney.html

 

[MissT]

It's a pity he's so tiny- a blood test really would have helped to determine how advanced the gout is.
Did the vet give any medication for him? I currently have an adult dragon with suspected gout-ie her uric acid levels are at a high levelbut there is little evidence of swelling. She is on allopurinol (prescribed by vet). I'm also giving her black cherry juice as it helps with uric acid and I'm giving serrapeptase for pain management (serrapeptase can be found at www.bug-de-lite.com). You will need to give him plenty of oral fluids too. I would try to get at least the cherry juice and serrapeptase. Then, talk to your et about other options.