Swollen foot

[macattack]

I"m trying to attach a pic. Any help would be appreciated. Mac has a swollen hind foot and a little discoloration on the top of it. I think he got it caught in his cage when he was jumping around. I couldn't find any good pictures of what gout looks like so I wanted opinion about it. It isn't from shedding, and he still uses it fine. He has a big cage, good diet and lighting. any help appreciated.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yes, a picture would be helpful. What did he get his foot caught in?
If you need to go over your tank setup we can do that also.

Tracie

 

[macattack]

obviously i'm not good at this, how do i attatch a pic? Copy and paste doesn't work.

He has a wire cage on top of his aquarium with a vine he hangs out on to bask. He likes to jump down off the vine. Maybe he got caught somehow but I don't see any obvious spots he could have gotten his leg caught in.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Hm, that is interesting. Well, let me take a look at a picture or two to try & determine what the problem could be. Here is a simple instructional video to help you post pictures.
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=37103

How far is the hammock up off of the floor? Maybe you can include a picture of the tank as well for me.

Tracie

 

[macattack]

Some of the substrate is stuck on his foot but you can see his foot and toes are swollen. Here's his tank set-up. He's sleeping down in the corner, you can see his head.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yeah that is a little swollen. What type of lighting are you using, a mercury vapor bulb? If not, are you using a UVB source?
Is he favoring that foot at all right now?
Do you supplement calcium regularly?
I would try giving a warm bath to see that will help with the swelling. So the swelling just appeared after this incident?
You didn't actually see him hurt himself did you? Is that the only foot or hand that is affected?

Tracie

 

[macattack]

We just gave him some calcium on his lettuce, he's not favoring it (don't normally suplement with calcium). The foot looks the same, not better or worse, and he does not seem to be favoring it at all. He had some reddish feces but he had some peper and tomato in the last couple days and I think it's that. His light is a 50W basking spot lamp (does not indicate mercury on it or not). We also gave him a nice bath.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry, I did not see that you had looked for pictures of gout. If you need some pictures, I can dig some up for you.
At the moment, his foot does not appear to look like a case of gout, but, we should keep our eyes on it.
So you are not using any UVB lighting, or calcium? If not, I highly suggest that you get a UVB light soon. They require high amounts of UVB exposure in order to synthesize D3 & absorb calcium properly. Otherwise, they can get metabolic bone disease gradually.
How is he doing today?

Tracie

 

[macattack]

He's the same, still very active and his foot looks the same. We'll get a light for him, so he needs 2 lights? The basking one and a UVB? I have a UVB on my turtle so I'll give him that one for now.

 

[beardie parents]

Yes, he needs a uvb and basking spot. For tanks that are 36" long X 18" wide you can use the 100 watt mega ray or trex. These are Mercury Vapor Bulbs. It looks like the tank you have is a 20 gallon, is this correct? How old is your dragon? You can use the reptisun 10 tube along with a bright white basking bulb that gets your temps between 95f and 110f. My girls like it closer to 100f.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Has his foot gotten more swollen or it is still the same?
Yes, he needs a UVB light & a basking light. Unless you would like to get a mercury vapor lamp. For the tank size you have, you could consider a mercury vapor bulb. The Megaray or the T-rex would work perfectly. That light is the UVB source & the heating/basking light so you only have to use one light most of the time unless you want another one to add for brightness.
Otherwise, the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb is the best UVB you can get.
That is great to hear that he he active right now though.
Oops you got double whammied! :lol: Sorry Lori!
Keep me posted on him.

Tracie

 

[macattack]

The scab on his foot is getting more raised and it's hard. It looks like it may fall off soon. His toes are still swollen but not any worse. We got him some squash and oh man does he love it! We also got a UVB bulb and more calcium. He is about a year, maybe a little less. We got him last summer at a reptile show. Thanks for the help! I'll keep you posted.

 

[macattack]

Not the best pic but he's cranky right now...

You can see the scab on the top of his foot. His "thumb" is the most swollen, the outer one looks almost normal now.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I would keep an eye on those toes, because if it pre-gout syndrome, it will get worse gradually. How is his eating right now? Is he moving around well?
At least his foot seems to be healing up right now. Keep me posted on him.

Tracie

 

[macattack]

I got some old skin off of his foot today, he shed last week. He didn't eat his squash today but he might still be full from 2 days ago when he ate a ton.