Swollen toe/leg

[Weenielord]

Goetta is about 5ish months old. He's very active, eats well, and poops well. I noticed last week he had what looked like a swollen toe. Today I was examining him after his shed and I noticed a size difference in both his back legs. At first I thought his leg was swollen so I started freaking out. But upon further inspection I think maybe the opposite leg has less muscle mass because he's not using it at 100% because of his toe? I'm gonna post a picture of both legs to compare. His vet is closed until Monday, so I'm just trying to gather info to prepare for his appointment. Is there anything I could do to make him feel more comfortable while we wait to see the vet? And before I get spammed that he needs to see a vet, HE WILL BE SEEING A VET lol

Tank Specs:
4x2x2
15-20% humidity
110-105 basking area, hot side 95, cool side 85, nighttime warm side 80 to cool side 70
Reptisun t5 10.0 (inside tank)

He eats primarily dubia and bsfl. We've been adding more salads recently as well.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Not a problem, it is difficult getting them to the vets when needed. The tank setup sounds
good to me. How close is the T5 tube to him, since it is mounted underneath of the screen?
It is possible it is just the toe that is swollen some. Is it going to shed?
How many dubia does he eat weekly? They are pretty high in uric acid so if too many are
eaten, it is possible that could contribute to gout conditions.
You could be proactive & get some black or tart cherry juice extract to help his kidneys in case
they are having a little trouble.
What type of supplementation are you using currently?
He is a very handsome boy!

Tracie

 

[Weenielord]

Hello,

Not a problem, it is difficult getting them to the vets when needed. The tank setup sounds
good to me. How close is the T5 tube to him, since it is mounted underneath of the screen?
It is possible it is just the toe that is swollen some. Is it going to shed?
How many dubia does he eat weekly? They are pretty high in uric acid so if too many are
eaten, it is possible that could contribute to gout conditions.
You could be proactive & get some black or tart cherry juice extract to help his kidneys in case
they are having a little trouble.
What type of supplementation are you using currently?
He is a very handsome boy!

Tracie

He's been heavily fed dubia roaches. I had heard they could cause gout but I assumed it was only in older beardies that spent a lifetime eating them. I've got some tart cherry extract I'm gonna put on his salad.
He just finished a body shed and is about to start another tail shed. He gets calcium without d3 and vitamins.
He's limping but he's still climbing and running around, I think that's why the limp has gone unnoticed.
Does the cherry juice tend to work pretty fast if it is gout from dubia?

Also I'll post a pic of his UVB distance because I don't have a ruler lol

 

[KarrieRee]

He's been heavily fed dubia roaches. I had heard they could cause gout but I assumed it was only in older beardies that spent a lifetime eating them. I've got some tart cherry extract I'm gonna put on his salad.
He just finished a body shed and is about to start another tail shed. He gets calcium without d3 and vitamins.
He's limping but he's still climbing and running around, I think that's why the limp has gone unnoticed.
Does the cherry juice tend to work pretty fast if it is gout from dubia?

Also I'll post a pic of his UVB distance because I don't have a ruler lol

Please lower the uvb to 12-15 inches w/ a piece of basking decor directly under it- please start w/ calcium D 3 5 x per week ONCE per feeding - and I would cut back on the dudias and feed more bsfl- dust your dubias lightly coated - the cherry juice will flush his kidneys

 

[Weenielord]

Please lower the uvb to 12-15 inches w/ a piece of basking decor directly under it- please start w/ calcium D 3 5 x per week ONCE per feeding - and I would cut back on the dudias and feed more bsfl- dust your dubias lightly coated - the cherry juice will flush his kidneys

The UVB is 10 inches from the top of his nose when he's on that decor.
I'm cutting the dubia completely for the next week.

 

[xp29]

You can feed hornworms (good for hydration) or silkworms (a great staple feeder) as replacement feeders, can feed some superworms in conjunction (it might help keep from having runny poops from hornworms).

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, depending on genetics, they can develop gout at any age, really. It sounds like if that is what is
going on, it has been caught early on. The black/tart cherry juice usually starts working pretty quickly
in most cases.
Your tank is very nice. The tube bulb is great, mounted inside of his tank. It is hard to tell but is the
tube mounted on the back wall or directly overhead?
As suggested, cutting back on the dubias short term will help & replace that intake with silkworms,
or hornworms, crickets or the calcium/phoenix worms for lower uric acid intake.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Weenielord]

We just left the vet and he doesn't believe it's gout. He's pretty positive he's developed some sort of infection because he can see and feel it starting to move up his leg. We've got him on ceftazidime. I'll update as we go in case this thread could help someone in the future!

 

[KarrieRee]

We just left the vet and he doesn't believe it's gout. He's pretty positive he's developed some sort of infection because he can see and feel it starting to move up his leg. We've got him on ceftazidime. I'll update as we go in case this thread could help someone in the future!

Did they do blood work to determine it wasnt gout and it was indeed a infection ? If they did please post the blood work Tracie is good w/ reading results

 

[Weenielord]

Did they do blood work to determine it wasnt gout and it was indeed a infection ? If they did please post the blood work Tracie is good w/ reading results

We didn't do any blood work because he felt pretty confident it wasn't gout. If we don't see improvement then I guess we'll do a panel.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Definitely keep us updated on him. If it becomes more swollen, then, it is likely caused
by gout developing & not an infection. Be sure to keep him well hydrated, too.

Tracie