I have a two year old beardie named Landcaster (LC for short) and for a while now his front feet have been very swollen. I took him to the vet once he couldn't walk on them and they said he had metabolic bone disease and I had to give him more calcium. His right leg became less swollen with only a small bulge at the toes but it doesn't seem to bother him anymore, but if anything his left leg got worse. It's become swollen on the whole leg and he can't even move it; the most swollen part is at the elbow. My dad thinks that it's more than just an MBD and that maybe it's a broken leg, so we're planning to take him back to a vet to see what they have to say. But before we go I was wondering if anyone here has something to say about it.
- he eats 4-5 roaches a day that I shake in a jar of calcium before feeding
- I try to feed him greens every day but some times he won't take them so I give him a bath
- he lives in a 60 gallon tank with a wood stump to heat up on
- he has a heat lamp and I changed the bulb recently
Are you using a UVB light as well? Or is your heat lamp a combination (mercury vapor bulb)? Proper UVB exposure is important as well as calcium in the diet. Can you post some photos? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.
Sorry Landcaster is having trouble!
The swelling could also be from possible gout. You mentioned his feet swelling has gone down, were both feet swollen & his hands too or just his feet?
Gout usually starts in the joints, causes swelling, then the rest of the limb into the hands or feet start to swell depending on the severity of it.
You could get some black cherry juice in case it may be gout, to help with uric acid levels.
Pictures would definitely be helpful. Let us know how he is doing.
That doesn't appear to be metabolic bone disease. It looks more like what gout does. Did they do a blood test on him?
Is any other extremity swelling like that?
I would go ahead & get some black cherry juice, to begin giving to him daily until you can get a confirmed diagnosis if possible of the gout.
Keep his protein at a minimum with a focus on fluids & greens as much as you can. Alfafa meal has been used to help with uric acid levels, too.
Which UVB light are you using?
I agree, that looks like gout to me as well. The vet can do a blood test or take a sample from the area and analyze it to confirm. There are medications that can treat it - usually allopurinol. The black cherry juice/extract is known to help as well.
There's way too many ingredients in that I don't think that would be good for him. You will probably have to go to a health foods store or try a vitamin shop. You can also order it here http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=413
but he really needs some asap if it is gout. You can leave a message when you order that you would like it shipped quickly. The only way you're going to know for sure is through blood test. Gout will cause crystals in areas of the body, joints, organs etc. You will need allopurinol most likely. The black cherry can help.
I agree, that particular drink, though would probably taste really good, isn't straight Black cherry. I am pretty sure you can find something like this at a GNC, or most other health food stores, or I think Walmart carries a RW Knudsen organic brand.
Do you plan on getting a blood test also to try & confirm gout?
How is he doing today?
What brand/type/age uvb lamp are you using. Make sure there is no plastic/glass between your beardie and the uvb. Has he been drinking water? I'm concerned he may be getting kidney damage the longer you wait on treatment.