Swollen ankles?

[JeanieMAK]

Hi all,

I'm a very ignorant new beardie owner, and I don't know what to worry about or not.

My little guy's ankles look swollen to me, but since I've never been around dragons before I really don't know.

Can you guys take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think? I was reading about MBD, and I just can't tell. It doesn't seem like any of the other major symptoms fit.

He/she gets calcium powder on crickets every day. It's got the basking light bulb, the UVB light bulb, and a dark heat lamp for night time.

I'm trying really hard, but it seems like every time I research something, I get completely conflicting advice!

 

[Janelle]

With swollen ankles, MBD wouldn't be my thought. Gout is a fairly common beardie condition. A vet can check for gout by aspirating some fluid from the swelling and looking at it under a microscope for uric acid crystals. There are medications you can give to manage the condition. Does he seem to be sore or limping? It's kind of hard for me to tell in those pictures, but if you think that may be the case, I'd get him into a good reptile vet as soon as possible. It can be a painful condition, but if caught quickly and treated (it's often long-term treatments, as it can be a chronic condition), they can often live symptom-free.

 

[JeanieMAK]

Thanks for your quick response. I'm reading about gout and now I'm feeling terrible - I sure hope he's not in excruciating pain! I can't tell if he's limping . . . seems to get up and walk around okay when he wants to, but most of the time he'll just be laying on his belly.
I know in the end the answer is just going to be to go visit a vet, but I live in Alaska, so of course the nearest exotic vet is more than 100 miles away, and it's 5 degrees outside! Hate to put him through that trauma if there was another answer.

 

[Janelle]

You can get some hot hands or small animal warmers (which are like hot hands but last longer and are a more appropriate temperature), wrap it in a towel so the beardie can't touch it directly and get burned, and tuck it into the carrier with the beardie to keep it warm while being transported. If it is gout you're dealing with, I don't think there's much you can do at home to help. Maybe some diet changes, but I think you'd want a diagnosis before you start messing with diet, etc.

 

[JeanieMAK]

Well, got up at 6am and drove three hours to the vet this morning. Very grateful to them for getting us in short notice.
It wasn't gout or MBD, but somehow a very advanced widespread bacterial infection. Had to have them put the little guy down … pretty bummed out. Thanks for the advice; glad he's not hurting any more.