Swelling by left hip

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

I haven’t been on here in a long time but with that being said. Murphy and I have been fighting parasites and now a URI. In the mean time Saturday I noticed his hip area was swollen. He is still using his leg but he is on the weak side because of everything else going on. He is currently on metronidazole oral suspension every other day and ceftazidime Tazicef injections every 3 days. Today I called the vet and she had me send pictures to her of the affected area. She didn’t really seem to worried about it and said if the swelling doesn’t go down in a weeks time to call her back. I know there is a few possibilities of cause but I’m wondering if it’s an injury because it’s only the one side. Just wondering your guys thoughts on it. Maybe she isn’t concerned with infection cause he is already on 2 antibiotics? What’s your thoughts and thanks in advance for your time

 

[Sadie]

I haven’t been on here in a long time but with that being said. Murphy and I have been fighting parasites and now a URI. In the mean time Saturday I noticed his hip area was swollen. He is still using his leg but he is on the weak side because of everything else going on. He is currently on metronidazole oral suspension every other day and ceftazidime Tazicef injections every 3 days. Today I called the vet and she had me send pictures to her of the affected area. She didn’t really seem to worried about it and said if the swelling doesn’t go down in a weeks time to call her back. I know there is a few possibilities of cause but I’m wondering if it’s an injury because it’s only the one side. Just wondering your guys thoughts on it. Maybe she isn’t concerned with infection cause he is already on 2 antibiotics? What’s your thoughts and thanks in advance for your time

Your using a T 5 UVB correct? And what about a hammock in the tank? Is it possible he has pulled his leg and sprained the hip in doing so? Also shed - sometimes they can cause swelling in feet and arms etc but not sure about the hip - we can have Tracie take a look and see what she thinks might be going on here
@Drache613

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Your using a T 5 UVB correct? And what about a hammock in the tank? Is it possible he has pulled his leg and sprained the hip in doing so? Also shed - sometimes they can cause swelling in feet and arms etc but not sure about the hip - we can have Tracie take a look and see what she thinks might be going on here
@Drache613

Yes Arcadia T5 12% d3 tube light inside enclosure. It is possible he got his foot caught in the square hammock piece I have on top of his hide. I didn’t think of that. Swelling this am hasn’t gotten worse and may have gone down slightly but def still there. I took his basking hide out and put slate in the floor for now so he doesn’t have to climb anything. It’s getting about 107 degrees basking platform the way it’s on the floor now. Only his face is shedding at the moment. Can I put ice on it for a few to try to get the swelling down. I read on internet you could but didn’t do it cause stuff like that’s not always right

 

[Sadie]

Yes Arcadia T5 12% d3 tube light inside enclosure. It is possible he got his foot caught in the square hammock piece I have on top of his hide. I didn’t think of that. Swelling this am hasn’t gotten worse and may have gone down slightly but def still there. I took his basking hide out and put slate in the floor for now so he doesn’t have to climb anything. It’s getting about 107 degrees basking platform the way it’s on the floor now. Only his face is shedding at the moment. Can I put ice on it for a few to try to get the swelling down. I read on internet you could but didn’t do it cause stuff like that’s not always right

Ok so yes it's possible the hammock caused the injury - is it a grass or green mesh one? I wouldn't do any ice I have pm'd Tracie to have her look - she can advise on the ice --slate gets really hot watch those surface temps-- if your dragon is over a year I would get them down to 95-100

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Ok so yes it's possible the hammock caused the injury - is it a grass or green mesh one? I wouldn't do any ice I have pm'd Tracie to have her look - she can advise on the ice --slate gets really hot watch those surface temps-- if your dragon is over a year I would get them down to 95-100

It was a grass one. I actually just checked the temps earlier and they were 100 directly under the lamps. He is 10 months old. Thanks for the help Sadie.

 

[Sadie]

It was a grass one. I actually just checked the temps earlier and they were 100 directly under the lamps. He is 10 months old. Thanks for the help Sadie.

Ok so if you want a hammock get a fleece or a cloth one
www.etsy.com
www.pamperedbeardies.com

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Ok so if you want a hammock get a fleece or a cloth one
www.etsy.com
www.pamperedbeardies.com

Is there a better stone for a basking platform than slate?

 

[Sadie]

Is there a better stone for a basking platform than slate?

I am not sure- I don't use them you might look around outside for a rock - you can bake it on 300 for like 10 minutes to kill anything on it - I use decor from pet Smart that is washable

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Is the fleece ok under the basking light heat like that? I have one but was afraid to use it under the basking bulbs. I was using a resin hide but it was getting to hot which is why I put the square grass hammock on top of it. Ugh

 

[Sadie]

Is the fleece ok under the basking light heat like that? I have one but was afraid to use it under the basking bulbs. I was using a resin hide but it was getting to hot which is why I put the square grass hammock on top of it. Ugh

It should be fine -- as long as the basking bulb is 6" or better above

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, he may have fallen & or caught his foot or leg in the hammock. He should be alright. Are you
getting another type of hammock?
What is he on the two antibiotics for? Are you giving injections, or oral?
I would recommend giving some extra calcium for a little while in case he might not be getting enough.
The Arcadia D3 12% T5 tube is a great bulb, so he should be getting adequate UVB exposure.
For any injury, you wont need to use ice, though it probably wouldn't hurt him. I have personally never
done that before. Just keep him from climbing or moving extra & if needed lower his basking area so he
doesn't have to climb as much.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Hello,

I agree, he may have fallen & or caught his foot or leg in the hammock. He should be alright. Are you
getting another type of hammock?
What is he on the two antibiotics for? Are you giving injections, or oral?
I would recommend giving some extra calcium for a little while in case he might not be getting enough.
The Arcadia D3 12% T5 tube is a great bulb, so he should be getting adequate UVB exposure.
For any injury, you wont need to use ice, though it probably wouldn't hurt him. I have personally never
done that before. Just keep him from climbing or moving extra & if needed lower his basking area so he
doesn't have to climb as much.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Good morning. He actually is doing very well. I have been taking pictures of his hip everyday to compare the swelling and I’d say it’s down about half. I will not be getting another hammock. I bought a 2 inch thick 8x12 flat paver stone that I’m gonna put a slab of his slate on top of. Right now everything is ground level until his hip heals. I’ve been monitoring the temp of the slate and it hasn’t gotten higher than 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2 medicines he is on are Ceftazidime Tazicef 400 mg injections every 3 days and Metronidazole 36mg orally given every other day. Yesterday I didn’t notice him coughing at all but he is still mouth breathing and breathing from his throat every so often. The color inside his mouth looks good and he is still eating ok. He eats almost if not all his salad everyday, a dubia or 2 a day and about 15 crickets. I know not everyone likes the crickets but he absolutely loves them and that is what he is eating the most of so I’m not willing to take them away right now. He does love horn worms also so I’ve been giving him one of those a day basically to keep hydration up which seems to be working well. He’s never looked dehydrated or have sicken fat pads so I must be doing something right? I am going to weigh him today to see if he has lost any weight since we were at the vet. On top of everything else his mouth and nose are getting ready to shed lol. Poor guy can’t catch a break Thanks for any input or suggestions I’m trying to take it all in. Sadie has really been a huge help in all of my journeys as a new beardie mom. Thank you also Tracie for your help as well. It definitely puts the mind at ease to know I’m doing everything right or the best I can cause there is SOOOO much info out there and a lot of it is conflicting. His humidity stays under 40 but I feel like it needs to be lower. I bought a hanging dehumidifier for like closets to put in his enclosure. Do you think that’s a good idea? Below is a new pic of his hip from today. Thanks again to both of you!!!

Sincerely
Murphy’s Mom

 

[Sadie]

Good morning. He actually is doing very well. I have been taking pictures of his hip everyday to compare the swelling and I’d say it’s down about half. I will not be getting another hammock. I bought a 2 inch thick 8x12 flat paver stone that I’m gonna put a slab of his slate on top of. Right now everything is ground level until his hip heals. I’ve been monitoring the temp of the slate and it hasn’t gotten higher than 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2 medicines he is on are Ceftazidime Tazicef 400 mg injections every 3 days and Metronidazole 36mg orally given every other day. Yesterday I didn’t notice him coughing at all but he is still mouth breathing and breathing from his throat every so often. The color inside his mouth looks good and he is still eating ok. He eats almost if not all his salad everyday, a dubia or 2 a day and about 15 crickets. I know not everyone likes the crickets but he absolutely loves them and that is what he is eating the most of so I’m not willing to take them away right now. He does love horn worms also so I’ve been giving him one of those a day basically to keep hydration up which seems to be working well. He’s never looked dehydrated or have sicken fat pads so I must be doing something right? I am going to weigh him today to see if he has lost any weight since we were at the vet. On top of everything else his mouth and nose are getting ready to shed lol. Poor guy can’t catch a break Thanks for any input or suggestions I’m trying to take it all in. Sadie has really been a huge help in all of my journeys as a new beardie mom. Thank you also Tracie for your help as well. It definitely puts the mind at ease to know I’m doing everything right or the best I can cause there is SOOOO much info out there and a lot of it is conflicting. His humidity stays under 40 but I feel like it needs to be lower. I bought a hanging dehumidifier for like closets to put in his enclosure. Do you think that’s a good idea? Below is a new pic of his hip from today. Thanks again to both of you!!!

Sincerely
Murphy’s Mom

Are you getting the humidity w/ a digital probe hygrometer? Those are the most accurate - placed on the back center wall of the tank and you want 40-50% humidity -- that is optimal

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Are you getting the humidity w/ a digital probe hygrometer? Those are the most accurate - placed on the back center wall of the tank and you want 40-50% humidity -- that is optimal

Yes. Digital probe hydrometer centered on back wall

 

[Sadie]

Yes. Digital probe hydrometer centered on back wall

Your humidity is good - please dont run the dehumidifier -- that optimal humidity is going to help his shedding

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Your humidity is good - please dont run the dehumidifier -- that optimal humidity is going to help his shedding

So he has 3 more doses of the injection for his URI. I’d assume this mouth breathing thing will stop? It’s not gaping he’s actually moving his bottom jaw up and down as he breathes with his mouth open. Again it’s not constant but it’s definitely often

 

[Sadie]

So he has 3 more doses of the injection for his URI. I’d assume this mouth breathing thing will stop? It’s not gaping he’s actually moving his bottom jaw up and down as he breathes with his mouth open. Again it’s not constant but it’s definitely often

Tracie is gonna haft to address the mouth breathing issue

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How many infections total, have you given so far?
It's hard to clear respiratory infections many times. If oral or injections aren't working, you can consider
trying to do nebulizer treatments to help the meds penetrate more effectively. They don't have cilia in their
lungs which makes it hard for them to clear out phlem.
Be sure to keep him a little warmer overnight also, to help boost his immune system.

Tracie

 

[Murphy & CharLee’s Mom]

Hello,

How many infections total, have you given so far?
It's hard to clear respiratory infections many times. If oral or injections aren't working, you can consider
trying to do nebulizer treatments to help the meds penetrate more effectively. They don't have cilia in their
lungs which makes it hard for them to clear out phlem.
Be sure to keep him a little warmer overnight also, to help boost his immune system.

Tracie

4 injections so far. 3 left. Would I get a nebulizer from the vet? His enclosure usually stays in the 70s at night. Should I turn a CHE on then?

 

[Sadie]

4 injections so far. 3 left. Would I get a nebulizer from the vet? His enclosure usually stays in the 70s at night. Should I turn a CHE on then?

Yes around 80 would be good