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Swollen finger

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
Nearest vet is almost 11 hours, is there anything I can do for the finger? It’s at its worst point now, a few months ago it was less inflamed and was told it’d get better overtime.

I don’t know how the happened but my guess is stuck shed?

I read some articles saying Epsom salt or betadine could help. Anyways please let me know what I could do before making an 11 hour drive.
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
12,610
Nearest vet is almost 11 hours, is there anything I can do for the finger? It’s at its worst point now, a few months ago it was less inflamed and was told it’d get better overtime.

I don’t know how the happened but my guess is stuck shed?

I read some articles saying Epsom salt or betadine could help. Anyways please let me know what I could do before making an 11 hour drive.
Are you using a hammock in the tank? Any carpet for substrate? I am going to flag your post to Tracie see if she can give some advice on how to treat shes our vet tech on the board
@Drache613
 

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
Are you using a hammock in the tank? Any carpet for substrate? I am going to flag your post to Tracie see if she can give some advice on how to treat shes our vet tech on the board
@Drache613
No, in fact she does not have a cage. She is free roam and has a spot to herself. Thank you a lot!

edit- she’s 5 years old
 

Drache613

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
417
Hello,

That's great she has a free roaming life, not many have that opportunity. Does she get ample UVB
& optimal basking temperatures?
Is this the only area that has any swelling currently? It doesn't appear to be stuck shed but I was
thinking it could be gout.
What is her diet & supplementation consist of?

Tracie
 

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
Hello,

That's great she has a free roaming life, not many have that opportunity. Does she get ample UVB
& optimal basking temperatures?
Is this the only area that has any swelling currently? It doesn't appear to be stuck shed but I was
thinking it could be gout.
What is her diet & supplementation consist of?

Tracie
Yes, she wakes up the time I wake up (6:30-7 AM(sometimes later) then goes to her basking spot and she goes to sleep at around 9-10 PM. I use mega ray uvb/uva

Yes it’s the only area/finger that’s affected, it’s her right foot-finger

She gets fed dubia roaches every 3days or 2 times a week. I am giving her less because she’s a bit chunky, but usually I’d give 4-5 large ones.She eats greens such as kale, arugula, baby spinach, baby red lettuce squash and other veggies every 1-2 days.
I never gave her supplements.
 

Drache613

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
417
Hello,

Glad to hear you are using some great UVB lighting. How close is the Megaray to her & what is the
wattage of the bulb?
Her diet sounds fine, not too many dubias which is good. They tend to be a little high in uric acid,
naturally. I'm happy to hear she eats her greens pretty well, to help with hydration.
I would recommend giving some type of calcium supplementation, to be sure she is getting ample
calcium intake. Since you are using a Megaray, you wont need calcium with D3. just a plain calcium
without D3, a few times per week.
Since her one finger is the only one seemingly being affected, hopefully it isn't gout. To be proactive,
try getting some black or tart cherry juice extract to help with uric acid buildup just in case.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
 

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
Hello,

Glad to hear you are using some great UVB lighting. How close is the Megaray to her & what is the
wattage of the bulb?
Her diet sounds fine, not too many dubias which is good. They tend to be a little high in uric acid,
naturally. I'm happy to hear she eats her greens pretty well, to help with hydration.
I would recommend giving some type of calcium supplementation, to be sure she is getting ample
calcium intake. Since you are using a Megaray, you wont need calcium with D3. just a plain calcium
without D3, a few times per week.
Since her one finger is the only one seemingly being affected, hopefully it isn't gout. To be proactive,
try getting some black or tart cherry juice extract to help with uric acid buildup just in case.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
It’s about 12 inches from her spot, I’m using the 160 watt, I’ve changed it recently after a year 1 month ago. I use to give her calcium especially on lettuce a long time ago but after finding out lettuce caused watery poo I stopped feeding her it and cancelled the calcium supplement as well, but I would put calcium on her greens here and there (not so often)

How much black cherry juice should be given? How often? Is this the only thing I can try? Should I try epsom salt?

The reason why I think it’s not gout is because she has had the swollen finger for close to a year, it was not as swollen as the picture. If it were to be gout, wouldn’t other joints be swollen as well throughout that timeframe? I would have to assume maybe an injury to her toe, or stuck shed.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
12,610
I am thinking its a injury and your UVB is going to help w/ the healing of that toe- she may not be getting enough from the MVB - and I would be changing it out every 6 months - the UVB rays wear out long before the heat does -- you might want to look into getting a long tube fixture UVB like a Zoo Med w/a Reptisun 10.0 or a Arcadia Pro T 5 12% 24 watt bulb -- Tracie can advise on the tart cherry juice but if its not gout its not going to help much -- only the UVB will help here for an injury
 

Drache613

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
417
Hello,

The only true way to determine gout, would be either a blood test or aspirating fluid from the area to help
determine whether or not there are uric acid crystals.
I agree with Sadie that it could possibly be an injury since the UVB hasn't been strong enough & she may
be calcium deficient, too.
Sometimes gout can take a long time to develop. If you see the bulbous development at the base of the
joint & on top of the foot is suspicious. It wouldn't hurt to start her on black or tart cherry juice though just
to be proactive.
Try that for awhile, some epsom salt baths a few times a week together & see if that improves. Let us know
how she is doing.

Tracie
 

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
Hello,

The only true way to determine gout, would be either a blood test or aspirating fluid from the area to help
determine whether or not there are uric acid crystals.
I agree with Sadie that it could possibly be an injury since the UVB hasn't been strong enough & she may
be calcium deficient, too.
Sometimes gout can take a long time to develop. If you see the bulbous development at the base of the
joint & on top of the foot is suspicious. It wouldn't hurt to start her on black or tart cherry juice though just
to be proactive.
Try that for awhile, some epsom salt baths a few times a week together & see if that improves. Let us know
how she is doing.

Tracie
Hi I’ve been leaving her foot in an Epsom bath for 20 mins a day, I put 2 pinches of Epsom salt in the small bowl of water. And I have tried calcium on her greens since.

Please let me know if this is a good amount of Epsom salt and duration.

How much black cherry juice should be given to her, and should it her everyday? I currently have a singe ingredient just like whole black cherries juice.
 

dudun928

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
17
I am thinking its a injury and your UVB is going to help w/ the healing of that toe- she may not be getting enough from the MVB - and I would be changing it out every 6 months - the UVB rays wear out long before the heat does -- you might want to look into getting a long tube fixture UVB like a Zoo Med w/a Reptisun 10.0 or a Arcadia Pro T 5 12% 24 watt bulb -- Tracie can advise on the tart cherry juice but if its not gout its not going to help much -- only the UVB will help here for an injury
Hi Sadie, just mentioning you for a response on the above post
 

Drache613

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
417
Hello,

Is that toe the only digit or area swollen? The toe is definitely swollen & there is a small area on top of
the foot that appears to have some other swelling going on too. It is possible it could be an injury, not sure.
Gout is diagnosed by a blood test most accurately but sometimes by way of an x-ray.
The epsom salt soak is fine, daily, it can help to remedy pain & or swelling.
The black or tart cherry juice extract can be given daily. Start with .5ML to 1ML daily. You can give it
straight or you can dilute it down with water, either way.


Tracie
 

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