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Hey guys, so I'm wondering if anyone has ever had a problem with their beardie's front limbs swelling up...? Here's the story:
I took our five year old beardie, Knuckes, into the Vet yesterday for fairly advance swelling in her front limbs. It happened REALLY fast. She went from being alert and normal (although she'd slowed down a bit and wasn't eating as much, though we attributed that to her normal brumation period) to not moving at all, not eating at all, and not wanting her front limbs handled, all in about a week or two. She even started holding her front limbs away from her body at a perpendicular angle when she sleeps. We were fearing MBD or gout (gout because she won't even TOUCH a vegetable no matter what we do, and only eats things that move, the stubborn little girl) but were confused because of how fast it came on.
Anyway, I took her in yesterday morning after a little warm water soak (hoping to get some poop for them to do a fecal float, which I didn't). She oddly had actually perked right up. The Dr., upon initial examination, said that she looked healthy, and that there was nothing amiss with the care we give her, although he mentioned that he wished she would eat her greens. He kept her overnight to take some X-rays, order a full blood panel, and to try his hand at getting some poop from her.
I talked to him last night, and he said that the X-rays came back perfectly normal, and that her bone density was fine. He said that the blood tests results wouldn't be in until today. She wouldn't eat for them, and wouldn't poop either, but the X-ray showed that there's nothing in her GI tract to poop out anyway. The last time she ate was Friday, and that was two pinkies, which she gets as infrequent treats. He inserted a small needle into one of her swollen limbs and took a small amount of the fluid build-up. When he looked at it under a microscope though, it wasn't the kind of cells you'd see in an infected area. It was just a few normal cells and a lot of fluid.
After telling me all of this, he went on to explain that it could be something as serious as heart failure, as that's typically one cause of edema in the limbs, but that he won't know anything for sure until the blood tests come back. He said he's actually so far stumped on this one, as is the other DVM.
I'm starting to wonder though if the swelling is nothing more that a result of inactivity, you know, like how our feet swell on long car of plane rides? When we let her free-roam a week or two ago, she was walking perfectly fine, with her body and tail held high off of the ground, and seemed much more... I don't know... interactive. And she DID perk right up when I took her for the car ride to the vet, not to mention her crawling all over the examination table. Perhaps... maybe... she's just, bored. Hell if I know... I'm no Vet.
Sorry I don't have any pictures of it; she's still with the Vet. Just imagine an otherwise healthy-looking beardie... with really large "Popeye forearms".
Thanks so much for any advice and experience that you can share with me!
I took our five year old beardie, Knuckes, into the Vet yesterday for fairly advance swelling in her front limbs. It happened REALLY fast. She went from being alert and normal (although she'd slowed down a bit and wasn't eating as much, though we attributed that to her normal brumation period) to not moving at all, not eating at all, and not wanting her front limbs handled, all in about a week or two. She even started holding her front limbs away from her body at a perpendicular angle when she sleeps. We were fearing MBD or gout (gout because she won't even TOUCH a vegetable no matter what we do, and only eats things that move, the stubborn little girl) but were confused because of how fast it came on.
Anyway, I took her in yesterday morning after a little warm water soak (hoping to get some poop for them to do a fecal float, which I didn't). She oddly had actually perked right up. The Dr., upon initial examination, said that she looked healthy, and that there was nothing amiss with the care we give her, although he mentioned that he wished she would eat her greens. He kept her overnight to take some X-rays, order a full blood panel, and to try his hand at getting some poop from her.
I talked to him last night, and he said that the X-rays came back perfectly normal, and that her bone density was fine. He said that the blood tests results wouldn't be in until today. She wouldn't eat for them, and wouldn't poop either, but the X-ray showed that there's nothing in her GI tract to poop out anyway. The last time she ate was Friday, and that was two pinkies, which she gets as infrequent treats. He inserted a small needle into one of her swollen limbs and took a small amount of the fluid build-up. When he looked at it under a microscope though, it wasn't the kind of cells you'd see in an infected area. It was just a few normal cells and a lot of fluid.
After telling me all of this, he went on to explain that it could be something as serious as heart failure, as that's typically one cause of edema in the limbs, but that he won't know anything for sure until the blood tests come back. He said he's actually so far stumped on this one, as is the other DVM.
I'm starting to wonder though if the swelling is nothing more that a result of inactivity, you know, like how our feet swell on long car of plane rides? When we let her free-roam a week or two ago, she was walking perfectly fine, with her body and tail held high off of the ground, and seemed much more... I don't know... interactive. And she DID perk right up when I took her for the car ride to the vet, not to mention her crawling all over the examination table. Perhaps... maybe... she's just, bored. Hell if I know... I'm no Vet.
Sorry I don't have any pictures of it; she's still with the Vet. Just imagine an otherwise healthy-looking beardie... with really large "Popeye forearms".
Thanks so much for any advice and experience that you can share with me!
hosphorus levels are fine, though she's got a slightly elevated white blood cell count, and her protein levels are slightly high (which was to be expected, as she REFUSES to eat her salads, and only eats her creepy crawly bits).
