My bearded dragon has swollen toes and pain. Is it gout? Vet or home?

Hello, Gout is an exceptionally painful condition and Ricky needs to be on medication for pain and to help slow progression of disease. There is no treatment to reverse or cure gout, and it generally has a guarded to poor prognosis. Our goals in treatment are to minimize pain and slow the disease. The medications needed must come from a veterinarian and Ricky’s condition needs to be closely monitored. A veterinarian will do an exam, blood work, and maybe X-rays to thoroughly assess Ricky and be sure the diagnosis is correct. Unfortunately, there is nothing effective that can be done at home without a veterinarian’s guidance aside from ensuring Ricky has appropriate nutrition, temperature and humidity. Refer to anapsid.org for guidelines on bearded dragon care and check arav.con to find a reptile vet near you. Good luck!

Do not give Ronnie any medications without the advice of your veterinarian. Make sure she is warm and keep her as stress free as possible. Remove climbing branches temporarily to prevent falls. Blood work can be done to check uric acid levels to confirm or rule out gout and to assess kidney function. Other possibilities include metabolic bone disease (mbd) and a fracture.

Continue to medicate Lenny as directed by your veterinarian. You can clean the affected area daily using diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution. Consider a recheck if the toe is swollen after the course of antibiotics is finished.

Thanks for reaching out about Zilla. Gout is a kidney problem and usually an older animal problem. Calcium deficiencies, trauma and joint infections are probably the most common. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess the limp and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. A warm water soak might provide some inflammation relief. Good luck.

If it is Yellow Skin Disease, you may have caught it early. Your veterinarian should be able to confirm or rule it out after an exam. Treatment typically includes oral and topical medications. If you have other dragons or hero's, keep Lenny away from them and wash your hands thoroughly between handling. The toe tip may have been strangulated by a bit of retained skin from a recent shed. This is common and, if kept clean, typically heals on its own. Since you're going to see your veterinarian, have the toe examined as well.

Thanks for reaching out about Harley and including photos. The toe appears to be non-viable tissue. The toe should be amputated to prevent further spread of infection found in dead tissue. Keeping the environment clean by removing sand, bark or other particulate substrates and replaced by soft towels to prevent further contamination. Removing feces and urates as soon as possible. Schedule a veterinary visit to help. Good luck.

It could be a fracture complicated by MBD but an exam and xrays is what Reptar needs to get a definitive diagnosis. It shouldn't cost "thousands". With proper care and some environmental and diet changes, he can recover from MBD. Left untreated, he may suffer permanent damage or even loss of the limb. An experienced herp vet will have the knowledge and experience to give Reptar the best chance at a full recovery. Follow the links to search for a local herp vet. http://www.herpvetconnection.com/calif.shtml http://www.anapsid.org/vets/findingvet.html