How to rehabilitate your bearded dragon from gout! Yes, it is possible!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 เม.ย. 2020
- April 2022 Update - Smaugy is still alive and well! :) She was completely rehabilitated at the time of this video and she continues to live a healthy and happy life!
Hello! My name is Abby and I want to share my bearded dragon, Smaug's, journey rehabilitating from gout. I got him in Jan 2018 and it took about a year to fully rehabilitate him. He is completely symptom-free as of April 2020. I'll include some time-stamps in the comments section so it is easier to navigate. I tried to be as thorough as possible when making this. This is definitely the information that I WISH I had when Smaugy was diagnosed. If it can help one other bearded dragon it will have been worth it.
** Also, I do accidentally call Smaug a girl here. He is actually a boy! Both his previous owner and vet sexed him as a girl, but then realized later that she was actually a he when we looked at the femoral pores. I'm still getting used to the fact that I have a son instead of a daughter, and sometimes make the mistake of calling him a she. Especially since everyone had been calling him a her for about two years! All the information is still accurate though! **
Instagram: @agdelight @kingyncompany
0:00 Introduction
2:35 How we got Smaug
5:38 First Symptoms
6:42 Brainstorming about what it could be
8:24 Taking Smaug to the exotic vet
9:03 Could it be Gout?
10:09 Smaug gets a Biopsy
10:45 Diagnosing the Gout
11:39 Allopurinol
12:59 Black Cherry Concentrate
13:42 Smaug's X-Ray
14:16 Tackling a picky eater
15:03 Hand feeding Smaug Baby Food
16:24 Decreasing symptoms!
16:44 First Salad since her diagnosis
17:52 Vet Update
18:52 Symptoms are gone!
19:28 Upkeep to avoid the Gout returning
19:57 Showing Smaugy and how well she is doing & her mobility
19:28 Short recap of video
20:45 Cost of Rehabilitation
24:52 Ask me anything!
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0:00 Introduction
2:35 How we got Smaug
5:38 First Symptoms
6:42 Brainstorming about what it could be
8:24 Taking Smaug to the exotic vet
9:03 Could it be Gout?
10:09 Smaug gets a Biopsy
10:45 Diagnosing the Gout
11:39 Allopurinol
12:59 Black Cherry Concentrate
13:42 Smaug's X-Ray
14:16 Tackling a picky eater
15:03 Hand feeding Smaug Baby Food
16:24 Decreasing symptoms!
16:44 First Salad since her diagnosis
17:52 Vet Update
18:52 Symptoms are gone!
19:28 Upkeep to avoid the Gout returning
19:57 Showing Smaugy and how well she is doing & her mobility
19:28 Short recap of video
20:45 Cost of Rehabilitation
24:52 Ask me anything!
Thank you so much for this video!
Anytime! Thank you for watching!
abby thank you so much! my 6th month old rescue more then likey has gout in his toe and arm. this is such great advice and thank you for sharing smaugs story!!
Anytime! I'm glad it was helpful to you!
Thank you so much for your video! I have a rescued Bearded Dragon and we are going through the same thing right now. Her name is "Naga" and she is at the vets now and has been there for a week. I am picking her up tomorrow . after watching your video i have new found hope that we can do this. I am willing to do whatever it takes to help her. thanks again so much for sharing your experience. Loura
No problem! You can definitely do it - it takes a lot of time and effort and you're in it for the long haul, but it can be done! Smaug is very healthy now and enjoying life. I hope the same for Naga!
Amazing video!! Much needed fir all us worried owners
Glad the info helped!! It is very worrying to see your lil pet in pain.
Thanks for this. Very informative
Thank you! Hope it helped!
Thank you so for making this video. Our stories sound exactly the same. I just got my 3 year old beardie on January 10th and the previous owner showed me how they had to force feed carrots to him because he refused to eat any veggies. I did a lot of research but feeding was still impossible. So I started feeding him baby food and blended greens with a tiny syringe. He doesn't eat much and he just never seemed super happy or active. And he loves superworms. He might have a dubia roach or a cricket but he really doesn't want to chase anything down. And in the 2.5 months that I've had him I've seen him drink water once during a bath. Anyway, last week I noticed that he was even more lazy than usual and his right front leg was swollen and practically limp. The vet gave me something for swelling and pain but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. I have an appointment for Monday so we can do an xray and blood draw and whatever else needs to be done but it definitely sounds like it might be gout.
I do have a question. Did you give Smaug any water and if so how much?
BTW we named out beardie Gimli :)
Thanks again.
Tracy
Hi! I don't! She gets all her water from her food. She doesn't even really drink water when she soaks. I think in my entire time having her she's drank once! I did syringe feed her water a few times when I thought she might be dehydrated. But now that she eats normally I don't feel the need to anymore. During brumation I soak her weekly.
I hope that Gimli is doing OK! And that he is able to heal from gout! Sounds like its not too late though!
Hey girl! My baby Mushu is a bit over one. He got a grim diagnosis from the vet re: gout. For the past month and a half, I have been to three different vets. The last one thankfully helped me the most. He was in the hospital for three days, and since then he’s been on allopurinol and pain medication (for inflammation). After a deep dive into reddit and Facebook groups, I have started him on diluted concentrated cherry juice, slurries of mustard and collards mixed with calcium (won’t eat on his own), electrolytes, milk thistle and kidney support supplements, along with beta carotene and omega 3s. He would ONLY eat super worms, and even though i was gut loading them well, as you said, it’s not the same as greens! We also do two, 30 min soaks a day. Three weeks later and Mushu is walking for the first time on his own in over a month. He was so puffy in his belly and so bloated and uncomfortable and lethargic. The first two vets sent me down the wrong path (second one had me administering sub q fluids every day for 2-3 weeks - too much!) and when i took him in for gaping, the vet on duty was saying we needed to put him down! I couldn’t accept that. I finally got it worked out with a knowledgeable vet! Anyway long story short here we are... it’s a long way from 100% but i sincerely believe that his quality of life is so much better! I honestly feel like he will be able to live a longer and healthier life than what the vet has told me ♥️♥️ good luck with your baby!!!!
Hi! I'm so glad that Mushu is doing better! My beardie, Smaug, is 100% healthy right now. You're right, it is a long journey but so worth it for the health of our little buddies! Thanks for the comment!
Interesting and useful.
Thanks! Glad you found it to be valuable! :)
So i know this video is for bearded dragons only however i just found out my res turtle has gout too. Theyve started her on allopurinol and gabapentin for the pain. She also has 2 eggs which she hasnt passed (she has never laid eggs and she is 20!) im so stressed and worried but praying for her .. shes currently hospitalized will be there for 2 weeks 😞.. thank you for this video as they are both reptiles and perhaps i can use this advice and info for the future!
Hey! You can use this information for other reptiles as well. After Smaug, I helped to rehabilitate a blue-tongued skink using the same methods! The amount of allopurinol was a bit more due to the weight difference, but the process was essentially the same. That skink is alive and thriving today! And oh no! :( I have heard of Dystocia in turtles and I'm very sorry to hear that. Please keep me updated on the progress. If it makes you feel better, Smaugy had extremely bad gout and I was still able to rehabilitate him. So it can be done even in the worst stages.
@@gogogadgetabby unfortunately she passed away. Literally the same day i left the comment. I was so saddened.. but the vet told me it was a combination of the gout and the dystocia. Im glad she got to live a long and happy life and is no longer in pain. Rip to Donatella that was her name. Thank you for your useful info ! Ill make sure to take it in consideration for my next res (i plan on getting another one, the tank is too empty and sad!)
@@PrincessYadii Hi Yadira - I'm so sorry to hear about your little friend. :( I'm sending you lots of love this week and Donatella will surely be missed.
Hi there, I just saw your video and I kid you not, I am playing the same situation as what you just talked about.
My little guy is 4 and I only have had him 2 months and hd was fed superworms only.
I finally got him to eat blueberries greens, squash and etc but I noticed his toe swollen and took him to the vet today and she said gout but gave him no med
Hi Debbie - I would overhaul the diet completely and use the black cherry concentrate. But you could go back to the vet and demand the Allopurinol. That is the medicinal intervention that helps with gout. I would be interested to know why the vet didn't give it. Maybe there is a valid reason or maybe they didn't think of it? Or you could try a new vet and explain what happened. Let me know what happens!
Thanks for the info! What is his current diet?
Hi! So the current staples in her diet are collard greens, spaghetti squash, dandelion greens, and endive (daily). Also carrots, parsley, cilantro, sweet potatoes, and blueberries/blackberries. Those are the fruit he eats most frequently (loves blackberries in particular). I've given raspberries, strawberries, butternut squash, bok choi, and cherries. I've given a few small pieces of banana every few months because he LOVES banana but its not good to feed frequently. For protein, I give superworms once a week that I gut load with collard greens. Dusted with calcium and D3. I give some of the remaining allopurinol from time to time and the watered-down black cherry extract once a month just for preventing the gout from coming back. Also no iceberg lettuce or anything anymore she seems to be past that completely so only healthy greens for her!
Hi Abby, my beardie is also suffering from gout. Its pretty severe and I have also been to like three vets. The third vet seemed more helpful so we are now giving the allupurinol and pain medication which I had requested before with the previous vets and was told that by soaking him and giving him calcium it would go away on its own. But it went from one leg to now three of his legs. He looks.pretty bad and we are just doing our best to take care of him. He was also a rescue and we got him for $35. How many times a day did you feed him the pureed veggies and fruits? Also did you hold off on giving the bugs until he felt better or were you blending it with the pureed greens and fruits. I am so grateful that you posted this video.
Hey Ella, I'm sorry to hear about your beardie. I did hold off on giving Smaug any worms/bugs for the first 3 weeks on allopurinol. If you want, you can mix their calcium/d3 in the baby food and that way they are still getting the calcium they need. You can also put a little bit of water and mix it with the calcium/d3 powder and use the same syringe that you use with the allopurinol to administer it that way. When you soak them make sure that you rub his tummy area gently because he might need assistance to go poop in the bath! I would feed the pureed veggies once a day (there is a lot of water in it) - put it gently on their mouth and let them lick it off.
@@gogogadgetabby thank you for the advice. He seemed better on Monday he was opening and moving his eyes around, he was even moving his head and even moving a bit too. But yesterday his beard turned black and now his belly is black too and there's black streaks on his back too. He looks bad again not gaping as much but his beard and belly and back are what worry me and his eyes went back to closing and when he opens them one of the eyes look like its in shock and the color is gray not their beautiful orange 😢 I know he's in a lot of pain. The meloxicam only helped for two days. Did this happen to your beardie during the treatment process? I know the treatment process is long and it can be a while before you see any improvement. I just can't bare to see him like that right now. Ive just been trying to find beardie owners who have gone through this so I know what to expect and can help him better as vets are not that reliable here. Thank you so much for your help and I hope its ok i continue to reach out as we just want to do all possible to help him. We are heartbroken to see him like this as we have had him for 2 years and we are so attached to him.
@@gogogadgetabby i wish I could send you pictures on this forum but not sure how.
@@ellachat946 Hey Ella! Sorry for the late response! I know you reached out on Instagram but I've been thinking about your beardie today and hoping everything is going well so far. Let me know either on here or on insta!
@@gogogadgetabby hi please can you advise how much calcium/multivitamin you used daily mix in water or food I don't want to give to much. Thank you for your help
Hi! What kind of vegetables were you feeding her? My beardie has gout and I’m trying to treat him with black cherry juice and diet before turning to the Allopurinol. I’m already feeding him bugs just once a week, only black fly larvae and horn worms since dubia roaches are so high in protein. Right now I alternate between arugula and collard greens and dandelion greens with a few blueberries ripped in half on top.
Hi Hannah - Allopurinol is essential because it helps break down the uric acid faster so your beardie will heal and be in less pain. I would recommend allopurinol and black cherry concentrate together. But if you had to choose one, I would go with the allopurinol over the black cherry concentrate. Remember that black cherry concentrate has quite a lot of sugar in it and that can also cause issues in bearded dragons in too high amounts. It is easy to overdo it, so make sure you're sticking to very small watered down amounts. Allopurinol is every day and black cherry concentrate is every second day.
For veggies right now we have a bit going for smaug. Her staple green is collard greens, she gets that daily. Then we do carrots, parsley, cilanto, bell peppers, raspberries, bok choy, strawberries, blackberries, sweet peas, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, blueberries, dandelion greens, etc. There are so many different things you can feed! Whenever my partner and I are at the store and we see something good we always google if Smaug can eat it too so we share with her!
Hi. I really hope you still try and answer questions. My bearded dragon Leonardo is almost a year old. He is so precious. We’ve had him since he was only like 5 inches big.
His left back ankle is swollen and I’m trying to do my best to give him the best food. He loves his salads. Will eat them with no complaint! How long do I go without feeding him any protein bugs? Are black soldier fly larvae okay to feed? How often?
Hi Christina - Have you gone to the vet? If your beardie is eating salad OK, it could be something other than gout. A swelling leg could be for a variety of reasons. If it is gout, the allopurinol will really help.
I would try to feed bugs once every 10 days until the swelling goes away. Then feel once per week. They do still need protein, so it is important to still offer them that. Now, Smaug eats her bugs about once a week.
I hope Leonard is OK!
Ik you posted this 8 months ago but i need help!! My 2 year old beardie's front right leg is being really sensitive since yesterday. He wouldnt walk on it or let us touch it. We feed him calcium everytime he eats dubia roaches but anyways there is no bruising or sign of broken bones. His arm is A little bit swollen not really though. What should i do or what should i search up to find help?
Hey! If I were you I would take him to the vet. If all he is eating is dubia roaches and no veggies then it could definitely be a sign of gout. If he jerks his leg away from you when you touch it and isn't walking on it that could also be gout because gout is extremely painful. With metabolic bone disease they don't have the mobility to jerk away, so if he is physically moving his leg away from you then it is probably because it is painful to the touch. I would take him to your vet, stop feeding the dubia roaches for now and just offer him salad for now. In my video, I also discuss feeding baby food and black cherry concentrate as holistic methods. Tell your vet you suspect it may be gout and that you want them to check to make sure. I hope that helps! Message me back on here if you need more help. Remember that adult beardies should really only be getting bugs like once a week and they don't really need more than that. The rest of the time they should be getting a salad.
I'm going through a similar situation currently. Did she have to stay on the medication or did you eventually stop it?
Hi there! We have stopped the Allopurinol now and she's been healed for a long time. :)
How long after did you stop the allopurinol? Mine has been on it for 2 weeks. Her uric acid levels were over 50 and they are now at 1.7. Vet is telling me to discontinue allopurinol and I'm hesitant.
Do you have any other social media platforms where I can send you a screenshot of the information?
@@Lynnmburke83 Yes you can send on insta to @kingyandcompany - I kept her on allopurinol for over a year, but ultimately was able to stop.
By every second day do you mean every other day or once every two days? English is a little hard
Yes - every two days!
@@gogogadgetabby thank you!!
Is it possible to rehabilitate a juvenile beardie?
Yes, that is the best time to rehabilitate them because they are still young!
I’ve been giving my girl Serrapeptese,Black Cherry,Baby Food,And Allopurinol and nothing has helped,it just looks like it’s getting worse and it’s been 2 months 🙁
Sorry to hear that but it can take over a year or more to heal - gout is not something that will heal immediately. Stay the course. If it is getting worse then perhaps back to the vet to see if your beardie was diagnosed properly. You also need to change the diet too!
also where her uric acid levels elevated?
Yes they were.
Smash 🙃
Lettuce is no good for them!
No it's not. But like I mentioned in the video, she hadn't really eaten a vegetable since we rescued her. Her old owner only fed her superworms and sometimes carrots. So at that point we were willing to let her have some lettuce if it was helping spark that interest in salads again. Now she doesn't have lettuce, but it was helpful and encouraged her to begin eating on her own. Sometimes you gotta go with what works when you're working with Reptiles. She only started eating collard greens after she tried lettuce. She refused collard greens prior to the lettuce.