Oh no! Something is wrong with my Scooby's right front arm!

[GeckoFanboy]

He was perfectly fine lastnight!

I was in lastnight to feed him. Fed him 4 gutloaded/dusted crickets. He'll be 3 years old in May. He's very healthy. He's a orange carrot-tailed baldy morph. I've noticed over the last year his limbs occasionally have the tremors when he wakes at dusk, but it was never anything major. Other than that, he's the picture of health. Eats like a horse (eats ALL feeder insects). Poops regularly and healthy. Anyway, he was walking around his tank after he ate lastnight, and he looked fine. Later on lastnight, I went in to check on him and he was in his warm hide laying down...even later, he had taken a nice healthy poop.

Tonight I went in to moisten his middle hide. I lifted the lid up and he was inside sleeping. I woke him up and told him to move so I could moisten the hide. Once he started moving, he was moving really weird. When he got out of the hide, I could see he was having trouble walking. His front right leg wasn't working right, and was partially collapsing under him, which was causing him to slightly roll over some. He got a little better after he moved around a bit, but not much. The limb was tremoring some. Anyway, at some point he went over to his rocky warm hide and tried to climb it, but he couldn't lift his right leg up to climb. I felt so sorry for him. I am so upset. I have no idea what is going on at all. There are no kids living here, so nobody could have dropped him. I don't know how he could have hurt himself in his tank. I am completely baffled. I don't understand what's going on?

I am so scared for him. I'm worried I'm going to take him to a vet and their going to tell me they're going to have to put him to sleep.

 

[skadi.skinks]

What would really help is a video of Scooby walking, and a picture of the leg if possible. I'm sure more experienced members will chime in soon, these are the things I know will help them out when they arrive! Positive energy to you and your gecko!

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Well, he has a vet appt. tomorrow. His leg looks fine. It's not bent weird or anything. I'm thinking he dislocated his shoulder. When this all began, he was turning around in his moist hide and it looked like he was having trouble turning.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Well, he has a vet appt. tomorrow. His leg looks fine. It's not bent weird or anything. I'm thinking he dislocated his shoulder. When this all began, he was turning around in his moist hide and it looked like he was having trouble turning.

A minute-long video of Scooby walking about WILL be helpful.

How often do you dust with powdered supplements? Which brand and exact type are you using these days?

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Okay, so I took Scooby to the exotic vet lastnight. They did an X-ray. They said he has no broken bones and no MDB. They think he has a soft tissue injury. Of exactly what, I'm not sure. Will it heal? I have no idea. I'm not sure how he ended up with this. His tank has three bonafide gecko hides in it (they're not "make-shift"). The night before I discovered him in this condition he was walking around fine. This is very upsetting because I can't explain this.

They gave him an anti-inflammatory shot with a painkiller and said he'd be "feelin' real good". Surprisingly, he was super alert on the way home, and when I took him out of his carrier he struggled to get out of my grip. He was not a happy camper. He growled at the vet, LOL. She said, "He's a grumpy one, huh?" I told her, "Yeah!" Anyway, when she first saw him she thought he was a giant trempor. I told her, "No, he's a Tangerine Carrot-Tail Baldy Hyper Morph." She was like, "He's HUGE! You need to put him on a diet. Only feed him 3 times a week". I told her, "That's what I'm doing now". She said, "You need to lessen the bugs". I told her, "He's not going to like that".

I will try and make a video of him very soon.

He eats 1" dubias, lg crickets, giant mealworms. lg hornworms.
I dust with Repashy Calcium Plus - sometimes every feeding, sometimes every other feeding.
He has a bowl of ZooMed ReptCalcium (without D3) in his tank.
I gutload his bugs with Repashy Superload along with one or any combo of the following: carrots, apples, bananas, bran, mangoes, papayas, alfalfa sprout, broccoli, pear, sometimes tangerine.

They gave me some oral take-home syringes with an anti-inflammatory, but he has to take it with food and he's supposed to take it 5 days in a row, but HE'S NOT EATING BECAUSE HE'S UPSET ABOUT ALL OF THIS. I'm not giving him this anti-imflammatory until he eats. It's no different than a person taking it. It will upset your stomach and his tummy is really little. It has a warning to look out for vomiting or black tar stools so he's not taking it til he eats...so be it. Anyway, he's still limping around tonight. Poor guy. I'm really worried about him. I have no idea what happened to him.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Update: Video!!!

Okay, here’s the video:

A couple things:

• Today he happens to be shedding, so he’s turning white/gray.

• Where he’s sitting at the beginning of this video is where his cool hide normally sits. I removed it so he has nowhere to hide so I could make this video for you all.

• His moist hide is to the left. I have removed it’s roof, so he will not go into it and hide also.

• I never tap on his glass, but am doing so to get his attention so he will walk around for you all.

• You can see he’s walking weird. I promise you he was walking completely healthy and then BAM….walking crazy overnight!!!

I have no idea what’s wrong with him. The docs think it’s soft tissue damage to his right front leg…and he needs a diet. But sometimes it looks like it's more than one limb...I don't know?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I will return today.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Let me know. My video above was made yesterday afternoon. He was ready to shed. I went in this morning. And he's still completely covered shed. He should have shed lastnight and he didn't. I'm really worried. I don't think he has the energy to shed. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but something tells me the vets misdiagnosed him. Should I induce his shed with a warm bath?

Also, I don't know if this is anything or not, but this week I found these two dark crusty things in the center of his back:

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Both his front legs are acting weird today. It's not just the right front leg now. Man, this is so weird. I'm really concerned now. I called the vets and asked them if they could have one of the docs check the X-ray again and see if his spine is okay. She said I'd have to bring him in again. I told her, "If you did a full body X-ray, then have one of your docs please check the spine. If it's okay, then I will bring him down again."

He hasn't eaten since the last vet visit, so I haven't given him any of his anti-inflammatory medicine.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Both his front legs are acting weird today. What is this?

Did you help Scooby with this current shed with a warm soak? Is this shed complete now?

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Did you help Scooby with this current shed with a warm soak? Is this shed complete now?

No, but I guess I should, huh? I was waiting to hear from you. What did you think of the video?

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Elizabeth,
I think something's going on with the forum. I posted a response earlier, and I'm not seeing it. I noticed the forum has been acting strange.

Anyway, I gave Scooby a warm bath in a Tupperware. He loved it! You should have seen him. He arched his back and closed his eyes and just sat there. I used a small pair of scissors to cut a hole in the shed, and used a spoon to ladle water into it, then I tore it and just peeled it back. It came off very easily. He was very happy. I put him back into his tank. Offered him a freshly gutloaded dubia and he finally ate. I noticed when he stood up firm to eat that he does indeed droop on that right front leg, so I suppose he did indeed injury it. Poor little guy. I am going to give him one of the oral syringes now that he has food in his tummy. They gave him this med the day of his visit (only through a shot and he did well). So we'll see. Obviously, he's not sick or he wouldn't be eating, as stressed as he's been. The boy loves to eat, but sadly I have to put him on a diet.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

He eats 1" dubias, lg crickets, giant mealworms. lg hornworms.
I dust with Repashy Calcium Plus - sometimes every feeding, sometimes every other feeding.
He has a bowl of ZooMed ReptCalcium (without D3) in his tank.
I gutload his bugs with Repashy Superload along with one or any combo of the following: carrots, apples, bananas, bran, mangoes, papayas, alfalfa sprout, broccoli, pear, sometimes tangerine.

Let me know. My video above was made yesterday afternoon. He was ready to shed. I went in this morning. And he's still completely covered shed. He should have shed lastnight and he didn't. I'm really worried. I don't think he has the energy to shed. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but something tells me the vets misdiagnosed him. Should I induce his shed with a warm bath?

Also, I don't know if this is anything or not, but this week I found these two dark crusty things in the center of his back:

View attachment 48591

Both his front legs are acting weird today. It's not just the right front leg now. Man, this is so weird. I'm really concerned now. I called the vets and asked them if they could have one of the docs check the X-ray again and see if his spine is okay. She said I'd have to bring him in again. I told her, "If you did a full body X-ray, then have one of your docs please check the spine. If it's okay, then I will bring him down again."

He hasn't eaten since the last vet visit, so I haven't given him any of his anti-inflammatory medicine.

I don't know what the 2 small dark crusty areas are.

Scooby's right shoulder "injury" may be related to his current condition.

1. WOW! You were just there! How difficult is it to confirm Scooby's x-ray???
2. Are these vets Exotic Animal specialists?
3. How frequently during the past year did Scooby eat?
4. How often would he be getting Repashy's Calcium Plus multivitamins on his food usually: 1x per week or 2x per week?
5. This "version"?
   
   ​
6. How heavily had you been dusting feeders with supplements: "completely covered like a snowman" or "lightly dusted like powdered sugar on a cake"?
7. Do you dust ALL his feeders at those feedings?

What to do in the meantime:

• Withhold all supplements until we figure out whether his bone density = NO MBD.
• Remove bran and broccoli from the stuff you feed the feeders. (Wheat bran is often high in phosphorus.)
• Give Scooby daily warm soaks for 20-30 minutes per day. That will keep him hydrated as best we can.
• Make sure he has good access to water. If you're not sure whether he's drinking, add a 2nd water bowl near the hide where he usually hangs out.
• Be sure to keep his moist hide moist. The moist hide should be totally over the warm end.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

1. I know. You'd think they could just pick up those X-rays and answer my question. They're supposed to call me back.

2. This vet is a huge complex. They are staffed with like 12 vets. Three of them are exotic vet docs. I had to drive an hour to see them.

3. Scooby eats just about every other day. Always skips a day...sometimes two.

4. I dust his bugs with Repashy Calcium Plus almost every feeding...sometimes I skip if the bugs are real big.

5. Yes, that version.

6. If the bugs are really big (dubias) they don't get the full snowman treatment. Most crickets do though.

7. See above.

Vet said he didn't have MBD. I don't know how they determined that (X-ray? Was it full-body?)
I rarely do bran. It's messy.
His moist hide sits half over the heat pad - the part he sleeps in. I mist it every single night. His water dish is fairly big. I give him fresh spring water from a bottle every other night. His tank temps are perfect.

The warm soaks sound like a good idea. I was in contact with another gecko specialist online. He said if it was indeed a soft tissue injury that he was going to need alot of rest and need to be left alone, that geckoes were very resilient, that when they are in pain they tend not to shed well and need help. He told me to keep an eye on him.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Oh, the vet recommended Reptivite. I ordered some. What do you think?

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Elizabeth, give me a simple, easy to understand, weekly, feeding/dusting schedule for dubias/crickets/mealworms...if you would be so kind. That would be awesome. This stuff is like figuring out a puzzle...also a list of fruits and veggies for bugs. I just need to go back and review all this stuff again. It's been awhile.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Oh, the vet recommended Reptivite. I ordered some. What do you think?

Which Reptivite did you order? I like and use ZM Reptivite withOUT D3. The Reptile Supply Company based in Sacramento, California stocks this version. I ordered some in January.

Once Scooby's health improves here's the schedule I'd follow.:

Weekly Schedule 126 for Leopard Geckos 18 months old +​

(withOUT UVB)​

Early stage metabolic bone disease (MBD) problems include uneven (lopsided) gait, bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite.

The Reptile Supply Company based in Sacramento, California stocks Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3.

• Crickets or dubia >> Monday - lightly dusted with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3
• Crickets or dubia >> Thursday - lightly dusted with Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3
• Optional: Mealworms or Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Phoenix worms) >> Saturday - no dusting

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Elizabeth, give me a simple, easy to understand, weekly, feeding/dusting schedule for dubias/crickets/mealworms...if you would be so kind. That would be awesome. This stuff is like figuring out a puzzle...also a list of fruits and veggies for bugs. I just need to go back and review all this stuff again. It's been awhile.

Here it is.

Scooby has been getting way too much Repashy's Calcium Plus! We really need to confirm his bone density. I know you're trying and awaiting a call back.

"A commercial gut loading food like Bug Burger or Superload (both by Repashy), Cricket Crack, Dinofuel, etc. is going to make your life easier AND provide a nutritious diet to your crickets at the same time. Avoid Fluker's gutloads, as they are super feeble in their formulas."

"If you opt for making your own gutload at home, here is a list of great ingredients to use:
Best: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion flowers & leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress, and alfalfa.
Good: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, and green beans.
Dry food: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed, and organic non-salted almonds.
Avoid as much as possible: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Thank you, Elizabeth. I'll give all of this a shot.

I NEVER use anything Fluker's. I use Bug Burger and Superload all the time. My bugs are fed wet Bug Burger as a staple food source in their critter cages. When I gutload them, I'll move a couple of them to another container and give them Superload along with a piece of veggie or fruit. I keep my bugs super clean. Clean the critter cages out every 3-4 days. Never use soaps. Just scalding hot water.

A note:
I mean, it's like, I only need one leaf to feed a bug, you know? I'll never cook with mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion flowers & leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress or alfalfa. And I love to cook, LOL, but none of them make my list. Haha. And they are the best for my bugs. Ugh! Can I go into a field and pick dandelions???

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Well, you know, regarding hydration, I have a bit of a confession, for awhile there I might have been over-hydrating Scooby. This past winter, I ordered him a couple cups of hornworms. They grow super fast. Most times I have to throw alot of them out. I was feeding them to him inbetween other feedings...spoiling him a bit. When he eats the bigger ones, he pees. Hornworms are 80% water. He got some hydration this winter. He hasn't had a hornworm in about a month though. I was dusting the hornworms occasionally as well.

I grow a patio container garden every summer. I will grow some dandelions this year. Thanks!

I'm thinking the warm baths might help his shoulder as well. I still wonder if he dislocated it? If that's the case, movement is the only thing that will eventually pop it back into place, and that's something only he can solve, not me.