Bearded dragon gout

Question
What can be done for gout in the front two feet of a bearded dragon?

Answer
Hi Rob, There was an article a little over a year ago about this in Reptiles magazine, written by Dr. Douglas Mader. He noted that allopurinol is the most common treatment and that it is safe and effective in reptiles. It reduces the amount of uric acid produced which lowers the blood uric acid level.It is the elevated blood uric acid levels that cause the formation of the gout crystals. Anti-inflammatories can be used to reduce the pain caused by gout related arthritis.

The contributing factors to developing gout are dehydration, excessive animal based protein in the diet (for herbivorous and insectivorous animals) and kidney damage. An overuse of vitamins is one of the possible causes of kidney damage but there are numerous other possibilities.

He mentioned that gout can be managed medically if caught early but if the deposits start to form around the internal organs then the prognosis is poor.