My Bearded dragon doesnt seem right

Question
QUESTION: Hi hope you can help, I have a male and female dragon in the same tank an they are 7 months old. Today I've noticed my female has swelled up an is lying flat out on the sand! i thought she might be hot so i lightly sprayed her with water and she went nuts! trying to get away but went she was trying to move her front legs didn't seem to work! All she is doing now is lying flat looking down at the sand!I have all the right equipment and the male is fine! What's wrong??

ANSWER: Hi Phil, I really would suggest that you have a vet take a look at her as soon as you can. With the visible swelling my concern would be a possible intestinal impaction caused by the sand. Internal swelling and pressure can press on the spine and nerves affecting the ability to move the legs. You might try soaking her in a bit of tepid water (make sure she can keep her head up), soaking can sometimes help move things along the intestinal tract. Good luck with her.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, I Took her to the vets yesterday and they said it could be spinal damage, But most likely she has infection in the ear which has caused her to lose her balance and swell up! The vet has given me anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory also calcium to hand feed her which is a task on its own! she is looking abit better but i feel so useless at times when she is just lying there. Many thanks for your help and advice

Answer
Hi Phil, I'm very glad to hear that you got veterinary care for her and have a possible diagnosis. Beardeds have a closed ear canal so infections are not that common but the closed canal would cause swelling and pressure if an infection did occur. Turtles suffer from this quite often and it frequently has to be lanced and drained. ( I had mistakenly assumed that her swelling was abdominal). I hope you continue to see improvement with the current treatment.