my bearded dragon pos mbd

Question
QUESTION: Hi, MY name is chasity I have 3 lovely bearded dragons they are all about the same age 4-5 they were rescues,I have had malakiah and levi for 3 years and lenny for 1 year.
Malakiah is my sick one he had lost part of his tail before i got him. Just a few weeks ago my husband didnt see him and acadentaly steped on his tail. I took him to the vet he was put on tramidol it seemed to have worked with a shot of vitamins. Now a week later i took him out of his tank for usual bath and heard something pop, now his right arm he wont put weight on and is struggeling walking. I asked my vet if he may have MBD he replied no, when i asked the vet to tell me if it was male or female he couldnt tell. I live in such a small town no one can give me answers on what i should do he has UVB bulb gets calcium beardie bites greens carrots other vegies to. I wont let him suffer so I am asking so many people on line for help only got 1 response back, if you could chat with me on what to do in this situation before i have to make the hardest desicion of puting him down or keep on at it to see if i can give him a great life still thenk you so much for your time malakiah will thank you also

ANSWER: Hello Chasity,

I am so sorry.  
Do you have any pictures of Malakiah?  
Which UVB light are you using, is it a tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How old is the UVB that you have?  
How often do you use calcium supplementation?  
It sounds like he may have some calcium deficiency, that is a possibility.  
Right now, I would lower his basking area to where he does not have to climb in order to bask.  That way he doesn't have more stress of having to move around very much.  
Can he go to the bathroom by himself?  Will he feed himself also?  
Don't give up on him just yet!  

I sell a product called Serrapeptase which is a silkworm enzyme designed to help with inflammation & pain.  It is safe to use for long term use & could help for pain management.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Hi Tracie he has a uvb bulb. He gets calcium thruogh force feding but he has a great appetite and was eating on his own. This happened less than 24 hrs ago. I was getting ready to take him to the vet this morning. what if its his sternum area that broke and will more bone begin to break? he is my baby i have no children i lowered everything for him should i wait a few days before taking him in. I have an anti inflammatory cause the tail that was injured just healed this gives me hope thank you so much. should i have him get an x ray? i am willing to wait to hear back due to the vet here doesn't know much on reptiles really. thank you again for your time.

CHASITY  i dont have a camera that can link to my computer yet im new to using internet

ANSWER: Hello Chasity,

I am sorry, I really am.  It is an unfortunate accident.  
Which UVB light do you use, what brand is it?  Is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How old is it?  
If his sternum is broken or fractured, it will heal but it may not heal up correctly.  Does it appear to stick up as if it is broken?  
The bones will heal & grow but with small animals it is tricky to set the bones when they are that small.  They can immobilize them to allow the bone to set & heal though.  
I highly recommend getting an x-ray if possible.  
Which anti-inflammatory do you have?
Is his beard black or the tip of his tail darker than normal?

That is good news he is eating on his own then.  Make sure he is getting adequate calcium to help his bones if anything is broken.
Please keep me posted on him.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Thank you again Tracie.
Malakiah went to the vet friday, it is his elbow thats fractured, the vet has   him on meloxicam as anti-inflamitory. We also came up with a care plan he is on tums for extra calcium, he also will go in monthly for vitamin A and D shots.
The bulbs i have are dessert zilla UVB, do the florecents work better?
Malakiah is about 4 years old he was a rescue, all my guys are rescues. His beard is not black it is normal, well normal for my education of them, he still will change it from sand to black and orange. the tail is sandy color at the tip then up about a inch is discolored from his injury is what the vet told me. He told me to not give up on him. When do you know or how do you tell if they are just completly miserable? from MBD.

Levi is my other he just had shots same as malakiah is it possible they both might have the same disease? he has lost weight, he is not as active,and his shoulder blades are well he almost looks anorexic. stool samples are being taken in today. Levi and Malakiah have been together their whole lives, could Levi be missing malakiah? I am learning more and more every day to do the best for them all.

Both Levi and Malakiahs tails were already missing part when i got them.
Leny my other is doing fantastic. I am willing to listen to all your suggestions, and I cant thank you enough for your help so far.

Veggies I have list of what they can and can't have but some are on the both give and don't give? Is there a fruit they prefer to others?

Thank you again Tracie

Chasity

Answer
Hello Chasity,

I am sorry his elbow is fractured!  The meloxicam should help out with pain management.
The Zilla bulbs are not good bulbs, they do not emit very good UVB wavelength.  I would choose either the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb.  You can get either one of them from:
www.lightyourreptiles.com


That is correct.  When they are in distress or pain, a lot of times the end of the tail will be darker than normal.  
Are they a male & a female?  They can suffer from stress due to changes in environment or relocation stress.  I don't think they really miss each other though, but if they did they will adjust.
How much weight has Levi lost?
The tums are ok for temporary use, but I think that they need some liquid calcium from the vets.  The quality of the calcium is not as good as a pure calcium carbonate or liquid calcium.  

Let me know how they are doing.

Tracie