Bearded Dragon w/ swollen toe

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a baby bearded dragon who recently shed. He has a swollen toe on the foot on which he has a missing toe (this is how he was when I bought him). This swelling has been going on for a couple of days so I am becoming very concern. I suspect that the cause may be skin that he did not shed properly because the skin around the toes area does not look as healthy as the skin on his other foot. I have been bathing him once a day, and today I applied vaseline. I do not know what other things I can do, or what other signs to look for. I am worried that he can lose his toe. I am seeing a vet, but this is in two days, so I hope it will not be too late.

ANSWER: Vaseline isn't advised for use on reptiles, as it can cause loss of scales.

Instead, soak him in very shallow warm water for about 45 minutes, and then see if you can use tweezers to get the stuck shed off.  (Make sure there IS stuck shed).

It's also possible that his toe is broken or otherwise injured, or that he has an infection in it (which the vet will treat).  Poor diet can cause hypocalcemia very rapidly in baby bearded dragons, due to their extraordinarily rapid growth, and if you bought him from a pet store, his diet was likely to be poor there, or at the distributor.  That can cause weakening of the bones.

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

QUESTION: I took him to the vet, who said he has an injury that I had not noticed because it is on the bottom of his foot. He has an infection, and that is why his toe/toes are swollen. He prescribed smz tmp, an antibiotic, but I was wondering if I should get him probiotics because antibiotics can kill the 'good' bacteria needed for digestion.

Also, I am having trouble giving my baby beardie his medicine with a syringe, he moves a lot and I am afraid to hurt his injured toe. What tips do you have if any?


I want to thank you for your previous advice and for taking the time to answer our questions.

Answer
Is he receiving injections, or getting the medication orally?

Either way, it may help to have one person hold the dragon to restrain it, while you give the injection/medication.  Sometimes giving medication to wiggly critters is just a 2-person job. :)  (I've had to give plenty of injections and oral medications in the past, since I have collection of over 60 animals).

If you have to give the injection/meds by yourself, hold the dragon with his stomach on the palm of your hand, using your thumb and forefinger to restrain his head and neck, and other fingers to immobilize his legs.  It's pretty difficult to describe this in text, I'm afraid, and I don't have a dragon, so I can't take a photo to demonstrate.  

The issue with giving probiotics to a reptile is that the bacteria that live in our intestinal tract may not be the same species that reptiles have in theirs.  So far, giving probiotics to reptiles has not shown signs of doing them harm, so it is probably safe.  It's certainly an area where more research needs to be done, though.