My geckos swollen leg

Hey, im new here, but i really need help one of my geckos (that i recently got off someone else) has come up with a swollen leg, he isn't walking on it and its gone a bit purple (for 3 weeks now). I took him to the vet and the guy didn't know much about leos but said it didnt seem infected but could be broken and sent me home...a specialist vet would cost way too much for me because there arn't any near so thats how i ended up here! He had just lost 2 toes on that foot from a bad shed (got him too late to avoid it) if thats any help, but yeah the picture below is his leg, it looks worse in real life because i took it from a bad angle :/


above (the swollen leg)


Care Questionaire:

About your leo:
- Sex - male
- Age & Weight- n/a
- Morph (if you know)- yellow, not sure of the real name for it :P
- How long have you owned your leo - a month
- Where was he/she obtained (Pet store, breeder, wild caught, etc.) - off an ex b/f
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred- n/a

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - daily
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how - he isn't moving as much and won't walk on his bad leg
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. - none im aware of, from what i was told he's been in good health although has previously been addicted to waxworms.
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal- nope
- When was the last time he/she went - 2 days ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem/issue you are experiencing and how long it has been going on - His leg is swollen and bruised, he wont walk on it, has been this way for 3 weeks.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - large ex- display viv, easyly big enough for 2 leos
- Type (ex. glass tank, screen enclosure, tub kept) - wooden and glass front
- Type of substrate (sand, vinyl tiles, ceramic/stone tiles, etc.) - fine sand (he is quite a big gecko though)
- Hides (how many, location and type (hothide, humid hide, regular hide etc.) - 3 one warm, one colder and one humid
B) Heating
- What is your main heat source (heat bulbs, under tank heat mat etc) **Please include the brand and size of your UTH if you use one** - heat mat on a timer
- What are your cage temps (hot side and cool side) - warm side goes from 28-32 C cold is more like 21
- Method of regulating your heat source (thermostat, rheostat, light dimmer etc.) timer
- What are you using to measure your temps (probe thermometer, infrared lazer tempo gun, stick on temp gauge, etc) probe
- Do you have any lights (describe type (red,blue, basking etc) and cycle duration) strip lighting
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - none use to have a female but he grew bigger
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates - in good health

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding - mealworms , refuses crickets, used to be addicted to waxworms but got him off them
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding? - every day eating about 3 mealworms
- How are you feeding (hand fed, tongs/tweezers, left in dish, ect) - tongs, hands
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using (please include brand) komodo premium insect dusting powder
- What multi vitimin are you using (please include brand) komodo premium insect dusting powder
-How are you implimenting your suppliment program (how often do you dust with each suppliment, do you leave calcium in the tank 24/7 etc.) - dust all food given, dish of it also in tank, but he doesn't touch it
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with - as far as i know the old owner wasnt at all :/ now with potatos

That leg is swollen. He won't use it at all? How does he carry it? Just kinda drag it or what? Also his heat mat should stay on all the time. If your leo, who is a murphy patternless I believe, is injured you want him to have heat at the higher end of the acceptable range. I'd suggest 33-34* c. I'd also get him off the sand it's unnatural and unsanitary so if ge does have any wound from losing toes you want him on paper towels our tiles. Plus the sand will strain/stress the leg from him walking all odd on an uneven inconsistent surface esp. If it's broken. You shouldn't really leave a multi vit in his viv 24/7 only pure calcium, our you rock potential hypervitaminosis. You can try some warm soaks to try and bring down some of the swelling, about 15-20 minutes a day. Good luck, keep us updated.

he lifts it but doesn't let it touch the floor and his heat mat is only on a timer on for 20 off for 10 mins because the mat gets too hot and its a cheap kind that i got off my ex, we are moving house in the next 2 weeks so am going to get him a new viv with a thermostat:) Thanks for the help will defo get rid of the sand then and give him a good bath

Forget the soak, that's nothing to play with. He needs to see a vet. Hope he gets better. oh and like kermit said about potential hypervitaminosis. I read it can cause gout so that can be possible.

Peach he took it to a vet already that suggested it could be a break and I don't believ e its gout... that affects the joints and there I no deformities in the joints. Gout is pretty easy to spot and I just don't see it in any of his feet which is where it would be most evident. The soaks can't hurt esp. If it helps bring down the swelling, that might reveal smething a little more obvious that we just can't see thru the swelling.

i did indeed take him to a vet, not a specialist mind, but just to check it wasn't an infection and he seemed pretty sure it wasn't so just keeping my fingers crossed for now lots of TLC!

Just keep your eyes open for an abcess. It may not be that at all but my blueberry started to swell like that before it broke. Hopefully the vet is right and it is not but just speaking from my experience just keep an eye out for it.

what does an abcess look like/ whats the treatment? haven't had much experience in ill reptiles :P

An abcess will come up to a head. It will look kind of like a boil on a human but will be on a reptile of course. If it does come to a head it would need to be drained completely and then irrigated by a vet. It is not something to mess around with. Blueberry very nearly died from it and in the process had to have two surgeries to try to heal him. This is not to scare you, I just want you to keep an eye out for it.

thanks! defiantly will watch out for that then, still hoping it s break that will fix itself, so expensive for vets because specialists are VERY far away :/

Yes I completely understand, Blueberry cost me 400.00 Canadian dollars in vet bills. I really hope it is all fine though! Keep us updated please.

will do defiantly! blimey...thats alot :/ im worried what i can do if it comes to that, all 3 of my leos i got off my ex who was negligent one of them is ok, the other is this one with a broken leg (as far as i know) and the last one is a manic leo, never been handled, goes mental if you go near it, its toes are all going to be lost because he left them without a moist hide and they are too far gone for saving (not that i could if i wanted to as he is very anti social). Want to get them back to health but im only 17 working through college at Mcdonalds >.< no way i could afford 400 dollars...just really hoping he will get better :/

Kermit wrote:Peach he took it to a vet already that suggested it could be a break and I don't believ e its gout... that affects the joints and there I no deformities in the joints. Gout is pretty easy to spot and I just don't see it in any of his feet which is where it would be most evident. The soaks can't hurt esp. If it helps bring down the swelling, that might reveal smething a little more obvious that we just can't see thru the swelling.

I was just saying to make sure it wasn't. From what I 've been reading gout can attack diffent bone areas and the cause osteomyelitis which cause redness and swelling. I think theres diffrent types of gout.

http://www.zoopath.com/Gecko%20Gout.htm

Or maybe a bone infection for whatever reason and needs antibiotics. Poor gecko

going to leave it a couple weeks if the swelling doesn't go down going to have to take him to a specialist vet it seems :P

Heres a better photo, any ideas?