Glucosamine chondroitin & tart cherry powder supplements for bearded dragon (experimental)

A bit of experimental supplements for Quetzal.

Glucosamine chondroitin for mammals is well studied for the effect of slowing cartilage deterioration which in his spine he has that kind of osteoarthritis sort of thing going on so with the cartilage space being already limited in the spine of bearded dragons I am hoping that this supplement will slow down any of the deterioration and ease any pain associated with that deterioration in his spine.

Cherry extract is used for reducing uric acid levels. From what I understand the exact process is not fully understood but what is known is that cherry, tart cherry extract, or other cherry products like cherry juice do decrease uric acid. The uric acid level for Quetzal was not technically high according to some charts however because of his spine condition I do not want to increase the chance of uric acid crystals forming in the spine which would exacerbate his spine condition. I want to reduce his uric acid levels in his bloodstream to a bare minimum in order to avoid any uric acid crystal formation. Long term much of this plan is going to include reducing the amount of protein foods that he has and also including other anti-inflammatory foods into his diet along with the tart cherry. The cherry extract is something that is only going to be temporary in order to increase the rate that we can reduce the uric acid levels.

Some of this is experimental and you should always consult your veterinarian before using medicine products especially if you are using non-veterinary products. this is not medical advice I'm only sharing my experience and quetzal is under the care of a special exotic veterinarian with at least 30 years experience with bearded dragons. Always have a high standard of qualifications necessary for your veterinary cares. What is interesting with using medicine on reptiles is that there is no placebo effect. This is the same for any field in veterinary medicine. I always find this interesting because the placebo effect is something that has to be so well studied in humans because we know medicine is supposed to do something whereas a bearded dragon does not know that this does anything and may not have the capability even if they could understand that medicine does something. Either this medicine will improve his life, it'll do nothing, or the worst case scenario is that it could make him worse. No matter the outcome I can know that his results that he shows will be directly related to the medicine, his husbandry, and care overall. It is never going to be related to a placebo effect. I just think that's neat.