El Lobo wrote:There is nothing that stands out in the diet which shows immediate cause for alarm, but could you be more specific with the salad items. Greens are the main source of oxalic acid with some much higher than others e.g. spinach, parsley, beet leaves and even collards are high in oxalic acid. This is of course presuming the crystals were actually calcium oxalate.
LeaBilby has already touched on the possibility of uric acid producing the observed crystals. Uric acid is carried around to the organs in the bloodstream. If there is an excess it will tend to congregate in the synovial fluid of joints producing the very painful condition of gout. A skink with gout will restrict its movements because of the pain, presenting as inactive. Excessive uric acid will be found in quite a few foods and elimination of these food may be necessary to avoid prolonged issues. Purine is one food substance that will contribute; it is found in cat food as an additive because cats cannot synthesise this amino acid necessary for digestion. All meats have purine but some such as offal have more. Seafood such as herrings, mackerel, sardines and anchovies are best avoided all together with some others like meat gravies, lentils, spinach and high fat dairy. If it was my skink I would eliminate the chicken hearts. Read the label of the dog food currently used to see if it contains much offal.
If another mass is passed it could be well worthwhile having it analysed to determine exactly what the crystals are.
The supplement linked seems OK but I would opt for a calcium supplement derived from pure oyster shell containing no phosphorous; this one has 3% phosphorous.
Have you guys read the detailed food chart in the care sheet? Every time I want to try something new, I turn tho this. It's really helpful, it specifies what you can feed frequently, in moderate, occasionally and what not to feed at all (and what's toxic). It also mentions oxalates. I'll cut out the mango (only used it twice a while back).
Could someone help me analyse this then, it's the nutrition info of the dog food I'm using:
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, Min 8%
Crude Fat, Min 3.5%
Crude Fiber, Max 1%
Moisture, Max 82%
And the ingredients:
Ingredients: sufficient water for processing, beef by-products, liver, meat by-products, poultry by-products, chicken, beef, calcium carbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate, carrageenan, dried yam, caramel coloring, xanthan gum, natural flavors, potassium chloride, salt, erythorbic acid, guar gum, zinc sulfate, yellow #5 and #6, sodium nitrite (for color retention), vitamin A, D3 and E supplements, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1)
If this is not a good meat source for him, I'll change it as from today.
Haha, seems everybody gets me wrong, getting worried here!
