Help!!!!!! Look at his tail!!!

acharpenter · Apr 7, 2011

You sure have a funny way of proving your "not a nice person".

I wish there were more "not nice people" like you - the animals need more of you.

All kidding aside - I was not at all familiar with you - but I would venture to state - I think you care more about the creatures health and well being than most other things.

In my book - that makes you awesome

Please do post your "non-sugar coated" thoughts everytime. I can handle them and REALLY appreciate them

Someone who stands up for the well being of the creatures to the detriemnt of all other aspects = someone I can relate to.

So Not_a_Nice_Person - your post made me feel way better.

In all honesty with all the posts constituting care and seeking advice on this site - I guess I kinda figured people would take thier Gecko's to a Vet sooner than later......Im sorry that is not the case.

I gave Geek his first shot of oral anitbiotics tonight - he was not happy and I hated holding him to do it but I just pushed through thinking, Im so sorry Geek but its the best for you! Poor dude:

Crappy pic sorry:

I also put the ointment on his lil nub last night and have thess pic to show how much he cared for it:

LOL!

Poor Geek - he is just stressed as in the last day or so, nothing good has happened when I pull him out of his home.

Thank you GF

Dog Shrink · Apr 8, 2011

Awww poor geek... don't worry he'll feel better. Just make sure every time you pull him out is not to medicate him so he doesn't develop that negative association (if that's something you're worried about). Make sure that some of his pull outs are for fun time. His tail really does't look that bad from the last pic you posted. Keep up the good work

Spots · Apr 8, 2011

Wow! His tail is looking good

acharpenter · Apr 8, 2011

Dog Shrink said:
Just make sure every time you pull him out is not to medicate him so he doesn't develop that negative association (if that's something you're worried about). Make sure that some of his pull outs are for fun time.

Thanks for pointing that out Kel - I wasnt even thinking about that with all of this! He is tending to dart into his hide more now. I work 3-13 hour days on Thu, Fri and Sat so I cant really bring him out for happy times on those days but starting Sunday - I will be sure to take him out for some playtime other than his meds time.....

Spots said:
Wow! His tail is looking good

Well, I cant go with good but better would be a great description - Geek syas thank you though

Day 3 of antibiotics

I fed him some Waxworms tonight. He ate 4 no problem and I am sure he would have eaten more if I let him. Good sign to see he has not lost his appetite!

Vet called to day to check on his progress - so far so good

fl_orchidslave · Apr 8, 2011

Excellent photos. The tip should regenerate to look almost normal. He's looking good! It was nice of your vet to call and check on him

The forum is a great place to refer others in your area to a good herp vet.

Spots · Apr 9, 2011

I love that you have been posting pictures of his tail and progress. It's a great way for people to refer to them if they are in the same position. I hate when people just get the answer they need and then stop posting or updating us.

Pinky81 · Apr 9, 2011

Great thread guys! Ive actually learned a ton from reading this threads progression. Anyone think this should be a sticky as the pictures are awesome and the advice from some of our more experienced keepers i.e. M_surinamensis and Golden Gate were great!

Nicely done Acharpenter! And I had to giggle a little about the mouth mark on your wrist! I got one of those on my nose when trying to look closely at my geks face to check a mark he had on his nose...he sprung and took a bite outta crime LOL

acharpenter · Apr 15, 2011

Thanks! I hope the pics and thread can help someone else down the road and learn from our experiances.

Day 9 - looking good I think:

bettafish · Apr 15, 2011

Looking good!

M_surinamensis · Apr 15, 2011

acharpenter said:
Day 9 - looking good I think

Are you still putting any kind of topical treatment on there? Looking at the photos it has a bit of a shine to it, as if it may be moist, which could be something you have put on there or could be indicative of raw tissue.

As a rule of thumb, once a heavy, dry scab has developed you usually want to stop using topical ointments (antiseptics, antibacterials) and allow the exposure to air to keep those platelets dry and promote the healing of the underlying tissue, provided it all continues to look clean and proper (no signs of infection, dehydration, pinching, swelling, discoloration beyond what is expected, etc). Unless otherwise instructed by a veterinarian who has prescribed an ongoing course of treatment.

I'd also just like to mention that there's some degree of subjectivity inherent whenever anyone looks at a medical problem. I mention it because it's important to know that the opinions of people looking at a photo online are never a substitute for direct, personal inspection. Additionally, as much as some of the users on here are experienced and have seen similar scenarios, none of the opinions or advice you get from any of us are a substitute for an educated veterinarian. There are a few users of these forums who are vets themselves, and they all take great care to ensure that there's a distinction between a real diagnosis and the kind of "looks like" and "maybe" situations they respond to on a message board.

You really have done an excellent job of handling this situation, I just wanted to make sure that my comments about the common use of the topical treatments are understood as what they are- and are not misconstrued as being anything more than that.

acharpenter · Apr 15, 2011

Thank you for chiming in M_

I stopped putting the Bacitracin on his tail on Wednesday (the pics are actually from Wednesday after I last added it). Sorry - I should have noted that info. The vet noted to apply it once or twice daily for a week or so.

He is active, eating like a pig and curious about his surroundings. Based on his behavior and my observation of his tail - I am planning on leaving him be over the weekend and bringing him in for a follow up visit with his vet on Monday.

Here are a couple pics from just now:

Side note - this is the selfish part of why I post pics - get all the thoughts and opinions I can to help make a final decision

acharpenter · Apr 18, 2011

This morning I noticed Geek's "coat" looked a bit "dull". He has shed once since I got him and that was before I knew what to look for when Gecko's shed.

Once I saw the dull coat - I took his wet hide out (that has been a dry hide since this started) moistened the paper towel and added some moist moss.

Left him alone for about 6 hours - come home to find him in his wet hide now.

I am a little worried about his shedding due to his tail so - gonna keep an eye on it and see how it goes - he may need a soak/bath....

Thus far - I think he is pretty happy he has a true wet hide again....

roger · Apr 18, 2011

acharpenter said:
This morning I noticed Geek's "coat" looked a bit "dull". He has shed once since I got him and that was before I knew what to look for when Gecko's shed.

Once I saw the dull coat - I took his wet hide out (that has been a dry hide since this started) moistened the paper towel and added some moist moss.

Left him alone for about 6 hours - come home to find him in his wet hide now.

I am a little worried about his shedding due to his tail so - gonna keep an eye on it and see how it goes - he may need a soak/bath....

Thus far - I think he is pretty happy he has a true wet hide again....

actually I wouldnt give him a bath.The wound IMO needs air to get at it to dry

acharpenter · Apr 18, 2011

It has been in air dry since last Wednesday and has been looking great. Since it is on the mend - I expect some issue when Geek tries to shed that part with the dry dead tissue etc- hence - I plan to keep an eye on it

M_surinamensis · Apr 18, 2011

Geckos have such fine scalation and thin layers of skin that it's unlikely to be a problem for him. Keep an eye on it of course, watch for cracks in the scabbed over portion or for signs that he's chewing around the edges of it during the shedding process or for any changes... but generally, as a species, they tend to do alright because that topmost layer of dead skin is thin enough and soft enough to break away from the edges of a wound. You're also fairly lucky in that it's a tail injury the way it is, it should ease off in a natural ring right to the end of the scales that are present, much easier on the lizard than a deep cut on the body can be.

If he does re-open the area where the skin is broken, it's just a setback, putting him where he was a few days ago. The tissue under the scab should have done some knitting at this point and you already have all the vet's instructions for treatment and signs to watch out for.

Golden Gate Geckos · Apr 18, 2011

acharpenter · Apr 19, 2011

Lots of pics - I was really excited to watch this:

acharpenter · Apr 19, 2011

Yay!!!

acharpenter · Apr 19, 2011

It has been about 30 minutes since the last of the pics = Geek just crawled into his wet hide.

I didnt notice that he had ANY issue with his tail tip - this makes me very happy.

Have to tell you all - if it were not for this site - I would not have known he was about to shed and would not have known to make his wet hide "wet" again for him.

Thanks everyone!!

Dog Shrink · Apr 19, 2011

awww he looks like he did great with that shed. Sometimes when Eros has troubles with the tip of his tail or his toes he'll go back into his wet hide overnight then in the morning it's all gone. Also just an fyi (not sure if it's been touched on or not but...) sphagnum moss has natural antibacterial qualities so if you do need a moist hide paper towels or sphagnum moss should be your 2 best options as far as not harboring bacteria.

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