Big swollen blister on foot

[jbeck]

Our gecko is normally fine and dandy, nice and healthy, with a big beautiful tail. Just in the last few days he's developed a large blister of swelling on his foot. It doesn't include the toes, they're all still visible. He recently shed. So far we've given him a warm bath, used betadine, and neosoporin. Is there more to do other than wait it out. Should we lance the blister to release swelling?

Images:

Thanks! His name is Lou!

 

[LeopardGeckoMom]

I would wait and see if it heals on its own, it sounds like a possible burn, do you know if anything could burn him?

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[indyana]

Personally, I would not risk lancing on an animal and would instead consult a vet. If it's a cyst or abscess, lancing it could cause an open sore or infection. Keep an eye on it, and if it doesn't improve, consider a vet trip.

As mentioned above, I would also try to play detective and determine what caused the condition. Candidates could be a burn or some sort of small scratch/puncture.

 

[sausage]

agreed seek a vet. are you sure theres no stuck shed on the toes as that would cause swelling. as already mentioned burns and wound infections can cause swelling however other conditions such as MBD and gout can cause swelling in joints. go see a vet to be sure, fingers crossed its nothing sinister.

 

[jbeck]

I've done a little research and it looks like it might be a cricket bite. Any experience with this? It doesn't seem to bother him, he still has all his toes and it's on the top, not the pad of his foot. We're doing the occasional bath, sterilized cage, betadine, and neosporin route. thanks for you advice. Here are the pics finally!

 

[jbeck]

His heat source is a repti-med heat pad glued to the bottom of part of the cage. I don't think it would burn him. I also looked at scores of pics and it doesn't look like gout or MBD; he's a very healthy dude! I'm leaning towards an infected cricket bite, poor guy! Hoping he doesn't lose the hand as a result.

 

[LeopardGeckoMom]

That looks bad, I would take him to a vet and see what's going on. I wish you guys the best!

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[indyana]

I have to agree that it's vet time. If there's an infection in there, it could get really bad and even spread into the bloodstream.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I was stupid a half dozen years ago and tried draining something similar on my dog's head. Turned out to be a tumor and I felt terrible for not taking her to the vet first! That looks like it's either an abscess or a tumor. My guess would be an infection and it looks PAINFUL. Get him to a vet ASAP.

 

[sausage]

i couldnt see the picture before. ouch that looks nasty. i would defo take him to a vet, wouldn't want it to spread or die and fall off :S

 

[jbeck]

We haven't taken him to the vet but the good news is the swelling has stopped growing and it's now slowly deflating (although it's still sizeable). It turned mostly blood red and now it's looking more like a giant scab. We're still treating him with the first aid steps above. The good news is, he seems totally fine despite it all; he's walking around, eating, drinking and going to the bathroom as usual (all good signs). I'll create a photo progression to show the sequence in case others experience something similar and need help. Still leaning towards an infection from a cricket bite.

 

[jbeck]

Ok so good news is he is completely fine now. That was crazy! It turned into a big red bloody blister with puss in side, about 2.5 times the size of his hand. We kept him in quarantine and used betadine, neosporine, and warm baths. Eventually it shrunk down to about double the size of his hand, hardened, and then just fell off. It's a crusty ball, hard as a rock. Very gross and very cool. So, I'm not sure if this will help others if the same thing happens but I'm quite sure it was an infected cricket bite and we let him ride it out. That being said, he's mature and healthy. I'm not sure a juvenile would fare so well.

 

[indyana]

Glad it worked out all right for you. Can't say I'd ever recommend that course of action though. As you said, another gecko could have fared worse.