is there a surgery for this?

[KaprikaAZ]

so..i posted a thread erlier about my gecko taking a fall, then a month later seeming floppy in my hand. and it took 2 vets to finnaly get some real results and they said he broke two ribs. ive been treating him for it since.

but today i refilled his inflamatory meds and gently picked him up to administer it, and he fussed and did his rotate wiggle and i heard a audible crunchy cracking sound. and i was startle so i put him down immediately, and he just dragged his back legs behind him

..im..really scared for him. he doesnt seem ENTIRELY paralyzed as now, hours later. hes sitting with his legs all in a normal stance. and hes got weak foot grip.
so. im taking him back in this thursday. that is NOT injured ribs behavior. i still hold onto my beleif he did something to his back, and im tired of vets sending me home.

does anyone know if there is corrective surgery for a injured back for geckos??
im scared that at the rate hes going, ill have to euthinize him. but i want that to be a last resort.

does anyone know anything about this?

 

[KaprikaAZ]

and now hes walking again? i dont freaking know whats going on with him.
im glad hes walking? but im still feeling like theres a serious issue with him thats not being adressed by the vets diagnosis of "give him these antiinflammatories and leave him be for 2 months"

him going limp scared the crap out of me.
seriously. does ANYONE know anything about geckos and back damage

 

[DrCarrotTail]

So sorry to hear he's hurt I don't think there is a surgery for a back injury in a leo. For one these little guys don't handle anesthesia super well and secondly back surgery is very delicate and difficult to do even in small dogs so it would be almost impossible in something as small as a leo. My thinking would be the vet did the right thing with the antiinflammatories and telling you to try to leave him alone for two months. I would try to handle him the absolute minimum possible. He needs to stay as still as he can to heal, if healing is possible. The vet may be able to put him on some sort of steroidal treatment too, at least that's what they'd do for a dog or cat but I don't know if that treatment would work in a similar way or be possible at all in a reptile. The only other thing that might help the healing process move along is raising the temps in his tank to around 93. The higher temps will increase his metabolism and possibly help him heal faster. I would ask your vet if they think this would be a good idea.

 

[KaprikaAZ]

i havent been handling him unless entirely necissary. like, changing out his paper towel or giving him his meds. before picking him up i tried just dripping it on his nose from in his bin, but he kept dodging the shringe so i was forced to handle him.
..hes such a uncooperative lizard.
i was googling back surgeries for leos all night and...yeah, it doesnt look like they have them. im just..freaking out. my heart dropped in my chest when i saw his legs flop behind him like that.

but hes standing..im lookin in his bin and hes just sitting there wide alert, holdin his head high and lookin at me.
i love him, but hes being a tottal turd right now.
i cant tell if taking him to the vet again 2 weeks later would be redundant and he would just tell me the same thing again? and would be wasting $60 bucks?
or if taking him out and into a car ride and being vet handled would worsen him?
i dont wanna be overly fussy and hurt him more, but i dont wanna ignore what he did and end up ignoring him when he needed me...

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I would call your vet and ask their opinion. A good vet will listen and offer advice and won't tell you to bring him in if they don't think there is anything additional they can offer him and/or if another exam would just be a waste of money, especially if the added stress of the trip would be hard on him. They're the ones that have seen him first hand, I haven't so I would hope their advice would be better than mine. If they're not a certified and experienced reptile vet I might check arav.org and see if you can find one near you.

My vet is super awesome with reptiles but sometimes there's not much they can do. For example, I'm dealing with an egg bound female that I've had into him twice. She was on antibiotics and antiinflammatories for a month before the recheck. Sadly he's told me there's nothing more he can do and to just take her home and hope for the best. She'll either pass, reabsorb or go downhill. Thank fully she's still active and eating like a horse so I'lll give her the best chance I can until she's in obvious pain or (hopefully!!) better.

Best of luck with your guy and keep us posted!

 

[KaprikaAZ]

alright..so.

I am now totally unable to touch my gecko in any way, the vet says hes STILL saveable and i am now under new orders to feed him his new medication through needles he provided, injecting it into his worms. and feeding it to him that way.

he says that the crunch i heard was likely him re-injuring himself and that its going to be a few months before he is well, but that euthanasia isnt needed yet. THERES STILL HOPE FOR HIM, hes not too far gone

hes such a wiggly pain, but hopefuly worm injecting works better

 

[indyana]

That's great news! Broken ribs are so fragile, it must be really easy for him to break them again until they are fully healed up. It's great that the vet was able to suggest a way around it.

I guess for cleaning, you'll just have to herd him into a little container or something so you don't have to pick him up... Best wishes for his recovery!