MSS eye problem

[Melody]

This must be MSS day. I did my usual check on mine and found her right eye half closed. Do they have a third eyelid, because what I can see of the eye isn't shiny, rather dull. It's not shed. Other than that, she seems just fine. Maybe she scratched it on her furniture? I drizzled warm water on it with a cotton ball then put her back. Is there an ointment I should use? Thanks!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

You can get some veterinary opthalmic ointment. If it persists or gets worse, you should consider having a vet take a look at it.

 

[Melody]

Is there any difference between the vet ointment and human? Like boric acid or other opthalmic ointment? The vet could only take her on an emergency basis today ($125+) and won't issue anything without seeing her. After all I've spent there, I am fuming. Frankly I don't think it's serious enough to warrant a visit anyway (at least not as an emergency) all she needs is ointment.

 

[Melody]

Okay, I took her to the reptile vet this morning. He THINKS she has an eye infection (no duh!).$125 for the visit to get $14 worth of eye ointment. But that isn't what upset me the most.

Over the weekend, I was able to get her to open her eye easily by soaking a cotton ball in warm water and gently rubbing across the eyelid. When I would get it open, I would flush it out with plain (filtered) warm water.

What did the vet do???? He took a pair of tweezers and PRIED the eyelid open! He kept saying all the while that it was stuck and he couldn't open it. Then he kept saying "No, don't drop your tail, don't drop your tail..." I said WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!! He replied they drop them "all the time" on him and he's used to it. Well, I for one am NOT. Then he said he'd take her in the next room if I preferred. I said that wasn't the problem, I just didn't want my MSS with a dropped tail. Is it THAT common??? I had been working with her all weekend without any of the problems he encountered. Am I just a "leo-whisperer" - LOL. He kept complaining she was too wiggly/feisty. She did open her mouth up at him - LOL.

He said the eye was sunken in and looked terrible. But then I asked if the eye was sunken in or just the eyelid was swollen making it look that way? His response "Good question." One, apparently, without an answer.

I think he's an idiot, but then there aren't any other "reptile" vets around. I think he's probably used to snakes and bigger lizards.

Sorry for the rant but I am SOOO upset. Is an eye infection a curable thing or probably fatal? He did do a culture.

 

[becky2731]

Sometime vets like to pretend that they are "reptile" vets, when in reality they know nothing about them or have only dealt with a few types of herps. The first time I had to take a leo to the vet, I took her to one that PetCo used because they were paying for it. He gave me list of fruits and veggies that I NEEDED to feed my leopard gecko to keep her healthy. He told me that all reptiles except snakes NEED fruits and veggies to survive. :main_no:

 

[Kotsay1414]

Sometime vets like to pretend that they are "reptile" vets, when in reality they know nothing about them or have only dealt with a few types of herps. The first time I had to take a leo to the vet, I took her to one that PetCo used because they were paying for it. He gave me list of fruits and veggies that I NEEDED to feed my leopard gecko to keep her healthy. He told me that all reptiles except snakes NEED fruits and veggies to survive. :main_no:

I called around a few Vets in the Portland, OR area, they all recomended this one Vet to use for Reptiles. I took my girl in and he asked me what I fed her. I replied with Mealworms gutloaded with Cody's Pro Gutload from ProGeckos.com. He told me "Mealworms are like french fries for Geckos. Feed your little girl Slugs and Earthworms because they are low in fat and high in protein." Go Figure....

Melody... I'm sorry about your Vet experience, I'm happy your Super Snow still has her tail. Hopefully you won't need to revisit him...

 

[ByRandom]

I called around 20 different vets around here the first time one of my geckos got sick. I asked them questions from prices to what reptiles they treated, etc. Most of the time you could tell if they had no clue. I narrowed it down to a vet about an hour away and was completely satisfied with the visit. He knew exactly what he was doing and even commented on how he was surprised she still had all her toes because so many of the leos he saw didn't. I was out quick and only paid $100...It was a good deal for everything he did.

I guess the moral of the story is to call around, many vets say they treat reptiles but you have to be cautious. Good luck with your girl, I hope she recovers soon!

--Katie

 

[Melody]

This was the vet referred to me by the largest reptile store in the area as the one they use. I am so totally not impressed. Maybe b/c he does them for free - LOL. He is a reptile vet, however, maybe not a good one, but a reptile vet none-the-less. Had a big photo album of the stuff he's worked on; granted, they were mostly necropsies. Hmmmmmm...

Her eye looks much better today. It is open, not as "sunken" looking and appears more shiny. Much better than yesterday. I have no trouble handling her to do the wash and ointment, other than my nerves being shot and hearing his "don't drop your tail" echoing in my ear. I wasn't "afraid" of handling the leos prior to this!

The ointment is a combo anti-bacterial and steroid - Neomycin, Polymyxin and Dexamethasone. I had to laugh. I told him I had tried an ophthalmic eye rinsing soln on her over the weekend and that it contained boric acid. He said to never use boric acid on a leo. Would you like to guess what was in the eyewash he sold me??? Of course, boric acid.

 

[ByRandom]

Geez, well next time you'll know! Call around and talk to as many vets as you can. I was also referred to a vet by a petstore but when I called I wasn't impressed. The receptionist at the vet I ended up going to was also very knowledgable, which is a plus when they're the ones you talk to when you call...lol

I'm glad to hear your girl is doing better though .

--Katie