Rescued Leopard Eyes

[princess_pea]

I got this gecko from a friend of a friend about two months ago. He had lost interest and knew he wasn't taking care of her properly, so I said I would take it over, even though I have never had a gecko before.

When I first brought her home, she was very skinny, not active, not eating and shedding very frequently. She was having the most trouble getting the skin off her head.

I put her on paper towles, upped the humidity, got the temperatures in the right ranges and gave her a hide. Her shedding has slowed down and has been more successful.

Her tail was very thin, so I got some "emergency aid" food substitute from the pet store and started handfeeding her. She has plumped up quite a bit, but her eyes are not looking good. Her activity level has increased and so has her appetite, although she can't see to eat on her own.

She keeps her eyes closed a lot of the time, but when she opens them, they are cloudy. When they are closed, they occasionally weep a clear liquid.

Is there anything I can do to help her out? I don't know of any herp vets near me, and I am on a tight budget (grad student), so if there are things I can try at home first, I would rather do that.

Be kind! I am a new owner. I want to help her, but I admit that I don't have much experience with geckos.

 

[Dog Shrink]

You can start with treating her with terramycin ointment (until you can have her seen at a vet). You can get it at tractor supply (and many other places, just call to see if they have it) and it's pretty cheap. I would do a 7 day course (that's what we usually do for our show rabbits) 2x a day to see if that helps. Also you might want to get some plain saline solution and rinse her eyes 2-3 times a day to make sure the problem isn't stuck sheds since she had some bad times with it.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

Could be stuck shed or bacteria infection. Before it gets worse I would suggest taking it to a vet and getting antibiaotic and inflamation drops for the eyes. Unfortunately there is no way for any of us to diagnose what is causing it but the local Herp vet or Exotic Vet will be able to assist in getting you the correct medications to help with the issue.

I wish I could be of more help but with something this serious I would rather get the help from a vet before it gets too much worse

 

[Jordan]

May i ask what substrate it was on previously? .. as when calcium sand can get stuck under the eylid of the gecko, it can cause abrasions and irritation of the eye and often leave them keeping the eye closed and it being cloudy on the inside.

The cloudy appearance more than likely means the cornea is damaged.
A vet visit could be very beneficial, i know you said your on a tight budget but if you could get to a vet then it would help.
I reckon they would be able to flush under the eyelid to remove stuff. And provide you with eye drops.

If bacteria can get underneath a perforated cornea then it can lead to permanent blindness, and maybe the removal of the eye.
Eye problems are VERY serious and can lead to much bigger problems.

Im not an expert or a vet though, this info is just known from reading a book several times over the years lol.

 

[BrilliantEraser]

I see a deformed jaw as well, which makes me think MBD is already underway. That, on top of the stuck shed in eyes makes me REALLY suggest a vet visit. ASAP.

 

[Krow]

If you see she is having trouble getting shed off, especially her head, give her a warm soak when you notice shes about to start shedding. Then also you may just want to start taking the shed off her face yourself, but only after it has turned loose after a warm soak. It may help her by not getting any/anymore shed stuck in her eyes. But make sure the shed pulls off easy if you do it yourself, if not you could hurt her worse.

 

[BrilliantEraser]

AUGH, MY EYES. IT BURNS.

(maybe a different font color is in order, Nancy)

(Please)

 

[LZRDGRL]

It's great that you're helping this poor gecko. :main_yes:

I think only a vet can professionally remove the crust on the eye and prevent the gecko from becoming blind. Seems like the poor thingy had a mouth infection previously, but it healed without crust or scars, just slight deformity. Also, it has lost several toe tips due to shedding problems and blood circulation being cut off. That's not a big issue, and its tail looks quite good, so it will live, especially with your good care and hand-feeding. If you can prevent it from becoming blind and making it able to catch its own food, its quality of life will be higher :main_thumbsup:

Chrissy

 

[Dog Shrink]

Something I just noticed when double checking your pix is that he is holding his head pretty much straight up in all of them. This is usually a sign of an upper respratory infection in snakes at least. They hold their heads up to drain the sinus which is all connected in the middle of the face, eyes, nose and mouth can all show symptoms, so maybe the eye issue is an upper respratory infection gone awry that caused a secondary infection in the eyes. I have seen pix of snakes and other lizards with eye infections and mouth infections that have spred to the entire respratory system, so I'm beginning to think you really might want to get that vet check done as soon as ya can.

 

[Jordan]

Something I just noticed when double checking your pix is that he is holding his head pretty much straight up in all of them. This is usually a sign of an upper respratory infection in snakes at least. They hold their heads up to drain the sinus which is all connected in the middle of the face, eyes, nose and mouth can all show symptoms, so maybe the eye issue is an upper respratory infection gone awry that caused a secondary infection in the eyes. I have seen pix of snakes and other lizards with eye infections and mouth infections that have spred to the entire respratory system, so I'm beginning to think you really might want to get that vet check done as soon as ya can.

yeh things can spread bad, eye things if left untreated can even spread to the central nervous system. i believe ive read anyway.

 

[GeckoGurl]

Could it be eye caps from the bad sheds? I read a thread in the Medical part about someone (sorry long day at work can not think of names and do not have time to search as I should already be in bed for work tomorrow) Anyways it was about someone who rescued a Leo off Craigslist.... it is a very long thread but a very good read. And I know that it ended up having eye caps from bad sheds. http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=62313&highlight=craigslist I found it here... Sorry im not a professional. Hope your little guys gets better!

 

[Jordan]

geckos eyes dont cap over though ..? im pretty sure.
or do you just mean skin getting stuck over the eyes?

sorry i deal with corn snakes too, and eye caps means the skin that caps their eyes during shed.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Stuck shed along the eye creases can lead to bacterial build up or stricture of the skin/blood vessles just like on the toes or tail tho. Eye caps may not be the thing so much as the surrounding skin being compromised and damaged from improper shed.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

From the photos it looks like there is more than stuck shed. You really need a vet consult to get the proper antibiotic treatment for infection before it gets any worse. Often times a rescued animal can be quite costly to rehab.

 

[mayyam]

I recently rescued a gecko with similar problems. she was blind in one eye. kept that eye closed often. the reason for this particular problem turned out to be the shed. she was shedding often too with trouble at the head so I ended up soaking her for 15 minutes in warm water and then pulled of the shed with tweezers. She was clearly uncomfortable when I did this but the next day her eye lost the cloudy blue color and went back to a normal healthy eye.
Hope this helped.

 

[princess_pea]

Thanks everyone for all the good advice and concern! I am following up on a lot of your suggestions; I will let you know how it goes.

I take it as a good sign that she is very frisky; I would imagine a very, very sick gecko wouldn’t be walking around all the time, trying to climb and run whenever I take her out. She has still been pooping regularly and it is a good consistency. She also has a huge apatite for the Flukers Repta-Aid (Insect Carnivore) mixed with Reptile Xtra , but has had no interest in live food. She used to LOVE wax worms (I know they are fatty) but she turns her head away when I offer them to her now. I am not sure what to think about that. I thought she would like the real deal more then mush in a tube...

I am pretty sure that previously she was on some sort of sand. During her first shed after I took her home, there was a little red sand between the shed and her.

Don't worry, I am quite concerned about her eyes and am going to get her to a vet as soon as I can.

If you have more suggestions about her eyes or health in general, fire away! I want to keep her happy and healthy and will take any help I can get!

EDIT: Does anyone have any recommendations for a vet in Seattle or surrounding area? I have been reading reviews to find one who really knows what they are doing, but won't gauge their customers, and haven't been all that successful.

 

[princess_pea]

Ooh! I am so excited. She had a shed yesterday and since then her eyes have been open! One is only half-way most of the time, but still!

I think she may have rounded the corner! She can definitely see, she isn't trying to walk off the edge of things anymore.

A few days ago her eyes kind of "threw up". All of this clear-white goo just came out in a blob. She tried licking them off, but after she got them loose, I dabbed them away. I didn't think it was good for her to eat.

I offered her waxworms again today and she still isn't interested. She looked at them, and licked her lips, but didn't try to eat. I will try again tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your help!

(my camera battery is dead, but once it charges I will post new pics)

 

[Dog Shrink]

YAY for shedding and eye vomit good that you dabbed it off as it could have been purlent or somehow just not good for her to ingest. Try offering a bug that has more movement to it honestly. Now that she is seeing a little more clearly something that is bigger and moves a bit more could trigger her hunt mode.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

That's great there's progress. Even tho there was goo expelled, an antibiotic eye drop is still a good idea. There is likely still an infection present that will regrow without something to kill it. Properly treated early, an eye infection is simple to cure.

 

[lytlesnake]

Yes get antibiotic eye drops from your vet. Also I spray directly in the eye with Herptile RX, which is just electrolyzed oxidizing water.