Serious wound in the tail

[Sandra]

God, this animal is doing nothing but upsetting me lately. Today when I was going to feed her I find this:

Sorry for the bad quality of the pics, I think it would be expecting too much that you could tell something from them but... With a cell phone I can't take anything better so it's all I have.

She hasn't eaten since february so she was already in a quarantine-type enclosure, without any decoration but two dry hides, one humid hide, a water dish, a calcium dish, paper towel as substrate and a log to help her with shed. At first I thought it could have been the log but it doesn't have splinters and it's carefully polished so it doesn't have any sharp surfaces. She has been using it without problems for almost two years before this. Moreover, there were no traces of blood on the wood. The holes of her hides are also poulished and didn't have stains either.

The truth is that the wound doesn't look like a scratch against something, it looks more serious than that, like a bite. But she's housed alone. So it could be self-inflicted bites? I can't think of a reason why she would do that. If anyone has experienced this I would appreciate their input.

And before anyone asks, I don't let the food loose in the tank, I always feed (or try to, these last months) her with tweezers or dish. The mealworms are innocent then

I'd like to know how to proceed in a case like this. The first thing I've done is giving her a soak because she had what I think it's some retained skin in the wounds (I've seen retained skin sometimes, but this seemed a bit different, because of the wound I guess?). After that I applied some iodine diluted in water. I also replaced the vermiculite in her humid hide with moist paper towels so the vermiculite wouldn't stick to the tail. I don't know if there's anything else I could do I haven't thought of.

I would also like to know your opinions on the wound. Do you think she will lose her tail...? The truth is that it looks like it was inflictd some time ago. Three days ago I picked her up and there's no way I would miss something like that, so it could be from today, yesterday or the day before yesterday. Even if I haven't handled it these days of course I've seen her and I've rummaged through her tank, I still can't believe I didn't notice it...

I know it's hard to tell from the pics, but do you see any signs of necrosis? The tip of the tail is the area that looks the worst, it's skinny and there's a layer of a bluish thingy that seems shed surrounding it (with a closer look I can see that the the tip is wounded under that layer). It seems that she is going to lose at least the tip, I don't know about the bigger wound...

 

[eyelids]

Sorry to hear about your perplexing situation...

To me it looks like she may have tore off some stuck shed and the skin/flesh came with it. It sounds like you're doing everything you can do. All I can add is maybe apply an antibiotic ointment.

I'm dealing with a tail wound myself so I feel your pain...

 

[Sandra]

All I can add is maybe apply an antibiotic ointment.

Do you know the name of any brands of antibiotic ointment that I could use on her? Tomorrow morning I'll go to the pharmacy and buy some if there's any that they sell here too (medicines are quite universal, so...)

About the tip of the tail, what would you do? Force her to drop it/cut it (I would take her to the vet, I'm not trying that myself) or wait and see if she drops it naturally?

Between the hunger strike and the wound, she's driving me mad :main_angry:

 

[eyelids]

Neosporin is what I've been using.

I'd leave the tail alone, but if the discoloration spreads she should go to the vet.

I hope she heals up for you...

 

[crs]

I know that some snakes can get dehydrated and then when they shed the skin can tear, I would expect it is just a tear from shedding, like Michael said. Just get some antibiotic ointment on it and keep it clean. Keep us updated.

 

[Sandra]

Well, they didn't have Neosporin but the pharmacist gave me another ointment that she says works well in this kind of wounds. We'll see...

I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your help.

 

[Sandra]

When I posted the pics the wound was dry but raw. Now there's a scab, I guess that's good.

But I remembered a thing that happened some time ago, when a ball python got burned in its belly, the vet rubbed the wound without letting it create a scab, just leaving raw flesh. I asked why was it and the answer i got was that the scales wouldn't regenerate well if there was a scab. I forgot to ask if it was just a esthetic matter or it could affect the reptile in any way.

Does this also happen to geckos, and does it affect them in any way? Because if it doesn't, I prefer to leave the wound alone and let it heal quickly.

Also, I've applied the ointment and the iodine twice, once a day. But I guess that if the ointment has antibiotic I should stop applying it or otherwise her body will end up becoming immune to it. I guess I can keep using the iodine until the would heals completely. What schedule should I follow?

Thanks in advance

 

[Alusdra]

Has she been to a vet since you noticed the anorexia? With this as an added symptom it might be some sort of underlying condition. I don't know about the scab/scale issue, that would probably be something you'd have to ask a reptile vet, too. As for the tip of the tail- if it still looks fairly fleshy it may heal. Sometimes just the tip can get necrotic and they won't lose the whole tail. But if she hasn't been to the vet that would be my first stop. Like you said, it's very puzzling. Make sure to get one that deals with plenty of geckos, though.

 

[Sandra]

Has she been to a vet since you noticed the anorexia? With this as an added symptom it might be some sort of underlying condition. I don't know about the scab/scale issue, that would probably be something you'd have to ask a reptile vet, too. As for the tip of the tail- if it still looks fairly fleshy it may heal. Sometimes just the tip can get necrotic and they won't lose the whole tail. But if she hasn't been to the vet that would be my first stop. Like you said, it's very puzzling. Make sure to get one that deals with plenty of geckos, though.

She's been to the vet twice since the anorexia started. However, she couldn't find a reason of why the gecko would stop eating. She says she looks perfect except for the fact that she is not eating.

I wish I could take her to a vet that treats plenty of geckos, but she is the only decent reptile vet in my region (and doesn't seem to have treated any, because she fails even in giving basic advice about them). I don't think the situation was any better in other regions from my country. It's not easy find a reptile vet in Spain, and is impossible to find a good one. The hobby is quite immature here and reptile vets are only starting to appear.

I ask you because I don't rely on the opinions the vets here give me. However I will take her as soon as I can for the tail issue and tell you what she says. It's just not that easy for me to get to the clinic as I don't have car and public transport doesn't get there.

 

[Sandra]

Yesterday I noticed the necrosis had spreaded from the tail and has reached the wound. I called my vet and she couldn't attend me today. I called several other vets and none of them treated exotics. I feel hopeless.

I'll try again tomorrow, but until I can get her amputated, is there anything I can do to prevent the necrosis from spreading?

This is a damn nightmare

 

[Sandra]

Better late than never, we finally got half of her tail amputated today. 15 days with antibiotics, apply iodine on the stump everyday and feeding on Hill's a/d until she regenerates her tail.

I feel much better now.

 

[Alusdra]

That's good. It sounded like it was getting quite serious and extensive. I'm sure your gecko will start eating again, now- she probably was in too much pain before.

Although- isn't a/d dog/cat food? Why would you be feeding that to a gecko? I would think dusted mealies would be better...

 

[Sandra]

Although- isn't a/d dog/cat food? Why would you be feeding that to a gecko? I would think dusted mealies would be better...

Yep, it's a food for sick dogs, although I've seen many vets recommend it for cats and carnivorous reptiles. It's quite high in protein and specially prepared for helping to have a quick recovery.

She stopped eating a long time before the necrosis started, so I don't think she will start eating soon just because the pain disappeared. But, who knows, maybe she starts being hungry because she needs much more energy than before to regenerate the tail.

I've found a clinic in Spain where they have a vet specialized not only in exotic animals but reptiles. They also have endoscopy, MRI... And other tests I can't make with my vet here. It's not near at all (like 800km from here) but I'm going somewhere near this summer. (I hate to say this) If she is still alive... I'll take her there. I asked my vet to prepare the results from all tests and make a medical record to show them there.

Everything is going quite *well*, at least I have some expectations now.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Sandra, do you feed crickets? I have a female that if I feed crickets and leave any in her enclosure, they will actually EAT at her tail. It took me a while to figure it out, and I had to amputate the last 20% of it.

 

[Sandra]

I feed mealies and roaches, and never leave any loose in the tank. I always feed them with tweezers or in a dish. I've heard real horror stories about crickets chewing tails and toes :undecided:

I'm sorry about what happened to your girl.