Unusual disease?

[daveim]

It's been a while since I've last been on the Forums. Luckily that's because I haven't encountered any difficulties; that is, until now.

A while ago my lizard began to keep his left eye closed all the time except when he's eating. When I fed him he opened it and I didn't see any obvious abnormalities, so I shrugged it off for some sort of irritation.

It's been quite some time since then. That eye now has a blackened, shriveled-looking inner eyelid and cannot focus. When he looks at his food it dilates and contracts and dilates again in a constant cycle, rather than reaching a fixed position. He always keeps it closed, looking like he's squinting, and you can see the eyeball retracting into the skull and back out again as if it's irritated.

There are a couple of irregularities around the eye as well. Just under the lower eyelid there is a tiny patch of discolored and almost swollen skin; it's no larger than a speck but it's noticeably irregular. Inside the mouth on that one side is another subtlety- from the outside, it looks like he has a brown tooth on one side of his mouth, but from the inside it looks... odd. When he opened his mouth yesterday during feeding I got a glimpse of the underside, and from what I saw it looks almost like the head of a very small cricket, with antennae, but that's clearly not it.

I'll try to get pictures up but he's not feeling very photogenic right now... Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Without pictures I would have to guess that some sort of irritant started an infection that's spreading. Hopefully it sounds worse than it looks (because it sounds pretty bad) but it's probably something that is ultimately going to have to be treated with medication prescribed by a vet. Hopefully someone can be of more help after you post pictures.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

We need some clear photos of the affected areas in order to offer an opinion.

 

[daveim]

It's gotten worse... I know I should put up pics of the affected area but I haven't had a chance to...
There's pretty much no way he's going to a vet anytime soon unless this is an immediately life-threatening condition, and even then it's not guaranteed. My parents are doctors and what little time they don't spend at the hospital is spent dealing with us kids. However, because they are doctors they have access to medical supplies. We are also a horse family so if any human or equine medications may help that would be a relief.
Yeah, initially it sounded worse than it was but it's gotten worse. The eye is now completely shut all the time. Before he shut it for good I noticed a slowly growing white milky patch over the eyeball. I think it was not in the eyeball itself because it moved every time he blinked-- kinda like eye gunk. There is no depression whatsoever of the eye (it hasn't lost fluid as far as I can tell) and the anomalies noted in the rest of the face area have disappeared. I believe that it was caused by shed skin entering the eye, as he has always had shedding difficulties and there was a flap of skin that I could not get off near his eye area after he shed a month or so ago.
This gecko was never in the best shape. He's always been really skinny (I keep him on a light diet; probably too light) and he suffers from mild MBD. I probably should never have had a leo in the first place, but I've grown so attached to him I would hate for him to die.

 

[JordanAng420]

Without a doctor actually physically examining the patient, it would be un-ethical for any veterinary professional to start recommending anything medication-wise. I'm sure your parents wouldn't write a prescription for someone over the phone or internet.

It sounds like a pretty severe situation. It's been going on for quite some time now. It's a shame you can't get the gecko to the vet, I think it's really worth a good exam from an herp vet.

 

[JordanAng420]

There's pretty much no way he's going to a vet anytime soon unless this is an immediately life-threatening condition, and even then it's not guaranteed..

I'm sorry, I can't resist...WHY?

With your folks as doctors, I would think of all people...:main_huh:

 

[daveim]

that's the point- they're working essentially 24/7. Even between shifts they are responsible to show if anything comes up, and their normal working hours are from 7 AM or earlier to 6 PM or later. There are a lot of things that must be sacrificed to be a doctor.
That wasn't very helpful. I already know that he should see a vet ASAP, and I already said that ASAP is a while away. I asked what can be done for him other than that.

 

[JordanAng420]

Trust me, I understand. You're preaching to the choir... I work 7am to 7 pm 5-6 days a week!

My point is, you guys have horses, mom and dad are doctors...why can't the gecko go to the vet? Please don't tell me there are money issues...

If you are under 18 and cannot legally bring the gecko to the vet, have a friend bring you.

The gecko needs medical attention...one way or another. And the medical attention isn't something to "sacrafice".

 

[daveim]

The issue is time. 7am to 7pm 5-6 days a week is a lot of free time compared to the hours of a trauma surgeon and an obstetrician. I'm not even of legal driving age (16 and a half? Really?), I literally just moved from the other side of the country therefore have zero good adult friends, and my sister who would have taken me in Texas is now in boarding school.

 

[JordanAng420]

You speak quite well for someone who's 16.

I'm really not sure what to tell you then. I'm sorry for the obstacles that are preventing this animal from seeing a doctor.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and recommend you adopt this animal out to someone who is willing to provide it with consistant medical care.

If you are unwilling to do that, the best I can offer is warm soaks to the eye 3-4 times a day...assuming he isn't visual in the eye, you will have to make sure he eats well on his own, and if not, hand feed him as needed.

 

[daveim]

I probably ought to adopt him out, but that kind of an endeavor would likely be more difficult than bringing him to a vet. A vet isn't completely out of the question just yet-- Mom has next Wednesday off (subject to change).

Thank you. How do I apply the warm soak? There is some sterile saline solution and plenty of gauze etc. on hand due to my parents' profession.

The feeding has been one of my greatest fears, but so far he's done okay. Only 2/3 of the worms get eaten but that's a good ratio for one eye. I've been keeping constant watch on his other eye. I don't think the infection would spread quite like that unless another piece of dirt got in that one too.

Thank you. It is greatly appreciated. If he makes it through this I may end up looking to put him up for adoption.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

White goo could be infection but people or horse meds are different than reptile meds. A qualified reptile vet's diagnosis is definitely necessary. I agree that you should look into adopting him out to someone who will arrange for the treatment he needs. You can place an ad in the adoption section of this forum or even craigslist. Many members here have taken in sick animals from both sources and rehabbed them. Good luck.

 

[JordanAng420]

You can warm up some sterile saline by placing a container of it into a larger container of warm (not HOT) water for 15-20 minutes or so. Soak some gauze in the sterile saline and plop the wet gauze right on the eye. Leave it there until it gets cold, and re-apply. You can do this for 10 minutes or so, ideally 3-4 times daily.

 

[daveim]

Thank you.

I have a few updates on his condition:
His left eye, the one originally infected, has gotten no better. I'm worried that the infection has reached the point of no return, and there's no undoing the damage that has been done to his eye.

The big concern, though, is his other eye. It appears that my nightmare has come true. He shed again the other day while I was out, and it stuck over his eyelid. I tried to help him get it off but it wouldn't budge. A couple days later, that eye now appears to be in even worse condition than the other. There is no shape whatsoever present to the eyes when I moisten them, and his eyelids feel reduced to mere flaps of skin without any structure beneath.

He is now completely blind, although he has an uncanny feel for his environment and appears normal at first glance. My recent attempts to feed him live worms have been met with mild success, although I find myself constantly chasing down the runaway worms for him until he finds them. My main concern is now stopping the infection from spreading; I am beginning to have my doubts about him recovering vision.

Obviously there's no way I can take care of a blind gecko if I couldn't even take care of a healthy one. It seems that adoption is the way to go (assuming I can stop the infection from spreading). And the vet visit last wednesday was a no-go; a blizzard came through and we were snowed in. Waste of a day off for Mom.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Have you been doing the gauze soaks like Maia suggested? If there is still shed on the inside of his eyelids you have to get it out. His eye didn't disappear in a couple of days, they just retract into the head a tiny bit making it look like they're gone. Have you ever seen this happen when they lick their eyes? You need to get a wet q-tip and roll it from the center of the eye up to get the upper eyelid separate and hopefully loosen the skin. Then repeat with lower lid. Sometimes it can get really stuck. I've had to pull stuck shed from the inside on an eyelid with my fingernails after a week of flushing, q-tips, and ointment didn't work. Just keep trying until you can get to the vet. At least keep flushing the eyes with saline to keep them as clean as possible on the outside. If you leave it alone the gecko won't just go blind, the infection will spread and it could die.

 

[Dog Shrink]

This has got to be aggravating for you, as it is aggravating for me to read. I don't understand how your parents, who are doctors, could deny this animal proper care/treatment. You've gotten som great suggestions here on the forum, the only other thing I could add is maybe try some terramycin ointment on the eyes if you think an infection is present. It is a mild antibiotic ointment that you can get at most pet care places even tractor supply carries it. I use it on my rabbits all the time, and they are highly sensitive creatures when it comes to their eyes.