Vet..

[Monkeys563]

Okay so I took my gecko to the vet today for mouth rot. I swear she said she was a specialist but she had no idea what she was doing.
So first she starts by not asking regular exam and condition questions
Then tries to open his mouth by pulling really hard on his skin which u can tell is hurting for him so I have to help her by telling her no you really shouldn't do that just rub the side of his mouth.
She sees the sores and gets very confused saying she doesn't know what it is so gets a needle and tweezers and pulls at it and pulls a huge chunk out of his mouth, including part of his bottom jaw bone. There is now a huge hole in his mouth but "it's ok it doesn't hurt him and it will heal up" which it might heal but I'm sure it hurts.
Finally she gives him some mouth rinse and sends him home. Have to wait for the culture results no she didn't culture the mass she just poked the scab on his mouth. She also really didn't know the answer to any of my questions.

So finally my question is has anyone had mouth rot treated in this way or had a vet say I don't know or I think so much...?
And can he eat without the middle of his jaw once it heals..?

 

[indyana]

I've never had a lizard treated for such a severe infection, but if whatever she pulled on came loose, it was not living tissue and would not have been any use to him. I'm leaning toward hardened pus from an abscess, but obviously, I cannot be certain.

I say give the vet a chance. At the very least, she can prescribe medication for treatment and the mouth rinse should help with healing. If you are still not pleased after the results of the culture come back, you can certainly research other vets in your area.

Many vets, while they have an exotic specialty, do not have experience with every species and may not deal with small lizards very often. :\ It's one of the problems with having an unusual pet. Hopefully, she is the type to do her research and talk with other vets for input when she is looking into treatments.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I've seen a few threads on this forum where chunks of jaw that sound similar have been taken out by vets. Maybe search for mouth rot on here and see if the pictures that come up look like what your gecko had done? I agree with what indyana said that if the tissue came off that easily it was probably no use to him and better out than in. Hopefully the infection hasn't reached his bone as that will make it much harder to cure.

I assume the vet needs a culture of the bacteria to grow so she knows what types of antibiotics will work best for what's going on. I'd assume the mass is an abscess that she didn't want to puncture.

I hope she finds something that will work for him! Definitely keep us posted!

 

[Monkeys563]

Hopefully. I haven't been home yet so I don't know how he's doing today, hopefully good. Most vets in this area that are exotic really only specialize in birds which was probably what she was. Oh well at least she will be able to give him some sort of antibiotics