Re: Poor Tempest... :(

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Posted by PHFaust on December 20, 2002 at 01:21:03:

In Reply to: Re: Poor Tempest... :( posted by bexley on December 19, 2002 at 08:01:15:

Trust me I have felt your worry.. With the Nostril abcesses I am always worried of food getting lodged in there... And the weirdest thing I have seen is one day they are fine and the next day it looks like a zit. What cream are you using? Triple antibiotics work well (neosproin) at getting skin/scale regrowth faster... Most of my injury treatment comes from hurting myself... I tend to fall down alot... ;)

Cindy

:His cage is bare bones, no substrate, just his basking log and his food and water dishes. I put a small water dish in there, I don't think he'll be able to lie in it. The vet has me flushing it out three times a day with a weak betadine solution, then repacking it with sterile antibiotic cream. It sounds gross, but I get in there with a betadine soaked Q-tip , gently gently, and clear out any crud. I have alot of experience in treating injuries, I used to work in animal care for a vet college, just not in reptiles! Its looking surprisingly better already, I'm more worried about the hole sealing up with crud still in there. Even a speck, and I'll have the same problem all over again. Its good to know they heal up fairly well and that his scales will grow back, he already looks sad enough with his regrown tail :(

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::I have had a lot of experience with nostril abcesses. Many of my rescues come in with them from being kept in a smaller enclosure. I have learned that reptile wounds like that seem to heal really fast (at least compared to me). Keeping it flushed can be a bit of a pain (at least in the nose areas) but the scales and everything have always grown back. Expect to be ready to be back to baths come next week, and you may want to get someone to hold while you flush. Be sure to take extra care with enclosure. Make sure that anything abrasive is taken out and consider peeving the iguana off even more by moving to a sick enclosure if you have one. Bare bones furnishings. Less chances of opening wound and increasing problems.

::Are you also doing any oral antibiotics such as baytril to help fight internal infections?

::Cindy
::PHFaust

::
:::A short while ago, I posted about a dark spot on Tempest's belly, almost like a bruise except its reptile scales, not skin. Well, if anyone sees this, take your ig in right away! Somehow Tempest punctured himself on something, I have no idea what or how, and there was absolutely no mark or scale missing or anything. Anyhow, it became infected, and his skin was going necrotic where the abscess was pushing out. I never knew till last night that reptile pus was solid btw. I took him in early enough, the vet clipped back around the necrotic tissue, dug out all the pus, flushed it and packed it with antibiotics, and with lots of TLC he should be just fine.

:::So now I'm back to being a worried mom again, and I feel so bad even though the vet says Tempest looks great. He said I would never figure out how it happened, its one of those things that come along, just keep it flushed, clean, and once it starts scabbing over he can go in the tub for soaks. So skittery Tempest is now getting handled three times a day to have it flushed and repacked, he's either going to be alot tamer, or alot wilder by the end of it!!!

:::If anyone has any experience with this, I would sure appreciate information or even just yes it heals fine. The spot that now has to grow in, is about 1cm square, not even. He didn't want to stitch it, because more crud will get trapped in there and it will be worse. Does anyone know how long this will take to heal?

:::On the upside, Tempest was much, much tamer. He got out of his box while we were on the highway, and he ended up on my headrest, watching the world go by, very calmly much to my surprise. He's gone from 615g to 853g since I brought him home, so I'm thrilled about that. I am going to be so worried though, till he's healed up and better.

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