Recovering from prolapse surgery

Status
Not open for further replies.
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
My boy had a prolapse on friday night, I had to wait till monday morning to bring him to the vet. The vet replaced the organ and put two sutures onto him. Poor baby, I am so worried and panicked that he will die from this and I have grown really attached to him, once they get surgery for this is it likely they will make it? I also have to administer antibiotics daily.
I have a male and female and currently have them separated by cardboard in their cage so he can heal and relax.
Currently heartbroken, he really is a sweet little boy, i will be devastated if he doesnt make it, he hasnt eaten since sunday and appears very tired. and his little bum looks soo sore and a bit bloody. :(
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
My boy had a prolapse on friday night, I had to wait till monday morning to bring him to the vet. The vet replaced the organ and put two sutures onto him. Poor baby, I am so worried and panicked that he will die from this and I have grown really attached to him, once they get surgery for this is it likely they will make it? I also have to administer antibiotics daily.
I have a male and female and currently have them separated by cardboard in their cage so he can heal and relax.
Currently heartbroken, he really is a sweet little boy, i will be devastated if he doesnt make it, he hasnt eaten since sunday and appears very tired. and his little bum looks soo sore and a bit bloody. :(
Click to expand...

Did the vet recommend nutritional support along with the antibiotics?
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
No he did not mention that, do you happen to have any recommendations? thanks for your reply!
Click to expand...

How disappointing:? It is crucial to provide fluids and food in a form of liquid and if the gecko is refusing food, especially during antibiotic use. Can you call the vet and inform the vet he is not eating and if he can provide you with Hill's A/D? He must specify amounts to give and how much water to add.
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
Thank you I will give a call today, I will first try to see if he is interested in crickets and waxworms, I am at work at the moment but as soon as i get home, I will attempt to feed, and then call if it doesnt work out.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
Thank you I will give a call today, I will first try to see if he is interested in crickets and waxworms, I am at work at the moment but as soon as i get home, I will attempt to feed, and then call if it doesnt work out.
Click to expand...

I would not feed waxworms. They are full of fat and high in phosphorus. It's important he remains hydrated. Try to get him to lick up as much water as possible.
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
You are right, Good idea, he is guzzling water like no tomorow!
what do you think about trying some sort of fruit?
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
what about trying mealworms? Im worried it might be too tough to come out the other end.,..
Click to expand...

No fruit (they cannot digest it well), no mealworms. He will do so much better with liquid food which will provide him with a balance diet and water. Antibiotics can be hard on the kidneys and so water is crucial. If you have a hard time getting through to the vet, you can buy Fluker's Repta+Boost. It comes with instructions that must be followed with specific amounts. This is only for temporary use and only if he refuses to eat crickets.

Do not add any supplements to this at all!
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
Thank you so much for your help. Thank you, thank you!
Here is a pic of my pair, The boy is on the left
lovebirds.jpg
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
I have cardboard dividing them at the moment, and i placed the under tank heater directly below his moist hide where he is recouping... I plan to purchase a lamp for the other side of the tank for the female for her hide. They usually snuggle in the moist hide together. :(
I am really focused on keeping him as comfy as possible but I dont want to begin ignoring her either, she seems a little angry with me?!
In 2 weeks he gets stiches removed so I think I will place them back together then, hope they dont act like strangers.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
I have cardboard dividing them at the moment, and i placed the under tank heater directly below his moist hide where he is recouping... I plan to purchase a lamp for the other side of the tank for the female for her hide. They usually snuggle in the moist hide together. :(
I am really focused on keeping him as comfy as possible but I dont want to begin ignoring her either, she seems a little angry with me?!
In 2 weeks he gets stiches removed so I think I will place them back together then, hope they dont act like strangers.
Click to expand...

Here is the problem. They should not be housed together unless you are breeding them. He will attempt to mate her and that is the last thing he needs after a prolapse. It is also very stressful for the female. Reptiles heal slowly and it's important he has a full range of temperatures. It sounds as though you are splitting the temperature gradient?

As part of recovery he will need to be housed in at least a 20 gallon long, alone and with full temp gradient. 75- cool side, 85 warm side(air temp) 90-95on the warm end over the heat mat.
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
I did have them as tank mates, because I found they got along great, I got the boy Rex as a mate for Xena because she was a bit lonely and doesnt like being held much, but if they happened to breed I planned to give the babies to the store who was interested in them, but thats not looking like a great idea now. I had planned to get a second cage in case I found they did not get along, but Looks like I will need another cage immediately for him to heal :( I have been alternating the heat sides to give them the heat/cool temperatures in the meantim... although both of them always seemed to enjoy being moist in the heat...
I am feeling horrible at the moment, my boy wont eat, tried small crickets, mealworms, waxworms... anything, he is not interested.
i searched 4 different stores for liquid nutrients and no one had them, gave him the antibiotics and mixed a bit of the powdered calcium and orange gel type of lizard vitamins into some baby food bananas and he ate that so i feel a little comfortable there is something that has potassium protein vitamins and sugar and water in his stomach, it is better then nothing...I also have a bit of pedialyte in there for him.. he did pep up quite a bit and was walking around, but he is now back to resting in his moist hide, i dont know whether to hold him or let him rest.. he enjoys being held.
I will order some nutrients online, how do these look? http://www.petco.com/product/117302...oreCat=LN_ReptileSupplies_VitaminsSupplements
Im going to continue to give him baby food for now because it is better then nothing, and all he wants to do is lick... I am tempted to puree some darn crickets and calcium into the baby food. i think that is my plan of action tomorow actually, because i am desperate, of course i will call the vet first although I am starting to think maybe he was not such a great vet? I am feeling like a huge pet owner fail but I am trying my hardest to give him the best care. :(
 
Last edited:
KaitS.

KaitS.

New member
As previously stated, they do not digest fruits well. I would sick with insects considering that they are insectivores.
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
Thank you! I will go buy that and a new tank today for him.
There is trouble today, He is just starting to shed, I imagine this will be painful shedding over his sutures. My poor baby can not catch a break.
I just want to defend the reason I decided to give him baby food as i thoroughly researched other pet owners and breeders testimonys and apparently 10% fruit in a geckos diet is healthy, although apparently this is controversial. in the wild they are found to occasionally eat fruit, they also eat the fruit that their bugs eat. So I am using my own opinion and common sense on that, but it is not long term solution, only short term for him to get his strength and nutrients, which appears to be working!
I would never try to harm him intentionally and the problem is I really do not want him to starve, so I am using my best instincts to try and nurse him back to health. I am mashing insects into the fruit and he licks it up and swallows it, for some reason he is just not wanting to bite and swallow.
here are some sources for small amounts of fruit in their diet
Leopard Gecko Caresheet | The Gecko Spot
Leopard Geckos and...baby food?
Leopard Gecko Caresheet
Can a leopard gecko eat baby food
Can leopard geckos eat baby food? - Yahoo! Answers
My Leopard Gecko Quit Eating
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...haris/45563-can-leopard-geckos-eat-fruit.html

But today I do plan to also get CHICKEN baby food to mash the insects into.
This is only temporary. I just can not let him starve just by controversy... :( There is vitamins, insects and calcium in the mix.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
I have seen how fruit comes out in the stool undigested personally. If you must use baby food then use:
For shortterm assist feeding ONLY:

***Turkey Baby Food versus Chicken Baby Food
"Turkey baby food is a milder food than chicken and thus provides less of a shock to the digestive system. The goal of assist feeding is not to overwhelm the gecko with nutrients.

The recommended 1:1 ratio of turkey baby food (which is has a slightly higher water content than chicken baby food) to pediatric fluids (Pedialyte) helps quickly replace fluids and provides a mild dosage of nutrients that are more easily digestable than the more nutrient-dense chicken baby foods. Fluid replacement at a veterinary clinic is often highly invasive procedure and should be avoided if at all possible.

Turkey is also lower in saturated fats as well as total fats. Fats are in both but the turkey diet after mixing contains just 3.1% where the chicken diet would have 3.95% (close to one percent higher in total fat content, of which a higher percentage is saturated fat).

Turkey is slightly more mineral-rich than chicken (based on total ash content) and this may help with replacement of any lost due to a previously substandard diet.

Turkey baby food contains 3 times as much total vitamin D (D2 + D3). This offsets its lower calcium levels. My opinion is that the calcium in turkey is more available than the calcium in chicken baby foods due to the higher level of vitamin D."

With thanks to Maurice Pudlo -- 19 December 2011
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
OK I will try turkey instead.

Im really Sorry if I sounded snippy, Ive just been very upset and heartbroken about this whole thing. I actually sat around and cried when he wouldnt eat. lol.
You have been so helpful cricket4u! :) *hug*
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top