Help! Leopard Gecko Foot Problems

[FishTetris]

My leo, Stanley, seems to be having big trouble with his two back feet. When I first got him a few years back from a friend of the family, he had skin buildup on his toes, which unfortunately caused a few of his back toes to fall off. I then started soaking his feet before and after each shedding to make sure that the skin comes off correctly.

He's due to shed sometime today (he's at the stage where the old skin is separating and he was beginning to scratch at it), but I noticed when I was handling him that he was bleeding under the shedding skin on the soles of his back feet. I soaked him for a bit, then opened the skin, and his back feet are raw and a little swollen (especially in the toes).

I cleared out the substrate in his cage and put down a layer of paper towels to keep his feet clean. He's more active than usual now, and keeps kicking up his back feet when he walks--probably because they're sore. I was wondering if there's anything else I can do for his feet. It it safe to use peroxide or Neosporin?

He's an absolute sweetheart, and I'm really scared that he'll get an infection :c Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[XoVictoryXo]

id stay away from peroxide you dont want to dry his skin, maybe try using Saline to clean, I think (non pain relief) neosporin and vaseline are good to use for him. Im not a professional though, and would wait to get more opinions!
How bad is it? Does it need a vets attention so he can get antibiotics?

 

[FishTetris]

I'll definitely keep saline in mind--that does sound a lot better than peroxide, and probably wouldn't hurt as much either. But like you said, it's probably a good idea to wait for some more answers...

I'm not sure if it's bad enough to warrant vet treatment, since I don't have any images to reference it against. I plan to see what I can do about his feet myself, then check them again tomorrow. If they're any worse, I'll have to see what I can do about a vet appointment. I can't think of a local place off the top of my head...

But the bleeding has stopped on the soles of his feet, which is probably a good sign, though he's still clearly favoring them when he walks.

 

[Saskia]

Check out this web site:
It´s the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) there you can locate a specialist near you (if there are any) because I must say it´s always better to take reptiles to a reptile veterinarian, we can´t expect a general vet to know everything about every animal, and a Dog or Cat vet would probably not be prepared for treating a reptile, IMO... this is the web:

ARAV redirect

Good luck

 

[thehotchik1000]

Use betadyne. It a dilute iodine solution you can get at any drug store. It's safe to use straight up on the animal as well as diluting a bit into a bath. Making the water tea colored. I would stay away from peroxide and don't use anything oil based. No Vaseline nor neo. The oil base is terrible for animals with scales. It softens the scales promoting further injury or scale flaking, as well as trapping bacteria possibly promoting an infection or scale rot. He will Be just fine as soon as the new skin becomes a bit tougher. Just keep his feet clean with a betadyne bath or wash daily, and keep him on papertowels.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

 

[cricket4u]

Does your gecko have a humidity hide? Do you provide multivitamins? A picture would be great.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Hope your little guy gets better quick!

 

[XoVictoryXo]

any update for today? How are his feet looking?

 

[FishTetris]

Thanks so much for the support, everybody!

@ Saskia -- Thanks a bunch for that link! I'm hopeful that his feet are improving enough to not warrant a veterinary visit, but I'm definitely bookmarking ARAV. I had a little trouble navigating the site--I suppose I have to be a member to have access to the directory.

@ thehotchik1000 -- Betadyne sounds good, but my mom's a nurse, and said it isn't terribly common. But she offered to look for something similar at work tomorrow... I assume that I should avoid anything that's alcohol-based. Do you think that a diluted epsom salt bath would be a good alternative? I had a foot infection some time back, and I soaked in the stuff to help draw out fluid and prevent swelling.

@ cricket4u -- I haven't used a wet hide for him in the past, but I was doing a bit of research yesterday evening and set one up with damp paper towels. I can't believe I didn't have one before--he has some trouble shedding here and again, and it's probably because the cage was too dry. I bet it'll help with his feet when they shed in the future...

I don't have multivitamins, but I do dust everything he eats with calcium. Are there any vitamins in particular that you'd recommend?

And I tried taking a picture just now, but I've already handled him quite a bit today to wash his feet and change out some of the paper towels, so he wasn't very cooperative. I'll try again tomorrow~

@ XoVictoryXo -- Thanks so much! And they definitely look better today than yesterday. He bled a little bit after I cleaned his feet, but only from two of his toes, so the soles of his feet are probably healing up. He's stopped favoring his feet, too, and he's eating normally. I'm still a little worried about how red his feet are, but I don't think they look as nasty as yesterday.

 

[cricket4u]

Thanks so much for the support, everybody!

@ cricket4u -- I haven't used a wet hide for him in the past, but I was doing a bit of research yesterday evening and set one up with damp paper towels. I can't believe I didn't have one before--he has some trouble shedding here and again, and it's probably because the cage was too dry. I bet it'll help with his feet when they shed in the future...

I don't have multivitamins, but I do dust everything he eats with calcium. Are there any vitamins in particular that you'd recommend?

And I tried taking a picture just now, but I've already handled him quite a bit today to wash his feet and change out some of the paper towels, so he wasn't very cooperative. I'll try again tomorrow~

Well these could be the answers to the problem. I am glad you finally figured out he needs a moist hide. Better late than never. As for multivitamins I would recommend Reptivite. The amount to use varies on the diet and so it will be best to schedule an appointment with a vet and discuss what diet best suits your gecko. My only warning is not to use the MVI more than 2 times a week and instead focus on a varied diet along with properly gutloaded insects. Also read through the nutriton threads under advanced topics which can be very helpful.

 

[thehotchik1000]

Straight iodine would be fine Too. Just dilute it with water. Betadyne is really common where I live anyways. I can get it at any pharmacy. Even any Walmart carries it.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

 

[cricket4u]

The internet can be a great tool, but destructive at the same time. Iodine is a chemical element which is needed in the body, but too much absorption can reduce thyroid function. If more than soaks is necessary, she should be seen by a vet who is trained to identify infection. We have no idea the severity just by what your describing. The redness can be due to infection or a common problem with severe retained shed is, it's almost guaranteed that you will be ripping off new layers of skin along with the old.

 

[FishTetris]

@ cricket4u -- Oh, chagrin :c Putting in a wet hide should have been simple logic, and I definitely would have known to if I'd done a little more research. I think it's already helping him shed; his eyes and face tend to be sticking points, but he got the skin off just fine yesterday. I'm happy that I found a relatively simple way to help against future problems...

I'm taking note of that vitamin supplement as well--thanks for the info!

I'm really sorry that I can't provide a better description of the problem, but like I said, he wasn't content to sit still for a picture. I was reading up on how to spot infections, and though I know it probably works differently for people than reptiles, I'm sure at least some of the symptoms are similar. He has redness, but no pus or hardness, and if he's active and walking as usual, he might not have terribly much pain. I'm currently checking the site that Saskia recommended for a local vet, though, since I can't really trust myself to know exactly what I'm looking at.

 

[cricket4u]

@ cricket4u -- Oh, chagrin :c Putting in a wet hide should have been simple logic, and I definitely would have known to if I'd done a little more research. I think it's already helping him shed; his eyes and face tend to be sticking points, but he got the skin off just fine yesterday. I'm happy that I found a relatively simple way to help against future problems...

I'm taking note of that vitamin supplement as well--thanks for the info!

I'm really sorry that I can't provide a better description of the problem, but like I said, he wasn't content to sit still for a picture. I was reading up on how to spot infections, and though I know it probably works differently for people than reptiles, I'm sure at least some of the symptoms are similar. He has redness, but no pus or hardness, and if he's active and walking as usual, he might not have terribly much pain. I'm currently checking the site that Saskia recommended for a local vet, though, since I can't really trust myself to know exactly what I'm looking at.

That's good. Better safe than sorry. It's always a good idea to establish a relationship with a vet incase of an emergency. Also a yearly physical exam visit along with a fecal exam can prevent further problems.

 

[Homicidal_Hippie]

im just curious, what kind of substrate did you have in his cage. i cant help but think that would be part of the reason why his feet were bleeding.

 

[FishTetris]

@ cricket4u -- Thanks so much for your advice! You've been really helpful c:

And as for the photos, this is the best I managed to get--I tried to sharpen it a little bit, but it's not very clear. His right foot is definitely the worse of the two, but that red spot is all that remains from the entire sole of his foot being red.

In better light, the red isn't quite as fierce, and it's limited solely to a few of his toes and two spots on the sole of each foot. You can see how two of the two innermost toes on both feet were damaged by the original retained skin on his toes from when I first got him.

@ Homicidal_Hippie -- As soon as I noticed the problem, I switched to paper towels and newspaper, but before, I had a mixture of aquarium sand and smooth pebbles. I feel like he would have had problems with his feet bleeding long before now, since he's been walking on the same kind of substrate since before I even owned him. I myself have had him for about four years, and other than the retained shed on his feet that cleared up after I got him, he hasn't had any problems like this.

I have been reading about the problems associated with sand, though, so I'll probably be keeping the paper towels and newspaper until his feet clear up and I find a better alternative.

 

[cricket4u]

The picture is quite blurried, but I can see what appears to be necrosis one of the toes or is it dried up blood? If it's necrotic it will be best to have a vet deal with it. Since your mom is a nurse do you think she will be able to get a hold of chlorhexidine? If so it must be diluted to 1% strength and you can use that to clean it up. Also she should feel comfortable using blunt tipped forceps to gently help remove the old shed after a soak.

Take a look at #5 section on the caresheet. http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...dations-nutshell-19-february-2012-update.html

 

[FishTetris]

@ cricket4u -- I'm pretty positive that it's a scab forming. It looks greenish-gray in the picture because I had to adjust the color a bit to improve the sharpness, but it's actually more of a rust brown, like dried blood.

My mom is actually pretty adamant about not touching Stan, so I don't think she'd help me at all. And she mostly does IVs these days, so she doesn't do much active work with injuries. But we do have a few spare pairs of forceps around the house, and if necessary, I can ask her to at least observe while I try myself.