Leopard gecko with swollen face, help!

[Kayleymuir]

I came home the other day to find my Leo was really swollen around the face and eyes. Naturally I am very worried about her and don't know what to do. She is still active, eating and happy to be handled. I wondered if anyone could help with what the problem may be or have any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can give!
Kayley

 

[Aimless]

first of all, what about the rest of her body?

then, that really really doesn't look normal. people with a lot more Leo experience than mine I am sure will chime in soon, but that is definitely a problem. if she were mine I'd get her to a vet asap. that much fluid retention is usually not the result of something little that will go away on its own, unfortunately.

 

[cricket4u]

Yes, she needs to be taken to a vet as soon as possible.

 

[cassicat4]

Agreed - vet. Assuming you check on your gecko daily, and she was fine one day but not the next, this indicates rapid swelling and fluid buildup, which is not a good thing in any species. The longer it's put off, the more damage that could be done.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

How does the inside of her mouth look?

 

[Kayleymuir]

How does the inside of her mouth look?

Is there any easy way to look inside her mouth without stressing her out?

 

[Kayleymuir]

first of all, what about the rest of her body?

then, that really really doesn't look normal. people with a lot more Leo experience than mine I am sure will chime in soon, but that is definitely a problem. if she were mine I'd get her to a vet asap. that much fluid retention is usually not the result of something little that will go away on its own, unfortunately.

The rest of her body is as normal. I read it could possibly be calcium build up and that a uv bulb would help break it down is this correct? Thanks for your reply

 

[XoVictoryXo]

What substrate do you keep her on?
Did she shed recently?
is there anyway calcium dust could have gotten into her eyes?
MAYBE try to flush her eyes with pure saline made for sensitive eyes... WHILE you wait for a vet to call you in. because her face is swollen i wouldnt mess around and take her right to the a vet and tell them its an emergency

 

[cassicat4]

To get her to open her mouth, you could try rubbing the side of the mouth. This can prompt some of them to gape so you can get a good look. Check for redness, swelling, bleeding, abscesses, and/or discharge.

I highly doubt it's calcium buildup. It wouldn't happen that quickly, and it would take a LOT of calcium, even if you're oversupplementing, to cause any sort of noticeable physical response.

She's evenly swelled on both sides and across her head. If it was a local infection/abscess or eye irritation, you would expect to see it only on one side, or unevenly on both sides. The symmetry in swelling suggests to me that it could be some type of cranial or oral swelling, possibly due to injury or infection. Either way, it isn't normal, and as XO suggested, an emergency vet would be advisable if you can't get in right away. Best case scenario...this is completely benign and nothing to stress about, and easily reversed. Worst case scenario, it truly is an emergency, and the longer you wait, the worse it will be.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I have never seen these issues with any gecko.

Very important to see a vet immediately!

 

[Kayleymuir]

She has a vet appointment this afternoon so I will post what they say! Thanks everyone for your help and replies!!

 

[XoVictoryXo]

good luck hun!

 

[Kayleymuir]

So, I couldn't see a reptile vet as the 3 local ones to me are all away at the moment . I saw another vet who was SO helpful. He said that the swelling was odd as it was so symmetrical but apart from that she looked in good health, a good size and weight etc. we spoke about my setup and temperatures and feeding, again all good. He check in her mouth too which all looks healthy. He took some X-rays to see if he could see anything on that and not a lot shows up! He said to me he honestly isn't sure, he's prescribed antibiotics incase of infection and taken photos which he is going to send onto a specialist for me and hopefully refer me to if necessary. I really hope the anitibiotics work! I have given her some today. I will keep you updated. Once again, thank you all

 

[XoVictoryXo]

It stinks that he isnt sure what the cause is. I hope the antibiotics work but I would see a specialist anyhow.
Try the pure sensitive solution saline eye drops in her eyes, they are harmless, and if something is in her eyes that has been irritated it will relieve itself and go right down. My male had an irritated swollen eye for 24 hours - the saline eyedrops made it go away immediately.
but its the swollen head that I dont know anything about, all i think can think of is an abscess but Im not an expert and i dont want to scare you an abscess would need to be drained I THINK Im not experienced with abscesses.

 

[Kayleymuir]

It stinks that he isnt sure what the cause is. I hope the antibiotics work but I would see a specialist anyhow.
Try the pure sensitive solution saline eye drops in her eyes, they are harmless, and if something is in her eyes that has been irritated it will relieve itself and go right down. My male had an irritated swollen eye for 24 hours - the saline eyedrops made it go away immediately.
but its the swollen head that I dont know anything about, all i think can think of is an abscess but Im not an expert and i dont want to scare you an abscess would need to be drained I THINK Im not experienced with abscesses.

He said when I first called over the phone he thought it may be an abscess however he said that Would not create even swelling on both sides . I just want her to be okay I will get some solution, thank you

 

[cricket4u]

What supplements are you dusting with? Can you take a picture of the enclosure?

XO-Just to inform, their abscesses contain inspissated material, therefore it needs to be excised.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

What supplements are you dusting with? Can you take a picture of the enclosure?

XO-Just to inform, their abscesses contain inspissated material, therefore it needs to be excised.

Kayleymuir ~

I would definitely follow-up with an appointment with the exotics specialist asap.

Hope that you find the cause of this problem.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Are you using any vitamin supplement that contains vitamin A acetate? Please share brand and name of multivitamins.

It will be quite helpful for you to share a picture of this leo's enclosure

 

[Conched]

Can you take a minute to describe your supplementation routine please.

1. What brands of supplements do you use ?
2. How often do you use them ?
3. How are they administered ?
4. How much do you use ?
5. Do you leave any in the enclosure ?

Please try and be as specific as possible. I understand you are taking the Leo to the vet and I support that 100% but I would really appreciate it if you can try and answer these questions.

This symptoms your leo has appear to be related to renal failure. Leopard geckos have endolymphatic sacs in that area and these are clearly abscessed.

 

[cassicat4]

This symptoms your leo has appear to be related to renal failure. Leopard geckos have endolymphatic sacs in that area and these are clearly abscessed.

I thought the endolymphatic sacs were in the armpit region, not head? And how are enlarged sacs/abscessed sacs related to renal failure? Oversupplementation is definitely a concern, yes, and can definitely contribute to renal failure, yes, but I always thought we usually look to other behaviors and bowel movements for an indication of such.