WC Fimbriatus has bad infected cut on its knee. HELP!

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dadoza2

New member
My female fimbriatus has had a scab on her knee since I got her.
The knee was always bigger but in the past week it has ballooned and now appears to be badly infected.
It all started a week ago when one night it looked like she had opened it up possibly while shedding.
It looked very large and inflamed so I cleaned it off a bit and left the heat lamp on all night to hopefully let it dry out a bit and heal.
This kind of worked and it seemed to be started to scab over again but it still looked abnormally large.

A day or 2 after this we had a power outage that lasted 4 days.
On the 3rd day I couldn't wait any longer for my reptiles so I brought them all to a friend's house, where I had them kept in fairly small tupperware containers.
During that time she defecated on herself and when I got to her in the morning it was badly infected again.

That was 2 days ago and now it's turning yellow so I'm very worried.
It almost looks like it's broken.
Other than her knee, she eats every night, goes to the bathroom and drinks like a champ.
When I got her she was on the verge of death and I weaned her back to health, to lose her like this would be devastating.

Other than taking her to a vet(I am very strapped on cash), does anybody have any suggestions at all on what to do or products to use?
She is already in quarantine and has been since I got her 3 months ago.

here are some pics

hmh9.jpg

3kc9.jpg

ax43.jpg


Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
jadrig

jadrig

New member
Ill be honest with you, I personally would not do anything as long as she is eating. Clean all fecal matter from the cage as soon as possible. I have had negative results when using certain topical antibiotics. My male henkeli broke the females leg at the end of breeding season one year. It was dangling for a couple days, and I felt the break. It healed up perfectly fine after I separated him. As long as she is eating...no need to panic. Don't keep her cage overly humid either.
 
D

dadoza2

New member
Thanks for your advice jadrig, sets my mind at ease a bit.
I've been keeping it less humid than usual and giving her water from an eyedropper.
 
miguel camacho!

miguel camacho!

New member
Wow. Seriously? Go ahead and let it be as long as it's eating? That's a serious infection, and I've honestly never heard such bad advice. Look at the worn appearance of the skin over the vertebrae. Look at the lack of muscle and fat on the thighs. Look at the protruding hip bones.

That gecko needs vet attention. If you're going to go the "wait and see" route, you're going to be disappointed. That's a massive infection, that if left alone on any of the more widely kept pets like dogs or cats would elicit cries of neglect. If you can't get a vet, at the very least get some betadine on that wound.

What's the quarantine setup? That's maybe one good thing to do, but it's also risky to keep Uroplatus in sterile enclosures for the long term. It's a catch 22. You want something sterile to prevent further infection, but you don't want something too dry, small, or plain (meaning no climbing surfaces).

Seriously. Go to a vet. Since it's Friday, it's unlikely that you'll be able to get an appointment until after the weekend. That's why you need some betadine to apply twice daily. Maybe extend the hours that you're exposing the animal to light (around 13-14 hours) to keep it sleeping/inactive. If you note the gecko showing intense coloration, that could be a bad sign (though might be expected at least temporarily after you apply the betadine. You should be able to find betadine at your local drug store. It's liquid, and after you apply it, it will dry a bit and form a skin that will temporarily serve as a barrier to bacteria.
 
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Fumbles

Fumbles

New member
It's vet time - as in right now, today, pick up the phone and call. I would not let this sit over the weekend. If that infection isn't caught before it turns too bad (which in my unprofessional opinion it is very bad) and it can't be controlled the vet may recommend she lose the leg to cease the spread of infection. Infections in these animals spread unbelievable fast, especially if there's feces in that wound. I've actually taken a picture of an infection one hour, and in the picture the next hour it had clearly spread.

If you think the bill for an exam and antibiotics is bad, try surgery. If you ask, most vets will work on a payment plan.

Is that animal wild caught or captive bred? An animal eating the way you describe shouldn't look that skinny. She may have some sort of parasite. I would bring a fecal sample to the vet with her.


Edit: I see in your title she's wild caught. I would definitely bring a sample in while you're at it if you have not already.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Seek help from an experienced reptile vet immediately! This, I believe, is an emergency. :-(


Canadian Reptile Vets:
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/canrepvt.htm#ont

Here's another resource based in Ontario recommending a Dr. Richard Maser:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/ontario.shtml


PS:
A very knowledgeable gecko buddy of mine, especially from a medical perspective, recommends NO betadine for these reasons: "Applying betadine is counterproductive to the necessary diagnostics (culture and sensitivity) of the site. This is certainly not a wait around situation."
 
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jadrig

jadrig

New member
I just want to be a little more clear...Don't dry the animal out, but avoid the conditions that got the animal in this position to begin with...

@Miguel...I believe this animal is on the rebound. It is doing much better than it was previously. The scars on the vertebrae will disappear eventually. those are from shipping while being emaciated. The tail fat shows the animals recent nutritional gains compared to how it was.
 
miguel camacho!

miguel camacho!

New member
I appreciate the vet comments on betadine. I had been working for several years with wild snake studies, and the vet I used recommended use of betadine in the cases where there were wounds that couldn't be attended immediately. The work I did was rural, and my vet was specialized, had limited hours, and was 3-4 hours away. While I can't argue the opinion of your vet, I wonder if his/her opinion would change if there was no access to a vet until several days from now. But now that I think of it, betadine might be a more appropriate tool for fresh wounds...not open, seriously infected ones.
 
Fumbles

Fumbles

New member
I see the thread that Jadrig is referring to about your fimbriatus pair not eating, Dadoza2 here: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...platus/72113-adult-fimbriatus-not-eating.html

What is happening here is unrelated and has nothing to do with how well your animal is recovering from malnutrition and export. I've watched a perfectly healthy gecko die of an infection that wasn't treated quickly enough and it was not even close to as bad as what I'm seeing here. The problem was I waited to see. If the animal starts to lose the fight there may not be much a vet can do. If you have not made a vet appointment yet, now would be the time.

I am not a professional, but if it were me and I had to wait two full days to see a vet I would clean the wound and dress it. Maybe someone has some advise on this, what to use or if he should even touch her leg at all.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
miguel camacho! said:
I appreciate the vet comments on betadine. I had been working for several years with wild snake studies, and the vet I used recommended use of betadine in the cases where there were wounds that couldn't be attended immediately. The work I did was rural, and my vet was specialized, had limited hours, and was 3-4 hours away. While I can't argue the opinion of your vet, I wonder if his/her opinion would change if there was no access to a vet until several days from now. But now that I think of it, betadine might be a more appropriate tool for fresh wounds...not open, seriously infected ones.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike.

dadoza2 lists Toronto, Ontario as home. Hopefully even now, or Saturday, a clinic would be open for emergencies even though it may be "after hours". At least that is how metropolitan vet offices/hospitals operate in the USA.

Several times a couple of my geckos had middle-of-the-night emergencies when I lived in Seattle. Fortunately I lived relatively close to the facility and treatment was sometimes possible.
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
Please note that her over connection is both outdated and incomplete, though better than nothing.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Please note that her over connection is both outdated and incomplete, though better than nothing.
Click to expand...

Yes, I figured they have to call the number for an appointment beforehand.:) I know I'm late but I forgot about this thread.

Dadoza2, how is you uro doing?

Temps average around 75 during
the day.

First I want to mention that I have never kept any uroplatus geckos, however I wanted to point out a possible problem. I've noticed several threads with problems in fimbriatus and I always see the temps in the low 70's only. I do realize this was a WC and what I am about to mention may or may not be irrelevant, but certainly worth thinking about.

I recall reading that a fimbriatus and guentheri were found in forest/savannah mosaic. In this location, there are limited forest area. Did they travel to that location or is that where some are located? I don't know, but if I were you, I would offer much more space and a wide temperature gradient of about 70f cool end to at least 85f. Heat source on a thermostat of course. A reliable hygrometer and moderate-high humidity, not a swamp. They will be immunocompromised if a proper temperature range is not provided.

Edge Effects on Foliar Stable Isotope Values in a Madagascan Tropical Dry Forest

The climate at Ankarafantsika is strongly seasonal. Rainfall during most years ranges from 1100–1600 mm per year [52]. The vast majority of this precipitation falls during January and February. Between May and October there is negligible rainfall. Average daily temperatures range from ca. 37°C in the rainy season to 16°C in the dry season

Dry Deciduous Forests - Deforestation of Western Madagascar

temperatures ranging from a minimum of 8° to 21°C to a mean maximum of 30° to 33°C.
 
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Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
Sorry, autocorrect fail! Herpvet connection is outdated and incomplete.
And yes, what's been the progression for this gecko?
 
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