Loki the Tokay: Bad to the Bone

[billewicz]

He is definitely improving, albeit slowly, and the vet is hopeful that the antibiotics will be all he ends up needing, no surgical intervention necessary. Definitely keeping my fingers crossed!

All of the employees are utterly in love with Loki, despite the feeling not being mutual The vet tech even asked to snap a few pics of him on her phone to show to her friends

Remember that antibiotics also kill all the friendly flora in his GI track reducing his ability to completely breakdown all the nutrition in his food. Not until well after he's had his last dose will he be able to show faster improvement.

As for the tech taking photos, they don't see Tokay very often.

Good luck as always.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Progress made in one month

 

[billewicz]

It's been a while since I read through this thread, was the vet sure the knee was a joint/bone issue and not a worm? Anyway, he looks better.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Yup, his vet is certain that it's a bone infection.

When I put the before and after pictures side by side in Photoshop, I was really surprised at how visibly improved he is. Since I see him every day, I hadn't noticed. He still has healing left to do, but the antibiotics are definitely helping.

 

[cricket4u]

Yup, his vet is certain that it's a bone infection.

When I put the before and after pictures side by side in Photoshop, I was really surprised at how visibly improved he is. Since I see him every day, I hadn't noticed. He still has healing left to do, but the antibiotics are definitely helping.

Try to offer insects higher in moisture such as hornworms to help keep him hydrated while on antibiotics.

 

[Ophiomancer]

I ordered some hornworm egg cups I've tried tempting him with the larger hornworms available at my local reptile specialty shop, but he will have nothing to do with them.

Other than that, I've been misting 2-3 times a day to keep humidity up in his viv.

 

[cricket4u]

I ordered some hornworm egg cups I've tried tempting him with the larger hornworms available at my local reptile specialty shop, but he will have nothing to do with them.

Other than that, I've been misting 2-3 times a day to keep humidity up in his viv.

Did you try moving it around with tongs. If it's not too gross for you, squeeze some roach guts on the worm, then, wiggle it and it should work.

 

[billewicz]

I would try again at some point with the larger ones. He may have been too stressed last time. Now I do have a few that won't eat the really big ones, but most will get around to them over a couple of days.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Yeah, no amount of wiggling with tongs convinced him last time, but I'll give the roach gut trick a try And he may change his mind now that he's feeling less fragile.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Loki and Gozer continue to do well, and a third Tokay will be coming to join the household soon! Won an auction for a patternless Tokay (they guess female, I don't mind either way) from Ben Siegel Reptiles. Sorry if I outbid any of you folks on that ... But not TOO sorry :evil:

In other news, Loki has finally learned to eat out of a dish, huzzah! Fewer feeder roaches escaping his lair to come running across my pillow at night is a good thing. Gozer had already mastered this skill by the time I got him, being CBB.

New Addition: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...93611826.50363.162284397129126&type=1&theater

 

[Ophiomancer]

Long time no post! Received my patternless Tokay yesterday, and both Loki and the new arrival have a vet appointment for Monday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Loki's x-ray will show enough improvement that there will be no need for further treatment.

The new patternless seems to be healthy and settling in well. Ate a bunch of red runner roaches the very first night, and is now cheerfully murdering some hornworms. Also, heard a Tokay calling for the first time last night, presumably the new arrival since Gozer and Loki have been quiet as long as I've had them. So, looks like it's a male rather than a female, which is fine by me. I am also beginning to wonder if Loki is female. I'm in no hurry to examine their nether regions for confirmation, since my last batch of bites just finished healing

Gozer is also getting bigger and a bit less flighty, so hopefully I can get some pictures soon!

 

[Ophiomancer]

Just got back from the vet, who says that Loki is recovering very well! The x-ray revealed new growth in the area around the elbow where the bone had almost entirely dissolved. The vet also agreed with me that Loki is probably female, and the new patternless Tokay is almost definitely male. Loki also went from 64 to 82 grams since her last appointment, and her overall condition is markedly improved.

Keeping Loki on antibiotics for another 4 weeks, just to be absolutely safe, and a few weeks after that is her final followup appointment. What a relief!

 

[Aimless]

very nice work!

 

[Nateg92]

how much to vet bills run?

 

[Ophiomancer]

First visit (exam + fecal + x-ray + fluid aspiration from the infected joint and tests on that fluid + painkiller and antibiotic) ran me something like $350-$450, if I remember correctly. It was an expensive trip. Followup visits were generally much less expensive, in no small part because the exam fee was waived for those. It really depends on your local vet, how much they charge just to examine a reptile, and what the animal needs done.

Loki has been pretty much the most expensive $15 Tokay ever, but I have no regrets

 

[billewicz]

how much to vet bills run?

It depends on the going rate in your city or town and the services rendered. I'm on the top end with a nationally renown Reptile Vet that services animals from all over the country.

Office visit and health exam, fecal test with full meds can go for about $139. I've heard of some folks getting the same services for about $100 in other parts of the country.

Having said that, my average ticket for additional work on beat-up imports is about $400.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Oh, and any reputable vet will be happy to give an estimate BEFORE they do anything costly that wasn't planned for when the appointment was made. Such as x-rays, lab work, etc.

 

[Ophiomancer]

Welp, Loki the ambiguously gendered Tokay turned out to be male after all :lol: He escaped his enclosure about 2 weeks ago, and I was finally able to catch him early Thursday morning. I knew he was alive and well the entire time, because I heard him calling intermittently from dusk until dawn, I just couldn't locate him most of the time, or get hold of him when I did. I got a nasty bite out of the experience, but the important part is that he's back in his enclosure, eating roaches and plotting his vengeance.

I need to get some current pictures, because he looks so much healthier than he did in January, it's amazing! His tail is nice and thick, now. I also have 3 more CBB Tokay subadults (Morgoth, Sauron, and an as yet unnamed patternless girl) that I still have to get non-blurry photos of. The entire gang is doing well, and their dusk to dawn antics are a great consolation prize for my chronic insomnia.

 

[billewicz]

You should here my house just before it rains. The tree frogs start up and then there can be 6 or 8 male Tokay going all at once in each room. The sing-along can go for about an hour.

 

[Ophiomancer]

You should here my house just before it rains. The tree frogs start up and then there can be 6 or 8 male Tokay going all at once in each room. The sing-along can go for about an hour.

That's so cool