Thanks FR. It's gonna be a few days before I can see the Vet, unless I cry "Emergency!" which I can't do. I put some peroxide on it & was able to get it under the skin, on the infected area. I'll keep an eye on it between now & then & play it by ear. I've got a good hunch now as to what caused it.

I did a lot of searching & reading online last night to where I fell asleep at my PC but I learned quite a bit in the area of abscesses, boils & cysts. Unfortunately, not much of it pertained to monitors, or any other reptile for that matter, but mostly pertaining to humans.

Yeah, yeah, I know, "What the heck am I doing reading human health issues when my problem is with a monitor?" My first goal was to determine if it was an abscess, cyst, or something else. I started my searches including the word "monitor," "lizard," and various other relative words but couldn't find anything definitive to clarify what it was. That's when I decided to look at the human aspect.

Well, it definitely wasn't a zit, and it wasn't a cyst, either. I'm about 95% sure it was an abscess. I read a reptile article that said the two leading causes of an abscess are; injury to the infected area or stress.

Here's what I think caused this:
I had said in my first post "...where the abscess was is where his back first scrapes a big piece of ceramic tile as he goes under it, into his hiding hole."

The abscess was dead center of his back, right over the spine, in between his shoulders. When he first goes under the tile it is usually pushed up about an inch and then it lays flat again once he's all the way underneath.

Well, dumb 'ol me, without thinking a thing about it, placed his water tub ontop of the tile about a week or so ago & for no good reason have kept putting back in that same place. This caused more pressure on his body as he slid under the tile due to the water tub's weight.

I had deburred the tile good with my wet-saw before using it, so it wasn't the edges, but the weight of the tub. The tile's been in his cage & used as his hideout cover for ages, just didn't have anything heavy on it till lately.

Something else about this situation that I feel could go to prove a point that has been mentioned around here repeatedly. In reference to abscesses in humans, the main recommended treatment is heat, heat compacts. It was mentioned how heat application increases the circulation to the area and allows the body to better fight off the infection.

When I first read that I remembered what I said in my 2nd post here; "I noticed that yesterday and today he basked more than usual & I thought it was weird but I don't know if it has anything to do with the abscess or not."

So, do they really know what they need? (I've heard that said before) Could a wide range of temps be beneficial? (I've heard that before, too)

One more thing and then I'll end this chapter.
I was telling a buddy last night about how I was able to handle my sav and do things I've never been able to do before. For the first time he hissed real loud (as usual) but didn't try to tail-whip me or bite me and he let me pick him up. He stayed perfectly still while I held him in one hand & squeezed the abscess with the other. It was just as if he knew I was trying to help him out. I was in awe.

Sorry for this being so long but hopefully this situation and the things I mentioned will help someone out in the future. That is, if they will use the "search forums" link. Ha! Ha!

The end.

Thanks, again, jburokas & FR, for your input.

Take care!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

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