My question is of nothing more than curiosity, and educational purposes. NONE of my animals have any injuries nor illnesses. Just as I have explained before, I seek medical information, simply because, just as you would perform some first aid measures on yourself if you got injured to prevent further injury, I feel you should be able to do the same for your animal. If you split your leg open, you would stop the bleeding, clean the affected area, and then immediately see a doctor. If you could do these things for yourself, there is no reason why you should not to do the same to help your animal stay comfortable within the mean-time of getting to a vet. If you cannot take a few minutes of every day to do a little more research to better benefit your animals, then do them a favor and find them a better home. It's a bit blunt, but that's the way I feel. I do this for all of my animals, not just my reptiles. This is not a "work-around" from going to the vet by any means. Furthermore, there are some instances, where you would be stressing your animal out, much more just in the process of taking it to a vet, for it to be something so simple as some iodine and a good cleaning (this is only an exampe, in no means am I implying that iodine should be used in certain instances).

I work primarily with crocodilians. Crocodilians have a very high defense level against infections and so forth. So, as an example, if there was ever an incident where two smaller crocodilians got into a scuffle, and one had some minor lacerations on his leg, there is really no need for panic. Cleaning the affected area with iodine (this time, I am saying that it can be used) and leaving the animal out of water for a few hours to allow the iodine to work its magic. Making sure that the animals water is perfectly clean every day, and the animal is kept warm and separated from the other animal during the mean-time, is all the medical attention that is needed. Anyone that has worked with crocs for a period of time, has learned what injuries are serious and what is not. In the wild, these types of injuries and much worse are not uncommon. Different animals will react differently to different injuries. I am simply trying to learn the ins and outs of my animals to provide them the optimum care that I can provide. I apologize for the lengthy reply, but just thought I would voice, once and for all my reasoning for researching certain first aid options for injuries/illnesses.

Best Wishes,
Stan

[ Show Entire Thread ]