Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, well, as many of you may know from previous posts, i have a leo that has an infection in his feet and he has already lost a couple toes. it was apparently from unshed skin around them. i have been going to the vet every three days to get an injection of amiglyde, and antibiotic. i have been soaking him daily in warm water and have been trying to assist his peeling away his old skin by just gently rolling in under my fingers. often i get no skin up at all, and thats ok, it is all scabby and i don't want to pick at it. he told me that he didn't like neosporin, especially since he keeps licking and chewing at the area, and not to use povodone iodine, because that will destroy more tissue, and we don't want that.

we are about half way through the antibiotic treatments, and the swelling has gone down considerably. one of them is still really bad though, and he can't walk on it, and he keeps bleeding...he may still be biting at it when i'm not looking.

thing is, the vet told me that he would probably lose two more toes, but he didn't tell me that the flesh would rot away and there would be BONES exposed with dried blood on them and it is very disturbing and heartbreaking for me to see that. aflac was like that yesterday and i forgot to ask (can't remember anytihng...) when we went in for the injection, and the vet didn't say anything...and my next appointment is on sunday and i plan to ask then (i'll write it on my hand) but what do you guys think? will they just fall off on their own? will i have to have the vet remove them? has anybody else had this problem?

it's like he's getting better but looking grosser and grosser.

thanks,

amanda

Well Amanda, As long as the shots and antibiotc are keeping the infection down it is best to let it be. Keep on clean changed daily or everytime soiled paper towels. The reason the flesh is doing so is that it is dead. Basically the dead flesh is going to have to deteriorate off of the body on it's own or the foot may have to be amputated. If it was infected bad messing with it is not good until the antibotics get it out. I will look bad for a while but it sounds that it is healing on its own. The dead areas will eventulally slough away hopefully even though it may look a bit gross till it heals completely. Just keep a close eye on that area during sheding. Good luck.

The only other thing I think you could do would be to lightly bandage the foot with neosporin undneath the bandage. just a little bit of gauze and some tape. You would just have to take off the bandage, soak him, and get a new bandage and do it again every day, so you would keep him from licking off and chewing off the neosporin and the scabs on the foot. Just an idea though! Good luck!!
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-Kristen

0.7 Leopard Gecko (Buttercup, Beaker, Beauty, Blaze, Bubbles, Blinkers, and Squiggles {yeah I broke with the B's, but her head has black squiggles on it!!!})
1.1 Fat Tail Gecko (Bell and Bowser {I've got egg!!!!})
0.1 Deformed Leopard Gecko (Gimpy)
0.1 Leopard Gecko that lives at my boyfriend's house, but whom I still pay for food...lol (Dexter)

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