Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OMG, i dont know exactly what happened, the dog was hanging around the cage, so he got spooked and took off real quick for the top. Not sure if the dog like bit him through the mesh, or if he caught it on something and it tore it off. But i found the nail and tip of his toe on the floor, its pretty gross, looks like a stringy thing is attached to it. And when i looked at his foot, there is like bone showing? maybe? got im not sure, im totally freaking out right now. Its too late to get to the vet tonight, so my plan is to call them in the morning. But what can i do for him right now? It doesnt really seem to be bleeding much, thankfully. Im thinking neopsorin and bandage it up with like gauze? My poor ozzy. Oh and that dog of mine is in big trouble needless to say. So please any advice on what to do i would appreciate. Thanks Tami

Boy can I relate... same thing happened to one of my birds this morning. One of my bigger birds bit the tip of her toe off. (Okay, so maybe it's not the exact same thing, but it's pretty close)

I freaked out and took her right to the vet. It's a good thing I did. It had stopped bleeding, but it needed stitches and a good cleaning, along with antibiotics and pain killers.

Does your vet have an emergency number? I had to call mine in on an emergency. The thing is, first of all the ig is in pain. Second of all, you really, really don't want it to start bleeding again or for infection to set in... if you let it go for too long, even 24 hours, it could develop gangrene and you could lose the whole foot/leg.

If you absolutely can't get him in tonight, give him a betadine soak in a sterile tub and make sure his cage is really, really clean. I don't think you're supposed to bandage igs becuase if they get in the water it can make things worse. Just keep it clean and dry until you can get in.

Good luck!

Alika

Actually, reptiles are pretty resistant to massive bleeding. Their blood vessels contract around the sight of an injury to stem blood flow....For tonight I'd swab the area down with betadine and water solution then cover it with neosporin and make sure your ig is on newspaper or paper towels for the night. Keep him warm and keep the injury clean...Take him to the vets first thing.. The vet will probably have to sedate him a bit... remove the portion of bone that got de-gloved and close the stump over with the skin of the toe...suture it...give you an antbiotic for a few days to give to him and send you home with him with intstructions to keep it clean and dry as much as possible.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

Well i called my vet, and since it was after hours it gives you a number for a emergency vet hospital thats in the next town over. So i called them and was quite surprised by what i was told. She basically told me to do nothing. Said it wasnt necessary to bring him in. Just to make sure its cleaned and then leave it alone. She told me if bleeding was a issue to use baking soda or baking powder to help stop the bleeding. Which thankfully it had allready stopped. I ask about the betadine soaks and she said i could do it occasionally, but not to do it too much cause it kills off some of the necessary bacteria they need for healing? I explained how the bone was showing, and she said the skin would grow back over that, now im just not so sure about this. Needless to say im going to call my vet this morning and see what he has to say. He is not a herp vet, but has told me before he is fine to see ozzy for basic stuff, fecal checks, nail trims etc, but if its out of his league then i will have to go to the herp vet, so he knows his limits at least. The reason i prefer to go to my normal vet is due to finances, he will bill me, where as the herp vet wont. And since my hubby lost his job, finances are a issue. But i will do what is necessary for my ozzy, was thinking i will offer to clean cages, what ever in trade for treatment. And if all else fails, i think i have a credit card with some limit left. So what do you guys think of the info i was given by the emergency vet clinic? I mean she told me if i would have brought him in they wouldnt have done anything. Said that anesthesia is so dangerous for iguanas that a injury like this wasnt serious enough to risk putting him to sleep. Also told me no not to bandage it, for one the air will help it to heal quicker, and second he would probably chew the bandage off, and then could get a impaction. So i guess that did make some sense. Well just wanted to give you guys a update, and see what you thought of the info i was given. Going to call my vet and will let you guys know what he says. And i will add ozzy seems fine, you would never know anything is wrong with him. I mean he might be favoring that foot a little, but is still climbing all over the place. Thanks again Tami

My Iggy escaped his cage while i was out one day and got in a beardie cage that didnt have a top, their was blood every where but neither of them looked injured, aout an hour later i notice my igs toe was all but hanging off, the vet couldnt save it so he remove the end cauterized(sp?) it. and gave me a creme to put on it.

All the info you were given was good info. There are VERY few reasons that I would let a vet give any of my herps anestetic for. When they had to set Ziggy's leg they had to use it to get the muscles to relax so they could pull the bone arpart and set it. That is the ONLY reason I let them. If you clean it to much, you can get rid of all the good bacteria, like the good bacteria in his guts for example, that help heal him over. Also, you could wash away the things that help keep all the bad stuff from the outside out. It sounds as if you have stumbled apon a decent emergecy vet. Most would tell you to come in and take your money anyway.

On a much sadder note, I really do not want to make a whole post about this, I had to put Ziggy down today. He some how, while I was at school, broke another rib and cause himself to bleed internally. My husband got ahold of me when he noticed Ziggy looking VERY sick and we got him to the vet. After very quick x-rays the problem was very visable. He passed away today at 3:30 pm. I feel bad he was in so much pain when he left me. I meant to make his life better, and he left me in pain.

You take good care of Ozzy.
Rest in peace Ziggy.

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Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.1.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig,Franklin, Doris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsky)
3.10.0 Leo
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

Hi, Pythonmama... I'm so sorry about Ziggy. You cared enough to get him the right medical care, and that's something he might not have gotten with his old owners. Again, I'm so sorry and I don't know what to say that won't sound cliched.

-Erin

I'm so sorry to hear that your little green guy had passed away. I'm sure he felt that you were there to help him. People should only live the same life that they give these poor creatures that depend on us. His old owners should suffer.
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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny