Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a calotes tree dragon with a tail problem. Pieces keep turning purple and falling off. The vet didnt seem to know what the problem was...does anyone in here have any ideas?

>>I have a calotes tree dragon with a tail problem. Pieces keep turning purple and falling off. The vet didnt seem to know what the problem was...does anyone in here have any ideas?

If the condition is affecting the tip of the tail, and it is turning dark and dry before falling off then it sounds like a classic case of dry gangrene. This condition is quite commone in long tailed species. It can arise from an injury to the tail but is also commonly caused by retained shed on the tail tip. The old skin restricts blood flow causing tissue death which can continue up the tail causing lizard death if not treated. The tail has relatively poor blood circulation which means that systemic antibiotics tend to be ineffective in these cases. If the situation is not too advanced you can try a topical antibiotic on the severed tip combined with an increase in overall temperature to stimulate the immune system. If the infection continues to move up the tail your best option is amputation by a qualified vet. The amputation cut must be made into the heatlthy tissue above the infection line. Good luck.

T.B

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have taken my lizard to the only "herp" veterinarian where I live and he told me that he didn't know what the problem is. (He didnt seem to know anything about my lizard even though he supposedly treats them) It started out when my lizard had mites. I took him to the vet and he was treated with ivermectin for that. Shortly after, I noticed that about two inches from the tip of the tail was a little bloody lump, and that piece of the tail fell right off. Further up the tail, was a spot about two inches long that had a pink tinge to it. This area has now turned into a really nasty looking wound. Im stuck...the vet wasn't much help to me, and Im sure its not a shedding problem. Could it somehow be related to the ivermectin used for the mites? Ive been putting polysporin on the wound to see if that helps, but I dont know what else I can do

I would find out from the vet as to where he injected the Ivermectin. Ivermectin injection sites are known to create small abcesses which usually heal. Also, there are less radical ways of treating mites using Permethrin based compounds as described on this & other forums. The only other thought would be that there may be hazards within the caging set-up causing these wounds.
For the open wounds on the tail, you can apply anti-biotics(Neo/Poly sporin) or try using a liquid anti-septic bandage such as New-Skin. Until the wounds start to heal, you should keep the lizard or a sterile substrate (paper towels/ink-free newsprint).

I forgot to add that if the wounds don't improve or get worse within a week or two, then a systemic anti-biotic such as Baytril may need to be used. Hopefully, the vet will determine what strain of bacteria is causing the problem & address the diagnosis appropriately.
Goodluck.

Thanks for the info. The vet injected the ivermectin into his muscle right above his left leg. I know now that there are other solutions to the mites too...the ivermectin almost killed the lizard. The thing is, it seems like I have more information about the tail from these forums than the vet seems to have. Do you think I should go in there and tell him what I know and see what happens? Also I think he does have dry gangrene on the last part of his tail, but the rest of it is still damaged living tissue. Again thanks for all the help.