Baby bearded dragon; bruise or infection?

Hey guys. I have a 7mo old baby beardie who has some swelling and discoloration on his belly. To me, it looks like a bruise, but seems squishy, as if fluid filled. It came up all of a sudden 2 nights ago. He's handled daily, so I would immediately recognize any anomaly. Anyway, the closest exotic vet is an hour and a half away and cant see little dude until Wednesday morning. He did however, allow me to send pics of his belly to which he said he believes it is a bacterial infection. He said to wash the affected area a few times a day with antibacterial soap and water. His entire tank and all decor has been sterilized, he is on paper towels only. I went a step further to apply triple antibiotic ointment (per vet). His appetite is through the roof, as it should be for a growing baby beardie, and he doesnt seem to be in any discomfort whatsoever. Any educated opinions welcome! My stomach is in knots with worry.. Thank you!

Brittany

Please do not wet the area as, it may be fungal and, could make it worse. Use raw honey on it, it has natural healing and antimicrobal properties.
NEVER use a chemical substance on your dragon, Anti bacterial soap is not safe for a dragon, IMO!!!

Strange the doc would recommend that.. I like the honey idea though!

Bpancake93":276ffzd4 said:

Strange the doc would recommend that.. I like the honey idea though!

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Yes, it would make me question his/her qualifications!!!

Hi there, can you post the pics ? Here's how :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload

I dont think it's either. I will admit, I made a mistake and listened to someone that I thought was a reputable owner/breeder; I couldnt keep his temps up in his tank once the temp dropped outside, and in the house, etc. So I unknowingly added a heat mat.. He doesnt have a substrate other than paper towel. More than once I caught him laying directly on the mat. Honestly, I think it shorted out or got too hot in a particular spot and what he has is a burn. It makes me sick to my stomach, as he is so small, and I never had any intention of hurting my baby.. I removed the heat mat and bought a CHE to add to his normal basking and UVB, which helped tremendously. But that's what makes me thing it's a burn with some bruising and swelling, which i know can happen, especially since it popped up so quickly. He is going to the vet Wednesday, to do testing to rule out any fungi or infection completely. He is also shedding, but I'm positive it isn't retained shed. I just know you guys are pretty experienced and very informative, so I appreciate any feed back until i can get him in. He is still not showing any discomfort, other than being mid-shed, and his appetite is still wonderful. Thank you guys so much.

Here's a few more pics. Still a healthy, bright eyed baby.

This was the day before yesterday. Sorry for th influx of pics, I just want you to see how quickly it's changed in color and appearance.

Well you just answered the question in your comment, he was burned by the heat mat ! Just get some silvadene cream on there and/or raw honey. It should heal after a while. Be sure you tell the vet so the DON'T do a skin scraping for a fungal test, imagine the pain + damage that would be done if they did that ! I'm REALLY surprised the vet did not ask about or suspect a burn. Keep all the rough climbing surfaces out until you can get the cream on + some gauze around it. It should heal O.K but must be protected. Here's an article on reptile burns :

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/The-Vet-Report-Burns-in-Reptiles/

It's good that he still has a strong appetite , best wishes to your baby !

I told the vet I suspected a burn! I was using raw honey. Should that be wrapped lightly with gauze? There is no broken skin as of now. He is also on (has always been on) paper towel so no risk of anything getting on or near the affected area. I just dont think he will react well to paper towel sticking to him. Also, he seemed to react very well to the Betadine bath, so should I keep up with that? The area looks much better today, so it appears to be healing. Thank you so much for your opinion.

I just saw your gauze comment, I read too quickly and missed it the first time.. So ignore that question lol

Some people would cover it, others would leave it uncovered. But you say it's looking better ? If so, that's great ! I'd avoid any bathing, it could introduce bacteria to the wound if there's any place susceptible to an infection. Is there any blistering ? If it's not too stressful for the baby can you post a pic today ? What's his/her name BTW ?

I'll get a pic shortly before feeding. His name is Delta, but gets called peanut/baby beardie more than anything lol he's such a sweetie with more personality than he knows what to do with.

You're right, it looks better already ! Thankfully you noticed it before the burn got deep. Looks like Delta really doesn't even need any wrap. You can prob. just take that off tomorrow, I think he'll be fine. !