Bump on head

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babka

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Hello! I need some advice how to treat my bearded dragon's bump on her head. She had this issue in the past and we used some antibiotic and it helped and now it is back after a few years. I don't remember what antibiotic we used. The bump seems to have some liquid underneath the skin and affects her eye in a way she can't open it because the eyelids seem glued by the liquid. Any help would be appreciated!
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kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
How long has it been like that ?

How long did it take to grow that large ?

Definitely not good, and needs to be investigated by a competent reptile vet to determine exactly what it is and how to deal with it ( most likely will require a surgical procedure under a general to remove it).

Please don't delay having a reptile vet examine this .
 

babka

New member
Original Poster
It grew fast all of the sudden over night basically. It appeared yesterday, and luckily, didn't get any bigger or worse to this point. We used some anti-bacterial cream/antibiotic in the past and we could see fast improvement to a full heal in just a few days. I just don't remember what we used, but I'm trying to research now. I'll contact a vet too.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
babka":y92f68x6 said:
It grew fast all of the sudden over night basically. It appeared yesterday, and luckily, didn't get any bigger or worse to this point. We used some anti-bacterial cream/antibiotic in the past and we could see fast improvement to a full heal in just a few days. I just don't remember what we used, but I'm trying to research now. I'll contact a vet too.

OK in that case, you don't want it to
> damage his eye permanently ( such a fast growing lump can easily push an eye out the socket or cause a dragon to rupture the eyeball by thrashing about violent with it's head and it hits something hard and sharp this can be very bad news for the eye )
> for it to rupture and cause a serious systemic infection .

I think this is something that needs IMMEDIATE vet attention , I'd be calling the nearest reptile vet and telling them you on the way with a very sick dragon .

If it's an abscess or cyst of some kind. The correct meds are needed to kill the germs , but this still leaves an pus filled reservoir and the tissues that were in direct contact with the infection , it's got to be surgically drained and the contaminated infected tissues surgically debrided and then a course of properly targeted antibiotics to ensure all the germs in the blood are killed else it will return .
This is not something that is treatable by home remedies and off the shelf ointments or honey treatment.

The fact that it's returned and swelled so fast is a strong indication that the vet's treatment in the first case was inadequate and left some germs in the reservoir that only needed something to compromise the dragons immune system to come back again as bad or even worse than before.
Proper pathology tests are needed along with surgery to clear this up followed up with targeted antibiotics.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Poor baby, she looks pretty sad + is thin as well. Until you get her to a vet you can apply raw honey to that area, including directly on the eye. Raw unpasteurized honey is a natural antimicrobial. Just add a tiny bit of warm water to thin it out + make it easier to apply. Then be sure there are no loose insects in the tank to bother her, they will go after her head.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I agree. She does look pretty sad there. Can you get her to the vet quickly? It is most
likely some type of abscess/infection but hopefully not an aneurism.
When it appeared last a few years how long did it stay swollen?
Try to keep her comfortable & warm overnight as well as laying in a position to where there
isn't any pressure on her head & eye area.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
I'll add that using the same antibiotics as before will be pointless, as it's highly likely the germs that in this "growth" are immune to it , essentially they've become "supergerms" , so the will have to take a sample to send off to pathologist to culture and identify the antibiotic or mix of antibiotics that will kill it .

Don't let the vet fog you off to allow the vet to shoot in the dark , your dragon's life depends on the correct antibiotic and proper treatment at this stage as it's obvious it's already critically ill.

Please don't delay getting her to a competent reptile vet. Raw honey or off the shelf home remedies wont cure this.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

Poor thing.

I agree, a timely vet appointment is what needs to happen at this point.

While raw honey won't cure it, it also won't hurt. So there is no reason to brush that off to the side. It can only help.

Do you think you'll be able to get a vet appointment today?

In the mean time, can you go over your setup with us? Your dragon is going to need exceptional husbandry to have the best fighting chance :)

-Brandon
 
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