Stuck shed? Abscess or cancer??

[AHBD]

If you are able to get him to the vet sooner that would be good, but if not the extra 2 days won't hurt. Of course waiting is so hard , I know that you're super stressed. Best wishes to you + Ludo !

[KelG84]

Hey everyone, just realised I didn’t update on Ludo’s vet visit yesterday!

Ok, so the layers of stuck shed had constricted around his leg and the lump was intact an abscess that had formed. The last 2 weeks of antibiotics, baths, sprays etc have all managed to fix the abscess but unfortunately the damage to his skin/scales was too far gone and had already started to come away from his leg. The vet tried to flush out any remaining infection from inside the “hole” and the more he flushed, the more skin/scales came away. He said due to the constriction of the shed, his leg had become like a suit of armour and rock solid. No amount of bathing, she’d ease etc was going to remove it safely so he VERY gently with very little resistance managed to remove the “armour” Of course I had to take a picture and feel it myself and it really was solid!! No wonder the poor guy couldn’t move it. Anyway, he now has a pretty sore open wound that can’t be bandaged due to him having infection there before it came away and the vet didn’t want to risk holding in any remaining infection. I have to salt water bathe it every few days but the vet said basking is the best form of healing for him (aslong as I keep it clean) as the heat will aid his healing 🤷‍♀️ He was given a painkiller injection and an antibiotic injection (just incase) and will now always have issues shedding on that leg but it’s not cancerous, he hasn’t had to have his leg amputated and didn’t need putting to sleep so whatever care I have to give him from now on, will be worth it aslong as he’s still here! Unfortunately none of my family (apart from my son) are getting Christmas presents due to his vet bills as I’m a single parent but luckily they all love him as much as I do so they all understand! Lol (good job really as he comes first 😂)

I’ll attach a pic of his “armour” a pic of his VERY sore arm yesterday after his vet appointment and one of today and how much better it looks already! (He even looks like he has little scales ready to “pop” through.
Thanks so much to everyone for all your help and advice, I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on his rehabilitation ❤️

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[AHBD]

Look at that good boy eating already ! So that was an abscess then, that would have caused the problem and then the shed becomes irregular like that. If you get some raw unpasteurized honey it will heal faster and ward off any new type of infection since that's an open wound. Raw honey is the best thing for it and promotes tissue granulation. Don't bathe him at all while that's healing, water will introduce bacteria in to it and be 100 % sure there are NO insects, especially crickets or even dubia that will come out at night and gnaw on the leg. Glad to see Ludo doing better and I know you're feeling very relieved ! What's he munching on there ?

[KelG84]

I know! I actually thought he’d be off his food for a few days but he’s definitely still got his appetite!

I’ve ordered some manuka honey (think that’s the same as raw) and I’ve also ordered some f10 barrier cream, I wasn’t sure which to use as I didn’t want him getting in a sticky mess with the honey.

Today he had a mix of endive, lambs lettuce (just for hydration, he doesn’t get it everyday) and butternut squash with a sprinkling of bee pollen for his immune system. He has a different menu everyday just so he doesn’t get bored. His main greens are spring greens, peashoots or rocket and then he gets a different “topper” of squash, sweet potato, pepper, snap peas or radish. He’s gets fruit once every 7-10 days as a topper and they’re either strawberries, blueberries or raspberries and his live foods are either dubia roaches or locusts which he gets 3x a week.
How does this sound? Would you change anything/avoid anything?

Thanks

[AHBD]

Wow, he gets quite a variety. Are you in the U.K., I know that rocket is the name used there for arugula. So yes that's all fine , if you can get kale that's good too but go easy on the sweet potato since it's high in sugar. So yes, Manuka is great but any raw , even local from a beekeeper or health store is good. Do you have a link to the Manuka that you ordered ? And honey is the best wound protecter because it heals as well. If you Google " raw honey for wounds " both human or pets you'll find a ton of good info. I've used it on my own dragon's wounds with great results, even in an infected eye. I mixed it with 3-4 parts water to make it more fluid and easy to apply. IMO it's hand's down the best thing to use.

[KelG84]

Sorry for the late reply! Yes I’m from England so we have weird names for things 😂
The manuka honey came today (thanks Amazon prime lol) I’ll post a picture! Do I just mix a little with water and use a q-tip to pat it on?
Thanks for the help

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[AHBD]

O,K good, just use a tiny amount of warmed water [ don't heat it, just warm it ] to mix with honey. a very tiny amount is all you need and a Q-tip is perfect. The honey is beneficial for you to use as well of course so just scoop out the tiny dab of it daily or every other day with a clean teaspoon , just a smidge so you keep the rest of the honey clean , without adding dragon germs to the jar. You can use the honey for your tea, on toast and as usual but it's also good if you get any little cuts or scrapes yourself.

[KelG84]

Done and applied, he wasn’t impressed as his leg is a little crusty at the moment but I’m sure the honey will ease the tightness a little. Do I apply it once a day or a couple of times a day and is he ok to bask with it on his leg?
Sorry for all the questions 🙈
Thanks again

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, poor thing! I am sure it did not feel well at all, but it does look better & is healing up
too. I'm sure it wont take too long for the scales to start forming, either. The honey should
really help him out.
I am surprised that he is eating so soon afterwards but that is a great sign though!

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

[KelG84]

Hi Tracie

He’s doing great, he comes out daily for “physio” and his honey applied, he’s “hunting” for his bugs while he’s in his playpen (I don’t feed him in his vivarium as I feel like it’ll build his leg muscles back up if he has a larger space to catch his bugs) and his reward for being a good boy through the treatment is 5 minutes at the window checking in on the neighbours 🤣 Its his favourite place to be 🤷‍♀️ I’ll add some more pics from today and one of him in hunt mode as I can’t upload videos for some reason 😔 His leg has dried up lovely, you can see new scales underneath but it is still quite bruised in his elbow. I’m so proud of what he’s been through and how he’s just taken it all in his stride though 😊 New home/owner, feeling cruddy due to his leg, meds, baths, sprays and creams then practically having his whole arm taken apart but he’s still friendly, comes out with no problem and is just super chilled. I’ve had him 3 weeks now and love him so much already ❤️

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Thanks for checking in on him 🥰

[AHBD]

That's good to hear ! I like that " pink " beard . He really is a very tolerant boy for what he's going through, such a good temperament . Avoid bathing unless he's dirty, baths spread bacteria and any slight open wound , even a tiny one can become re-infected. Can you post pics of the leg ?

[KelG84]

Yeah he hasn’t had a bath since his leg came away as he had an open wound (which is now nice and dry) but he was having daily baths previously due to the stuck shed he came with, which resulted in the abscess.
I'm continuing with the honey daily but a section by his inner elbow looks to be coming away again 😭 I hope this isn't going to be an ongoing cycle for him where as soon as he starts to heal, it then peels away! I'll add some pics now but he won't let me open his arm out to picture the inside so it must be pretty sore 😔

https://ibb.co/Zgd79YJ
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Side note....they're not mites (the little black specs) he has a wooden ledge that isn't great as I didn't seal it before putting it in so it leaves little specs. I've ordered him a new one and will be sealing it and swapping them over as soon as possible

[AHBD]

It doesn't look too bad but there may be tissue damage under the scales higher up that you can't see. I can't remember but did you say he's on antibiotics ? Keep using the honey .

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, the area is looking pretty good. There could be some tissue damage that might take
some time to heal up. They are sure that it was not fungal? Continue with the honey to keep
it from getting infected & to help with healing.
Is he eating enough right now?
Just keep it clean & try to be patient, they heal very slowly.

Tracie