Abscess won't heal...

[CooperDragon]

I agree that if he's still fighting and acting normal then you should give him all the tools within your means to fight with. Your vet is doing some fairly advanced work compared to what a lot of them can do for dragons. This isn't an easy issue though. Do you have a teaching veterinary hospital in the area? I used to drive 4hr to University of Illinois where they have some really advanced knowledge and tools available which makes a difference. University of Georgia may have some similar resources available. I'm not sure how far you are from Athens.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Also, I'm "iffy" about the tubes as well. It did grow a lot bigger when the tubes were added. BUT the top tube has almost completely slipped out, and it's such a pain breaking through the hard, greenish scab that forms on top.

My vet wants to close it Friday and "leave it be" to see how big it gets. And if it gets too big, he said we might need to think about putting him down. NOT gonna happen over this. He eats and plays and I'm so sad my vet is giving up. He's my only nearby vet. I drive 45 minutes for him twice a week.

Is obvious , but what are using to clean your hands and the syringe before each treatment you do on the abscess ? I'd recommend F10 handwipes (they are vet strength antibiotic handwipes and are reputed to kill ALL infectious agents on your hands and are non-toxic to humans and reptiles and other animals including all reptiles are definitely worth buying while you are dealing with this nasty abscess).

Regarding using saline - it's probably an old wives' tail but it's well known that immersion of a open wound to clean seawater and soaking in it works wonders - apparently the salt has an antibacterial effect, also mixing up a strong table salt solution in boiled water , I MEAN STRONG !!!! as in YUCK to taste , and using that as your prehoney solution rince might work - dentists here often recommend this for treating mouth ulcers and abscesses in the mouth.

Also worth asking about using sterile medical maggots to help clean out the abscess rather than forcing your beardie to go through more surgery, the maggots eat only dead tissue and then leave.
(Was a treatment used by POWs of the JIA in Singapore and Malaysia to treat ulcers, abscesses and other festering wounds the AIF doctors who had access to no other medicines.)


I'd be pressuring your vet to get some cultures done, so he can prescribe and use better antibiotics or a mix of antibiotics that will actually kill off the bacteria. I would refuse to take "NO" as an answer.

Definitely worthwhile accessing expert vets at the local university if they are not too far away, a long drive to and from vet teaching hospital might be more stress than your beardie can cope with if it's a long way away.

Alternatively - Is there another reptile vet in a different practice who's nearby that you can seek a second opinion from ?

 

[Jessmvee]

Honestly, I clean my hands with antibacterial soap. I was using gloves from the vet office, but I've been cleaning it so much I ran out.

It just seems to be hardening with tissue and that's the tough part. The tissue forms and swells so quickly. As in hours.

I am very close to UGA and graduated from there. They are outrageous for a vet visit price-wise. I'm so broke from all these treatments...I'm fairly limited on what I'm able to do right now and that infuriates me. It's not his fault his mommy is poor. But 3 months of exotic vet bills and surgeries has really wiped me out.

 

[CooperDragon]

The vet bills sure can add up quickly, I definitely understand that. Vets are often willing to break the fees down into smaller payments to make things more manageable. A lot of them will be happy to work with you because the costs are often a problem for owners. A university may also have funding available to help with the costs of the bills. It's in their interest to be able to have access to a wide variety of cases so their students can learn so they may be able to put some of their funding into place. It couldn't hurt to ask them about financing options.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Honestly, I clean my hands with antibacterial soap. I was using gloves from the vet office, but I've been cleaning it so much I ran out.

It just seems to be hardening with tissue and that's the tough part. The tissue forms and swells so quickly. As in hours.

I am very close to UGA and graduated from there. They are outrageous for a vet visit price-wise. I'm so broke from all these treatments...I'm fairly limited on what I'm able to do right now and that infuriates me. It's not his fault his mommy is poor. But 3 months of exotic vet bills and surgeries has really wiped me out.

Yep, I was in the same boat , Puff's surgery was only a few weeks before Xmas , at a time when my land rates , power, water rates were due , and only a month after spending near $2000 on my car to do a major service .... yep .... all this happened at once and near cleaned my urgency acct out at the worst possible time of the year.
Being retired , money is hard to find for stuff that's unexpected and not budgeted for. And I wasn't interested in going into debt (credit cards or finance company) to pay for Puff's vet expenses so I had no choice but to wait and save as best I could.

Look , like others here told me at the time --- don't beat yourself up over you inability to afford EXPENSIVE vet fees .... best you can do is try to keep the abscess from getting worse and to keep you beardie as comfortable as you can until you can set aside the funds (if you decide to get the vet to do more surgery).

Here is a link to F10 Wipes http://www.aussievetproducts.com.au/products/f10-wipes-100-pack . I use these when dealing with sick or injured lizards (pets and rescues) , they are pretty cheap to buy and a pack goes a LONG WAY. I also use F10 -SC diluted 1:200 in a spray bottle for clean-ups and spot cleaning. I also have F10 barrier ointment that I bought when I was trying to help Puff .

 

[Jessmvee]

He's a class pet and my students are so sad. They have started a gofundme for him. it made me cry.

 

[CooperDragon]

That's very thoughtful of them. It sounds like you have a good group of kids there =)

 

[AHBD]

That's really sweet, I know that really means a lot to you. How is Stumpy doing today ?

 

[Jessmvee]

We haven't raised any money yet, but it's the thought that counts.

He's worse today. The swelling is incredible. We are waiting at the vet now. I'm a nervous wreck.

 

[AHBD]

Had the vet taken a culture yet ? I can't remember for sure what you said about that. If not , ask him to take a culture....it will probably take a little while to get the results though. It would have been the thing to do right when the swelling started to figure out what is going on. Poor Stumpy [ and you ] I wish you the best !

 

[kingofnobbys]

my thoughts are with you, I remember how I was while at the vet and waiting to take Puff home or hear what happened in surgery .... I was SO STRESSED and SO ANXIOUS and SCARED (for Puff).

Your beardie is a lovely pet and I hope the vet can save him and he comes through this OK.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am so sorry his eye is swelling up again like that.
How did it go at the vets today? I agree, a culture needs to be done if it hasn't already to be sure he is on the correct med to target the infection.
I think the honey will really help, but don't think putting him down yet is the answer though. He still has a lot of fight left in him!
It is very difficult when things start running up in cost, I really hope things improve & the Gofundme helps out.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[Jessmvee]

As an update, the vet went in to explore with one more minor excision and local anesthetic. He said it is a huge purple tumor growing very deep. I just don't understand how a tumor grew in a week from when it was flat.

He said a biopsy would just be wasted money because surgery is the only option. But he said the surgery is very risky and he wouldn't recommend it until I'm ready to accept the fact that there's a good chance he won't make it through.

He closed up his wounds, which are still swelling, and wants me back weekly to check the infection. He isn't charging me for the check ups.

He said there just isn't anything to do except surgery eventually, and even if he makes it through it could be malignant.

I'm so very devastated. It's a sad state to see a grown woman sobbing while holding her dragon.

 

[AHBD]

I'm soooo sorry, I wish there was better news for you. How devastating for you....I'm sad along with you. Others care too....they all wish there were some other diagnosis . Is the drain still in ? Does this vet have a lot of experience with dragons ? Not to say that he doesn't, it's just that it's come down to this and it's so hard for you to know what to do.

 

[Jessmvee]

He says he has a lot of experience with them. Who knows.

The drains are out. He said they weren't doing much good. I want to try and convince him to use local anesthetic and remove it since it's so close to the surface, but he didn't seem like that was possible. I would do it now if we didn't have to put him under.