Black spot on top of chin

[BruniDragon]

Hello! Bruni is 2.5-year old male bearded dragon who has always been healthy and active. We just got back from being out of town for ~10 days. While we were gone we boarded him at a local reptile shop that other friends had used and spoke highly of. When we picked up Bruni yesterday we saw that he had developed a dark spot right at the tip of his chin. The shop thought that it was a bit of stuck shed and suggested soaking him to help loosen it.

Under magnification the dark spot looks pitted and like there might be one or two small pustules (though those could just be dried scales?). I called our vet, but with the July 4th holiday the earliest we can be seen is Tuesday. I'm worried that if it's a fungal infection or even just an abrasion, the daily soaks I am doing may actually make it worse. I would love any advice from more experienced caretakers on what to do between now and seeing the vet on Tuesday.

Other notes - Since we picked him up yesterday, Bruni has eaten, pooped (looked good), and basked. He's had time outside of his enclosure and ran around like normal with an alert and curious posture. He's been happy to be handled and seems to enjoy having our attention again. He has been scratching at his head frequently which could support the stuck shed theory.

 

[xp29]

Im not sure but that doesn't look like stuck shed.Claudiusx looks to be online maybe will have better infon for you

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Could he have been bumping up against his tank, repeatedly because you weren't home?
He probably has rostral damage from stress, staying at the petstore. They may not have
taken the best care of him or maybe he was around other animals in the room (seeing them
in tanks, etc) & just stressed himself out. It happens!
Do you have any raw unpasteurized honey? If so, you can go ahead & start treating that a
couple of times per day to help deter any infection. Poor thing, it does look painful.
You can clean it off with some diluted betadine daily as well.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[BruniDragon]

Thank you! I couldn't shake my uneasiness so I called around until I found another reptile vet (an hour away!) who could see him. She said it looked like a wound/ulcer and gave a course of antibiotics to ensure it doesn't become infected. Poor guy must have bonked himself or been rubbing his face on something when he was boarded . Hopefully he will bounce back quickly!

I'm also following your suggestions regarding the betadine solution and raw honey to help with the healing. The vet did say that reptiles tend to heal slowly so not to be surprised if it take some time until he's fully recovered.

Thank you for your help!

 

[xp29]

I hope his recovery goes well. We all always root for them

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh poor thing, it is probably really sore. I am pretty sure that he likely stressed himself just due
to him being in a different area, without you. Which antibiotic did the vet prescribe? I'm sure that
between the antibiotic & the honey, etc that it should clear up soon.
Yes, the vet is correct. Reptiles do heal more slowly than we do & mammals do, also. He will scab
over, then it will shed off initially. Then, it will probaby shed off again & maybe several times before it
is all healed up!
Let us know how he is doing!

Tracie

 

[BruniDragon]

The antibiotic prescribed is Sulfa and Trimethoprim/TMS 200mg/40mg per 5ml. He is getting .15 ml once a day for seven days.

It's not getting worse, which is great news! His behaviors are all still normal, too, so I'll keep up with the medicine and honey and give him time.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great to hear the chin is looking better & not getting worse! It will take some time for it
to completely clear up. At least he is still acting normally now. I'm sure that he's happy to be
home though with you.

Tracie