Cut on tail

[Gepard]

Came home from work to find cats had knocked out all the lights to Kisuke's cage and some of the mesh bent in. He's got a cut on his tail which I believe is from his cage and not the cat since the cat wouldn't have been able to get back out with the mesh bent in. I washed him (which he disagreed with strongly and spread water over the whole bathroom) I then dried him and cuddled him against me so he could warm up. I put some antibiotic on the tail though I think he's going to lose about a 1" section. He has warmed up and ate some superworms but I just want to make sure I know what to watch for on his tail so this doesn't become anything worse. I nearly had a heart attack when I came home and he was so unresponsive, thankfully it seems to have just been the cold.

 

[Tonja]

Sorry that happened to your baby! For his tail you can get some betadine or hibaclens from the drug store or walmart and make a weak solution <like weak tea for betadine, weak red koolaid for hibaclens> and soak his tail 5 to 10 mins in it. Take Neosporin or triple antibiotic and put that on it but, make sure it has no pain killer in it. You can also get unpasteurized honey <natural antimicrobial properties in it> at a health food store and apply it liberally to the cut on the tail. Watch for infection in the tail, If there is any pus, abnormal heat that's what you watch for. As the tail heals it may dry up and fall off but, keep an eye on the underside of the tail for any abnormal darkness creeping up the tail, you don't want it to turn black under the tail it start creeping towards the vent. If that happens you will need a reptile vet to look at it. It would help if you could post some pictures also. You may want to increase the tank temp by 5 degrees to boost her immune system. Keep her tank very clean to help prevent infection and remove anything in her tank she can further injure her tail on or cover basking logs with soft washcloths to help stop her from catching the cut on her tail and tearing it further. hope this helps.

 

[Gepard]

He's acting fine, healthy appetite and energy level (he jumped past the cat to check out the cat tree today) But I do notice some black on his tail. Not sure if it's rot or just scabbing from the little bit of bleeding. He lets me put the ointment on without a twitch so it's not bothering him. Photos below:

IMG_1319 by GepardK, on Flickr


IMG_1320 by GepardK, on Flickr

 

[BrianB]

That looks serious enough to warrant a vet visit.

 

[diamc]

That looks serious enough to warrant a vet visit.

I have to agree.

 

[Gepard]

I'm curious as to what about the look of it makes you say that. I'm looking to get to a vet sometime Sunday or Monday but I'm interested in knowing what to keep an eye on. He's very active today with a shedding belly he's got to rub on everything so I'm just keeping some ointment on the tail and checking on him frequently.

 

[diamc]

The blackness on the inside is the concern as that area looks like it is dying and it could spread. May also spread to a systemic infection which is not good. If the inside was pinkish, it wouldn't be as much of a concern.

 

[Taterbug]

It looks quite damaged, and I can't tell if it's swollen for there is a chunk missing. They hide pain very very well so it may infect bother him. If it gets infected, it can spread and be fatal. Depending on how severe the vet feels it is, they may amputate the tail so the wound can heal clean and safer. They may feel it is clean enough to simply use topical ointment.

 

[diamc]

I agree with Taterbug that they do hide pain very well so the sooner you can get him to a vet, the better.

Be sure to keep him warmer at night, about 80 degrees as that will help his immune system. Do you have a ceramic heat emitter?

 

[Gepard]

Yes I've had the CHE on at night for him.

 

[diamc]

Do you know what his tank measures at night with the CHE on?

 

[Tonja]

Glad you all piped in. I told her all of this but happy you all reinforced it. It does look pretty bad and concerning. I would definitely seek a vet, they may have to amputate part of the tail if its infected with tail rot or infection from that wound. It should be pinkish and not that black. That's what I had tried to tell you to also watch for.

 

[diamc]

Yes, the vet may have to amputate part of it. By the way it looks, it's not going to clear up by itself and can spread further up the tail & infect his whole body. Please get it looked at asap.

 

[Gepard]

His temp in the tank ranges from around 75-90 with the CHE at night, he always sleeps on the warmer side, so he's in the mid 80's on his branch. As I said I'm trying to get to the vet but I'm epileptic and do not drive so it has to wait until I can get a ride. The colors have not changed and there is pink tissue visible just the one darker part of the wound and since I have never seen tail rot I wanted to make sure I was looking out for the right things.

 

[Gepard]

Just wanted to send out an update - family vet decided to see where things went rather than stress him out, didn't think black was anything but some scabbing so we've been watching him, using some honey on the cut site and his tail slowly died back to the spot and last night it fell off and left a nice clean pink end on his now shorter tail. Keeping up the honey until it's all finished healing but no signs of infection and the whole process went very painlessly.