Silkback with terribly injured arm

[Annalee]

I rescued a bearded dragon today from a breeder who had left his bearded dragons with a pet store who apparently do not properly care for their animals. I'm going to post in the forum about it in the intro section but this post will be strictly about his medical needs.

His arm was badly damaged by a much stronger larger dragon that the pet shop kept with him in a tank. His leg is limp and he drags it around. Here's some pics of the damage :





He seems otherwise healthy. He's very perky but he's visibly darker than he is supposed to be. I'm guessing from the pain or the stress. Hopefully he'll brighten up.

Does anyone have any suggestions for treatment? Some of the spots are dark and that worries me. I'm worried his little arm might need to be amputated.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Annalee...it's nice of you to take in the poor little thing ! His arm may actually heal O.K. if it doesn't become infected. Right now it's not very swollen, so that, along with his being active, are good signs. What you can do is get some Betadine and mix with water to look like weak tea. Then dab it on his arm with a cotton ball for about 5 minutes twice a day. After it dries apply some Neosporin or other antibiotic cream. You can also do a shallow lukewarm bath with Betadine but be sure he doesn't drink it. It may be better to just dab it on. It looks like he may lose a toe or 2 , but hopefully the arm will be O.K. If it heals O.K. he will probably start using it again after a couple of weeks. If it gets much worse, he'll need a vet.

 

[Annalee]

Hi Annalee...it's nice of you to take in the poor little thing ! His arm may actually heal O.K. if it doesn't become infected. Right now it's not very swollen, so that, along with his being active, are good signs. What you can do is get some Betadine and mix with water to look like weak tea. Then dab it on his arm with a cotton ball for about 5 minutes twice a day. After it dries apply some Neosporin or other antibiotic cream. You can also do a shallow lukewarm bath with Betadine but be sure he doesn't drink it. It may be better to just dab it on. It looks like he may lose a toe or 2 , but hopefully the arm will be O.K. If it heals O.K. he will probably start using it again after a couple of weeks. If it gets much worse, he'll need a vet.

Thank you for your reply. I will definitely do that. I stopped to get some collard greens and groceries today after I got him home and settled and forgot to pick up some lotion for his skin so I'll pick some up tomorrow when I go back to the store. I hear Utterly Smooth Lotions good for silkies due to the lack of chemicals and such in it. Am I right?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, that lotion will work, but aloe with no alcohol or harsh additives is really good too, plus it can soothe wounds as well. By the way, I didn't really look at his head the first time, it looks like he may have been bitten there as well, but not as severely. Do you have small prey items for him ? Small Phoenix or Reptiworms, 1/8 or 1/4 inch crickets [ never leave them in the tank with him, they can chew on his sensitive skin ] If you offer small crix, shake them up to get them dizzy and easy to catch for the little guy, and drop them one at a time right near him. Also small dubia. Avoid mealworms for sure. For greens go for turnip + mustard. Collards are good but they are tough for babies, so you need to chop them very fine. Offer water to him twice a day with a dropper to be sure he stays hydrated.

 

[Annalee]

Yes, that lotion will work, but aloe with no alcohol or harsh additives is really good too, plus it can soothe wounds as well. By the way, I didn't really look at his head the first time, it looks like he may have been bitten there as well, but not as severely. Do you have small prey items for him ? Small Phoenix or Reptiworms, 1/8 or 1/4 inch crickets [ never leave them in the tank with him, they can chew on his sensitive skin ] If you offer small crix, shake them up to get them dizzy and easy to catch for the little guy, and drop them one at a time right near him. Also small dubia. Avoid mealworms for sure. For greens go for turnip + mustard. Collards are good but they are tough for babies, so you need to chop them very fine. Offer water to him twice a day with a dropper to be sure he stays hydrated.

I've had babies before. I've got him on collards, repti bites and dusted crickets right now. I offered him a cricket earlier and he didn't really respond to it. I know he likes them so I'll try again when he settles down a bit.