Sore on lip *PICS

[RhiannonJade]

Hi Everyone!

I was feeding Ryu the other day when I noticed the side of his lip was a little bit droopy and puffy. I didn't think much of it until I pulled his lip back and saw that it is all crusty inside. Is this something that will clear up on his own, or should I take him to the vet to possibly get something to help it heal?

Good side

badside

inside the lip

Thanks!!

 

[Goonie]

That's a sure sign of an infection, which unfortunately would require a vet visit for antibiotics.
If left untreated, it could compromise his ability to eat.

 

[RhiannonJade]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I have made an appt with the vet today. So I will get him his medicine. Hopefully he didn't get it from anything in his cage or environment. :?

 

[Goonie]

Well, to be on the safe side, you may want to thoroughly clean his viv and all of the furniture.
Do you leave live feeders in his viv? Or is there anything sharp that he could've brushed against?

 

[RhiannonJade]

Ya I can clean his cage. I don't leave feeders in his cage and he just has the usual stuff like a cave and a bowl in his tank so I dont think he could cut him self. I'm thinking maybe he accidently bit his lip...?

We went to the vet and she gave us this brown cleaner and an antibacterial cream to put on twice a day, but the sore seems to be getting more red now so we will see if we need to take another vet trip.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[RhiannonJade]

I just got home for lunch today and I have noticed that Ryu's lip seems to be more swollen and red since we started using this stuff the vet gave us.

Is this normal when it is healing or is it getting worse? Keeping in mind it's not wet because it's oozing or anything, we put the cream on this morning so that's why it is shiny and looks wet.

The vet gave us 2 oz Betadine solution that we dilute in water which we use a q-tip to clean his sore with, and Flamazine cream, an antibactereal cream, which we spread on after we have cleaned it. So this should be making it better right?

Thanks again!

 

[Goonie]

What did the vet say about the sore? Was it an infection? Was it something deeper than what a cream could do?
I'm surprised that he wasn't given any antibiotics to take. Neither the betadine solution nor topical cream should've made it worse; if anything, it should've dried it out and reduced the swelling.

Was this vet specialized in exotics?

 

[RhiannonJade]

She said it was an infection but since it hadn't been spreading she decided to prescribe topical over oral.

and ya she is an exotics vet.

I also thought it shouldn't make it worse, I'm just confused by why it seems to be all red and swollen now as compared to before.

 

[Goonie]

You may want to call the vet and let her know that it is much worse today than prior to administering the topical cream, just in case it's something other than what she thought it was.
It just doesn't look good to me. Looks like it'd hurt alot too.

 

[RhiannonJade]

Thanks for the suggestion!

I phoned my vet and she is going to prescribe him a oral medication that i'll be able to pick up after work today.

Hopefully it will start getting better now!

 

[RhiannonJade]

So I picked up the oral medicine. It's called Anzithromycin. I give it to him every 3 days. He should be getting better soon. I'm going to keep putting on the topical stuff too just to be safe.

Thanks for your help!

 

[RhiannonJade]

Also quick question,

Should I be using a probiotic while he is on this stuff? I keep hearing about giving bearded dragons probiotics when they are on any antibiotics. If so, what kind and where would I get it from?

 

[Goonie]

I'm glad you called the vet and she gave him an oral medicine.
It can't hurt to give him probiotics. Antibiotics often kill off more than just the bad stuff, which could give your beardie an upset tummy and lose interest in eating.
Alot of people here use either plain soy yogurt or Bene-Bac (not sure if this is available where you're at).