SURELY NOT A BITE??

[BDGHTY]

Sorry for the long post!
Found a black lump on my beardie in May this year, which the post is still on my account.
A few months past and it got slightly bigger so I decided to take him to the reptile shop we bought him from however was advised that it was a cricket bite, he said the area wasn't infected. Just cover the area in Iodine. Keep an eye on it.
So we did.
Fast forward to middle of October, the lump was still there. Off we went back to the shop for more advice. Was reassured it was a bite and that sometimes it creates a "core" which needs to be removed. Was told to bathe him few times a week to soften the skin and that would help ease it out, when its out use Manuka Honey 10+ on the sore to create a barrier.
The tank has been disinfected before putting him back in his viv with the wound.

Now I will post photos of the result of it all...
Surely this cannot be normal? Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

A little info on the beardie:
-Hes not lost any appetite at all.
-Still normal behaviour and didnt seem to be in pain during the bath in which it was removed.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[AHBD]

Wow, if that WAS a cricket bite, it got infected pretty badly. I've never seen a crick bite like that so it may be something else. So they advised you to pluck the core off of it ? Yikes ! I DO agree with the raw honey use though, that is about the only good advice they've given you. I must say that it would be good to have a certified [ and only certified ] reptile vet look at it. In the mean time, honey will help it to heal but be sure there are no loose crickets in the tank.

 

[BDGHTY]

Wow, if that WAS a cricket bite, it got infected pretty badly. I've never seen a crick bite like that so it may be something else. So they advised you to pluck the core off of it ? Yikes ! I DO agree with the raw honey use though, that is about the only good advice they've given you. I must say that it would be good to have a certified [ and only certified ] reptile vet look at it. In the mean time, honey will help it to heal but be sure there are no loose crickets in the tank.

Thanks for the fast reply! Its been a family run shop for a long time so was keen to take his advice. He tried to remove the core on the second visit but said it wasnt ready so bathe and it will come out easily with a cotton bud when its ready. Which it has done. Literally "popped" out. But really concerned when i saw the aftermath.... wanted to get advice in the meantime until his appointment at the vets.

No cricks in the tank as its been turned upside down, but currently keeping an eye on the tank as the uvs out for the night, see if any head for his food dish.

 

[kingofnobbys]

So have you taken the dragon to an actual reptile vet ?

I'm quite disturbed by the poor advise already given by the petshop. By removing the "head" from the abscess / ulceration you've now made it even easier for pathogens to enter the wound.

If that's a bite , I think it's more likely a spider bite , some spiders have very nasty hard to treat flesh eating bacteria in their bites , a swab needs to be taken to determine exactly what is cause this abscessed ulcer to form , and likely some surgery to debride the area and ensure no more infected flesh remains else this will be back and will likely spread and cause a nasty systemic infection.
Manuka honey applied to the site wont hurt (so long as there are no insects in the viv who will be drawn to the honey), but I think this infection is well past home remedies and it will be very sore for the dragon too.

I suggest a urgent appointment with the reptile vet.

But if you have wait a day or two to get in, I recommend bathing the ulcer using 1/4 strength Betadiene soaked surgical swabs, simply aspirate 1ml of betadiene and then 3ml of sterile saline or boiled tap water (cooled) into a syringe and then soak a small sterile surgical swab in a wound dressing kit's tray and apply the soaked the swab to the "ulcer" and leave it there for 10 mins at least once per day.
A 5ml syringe , surgical non-woven swabs , and wound dressing kits are all available at the drug store.

An even better interim treatment is to apply F10 barrier ointment to the "ulcer" see http://www.chemicalessentials.com.au/f10-skin-treatment.html
and
http://birdsville.net.au/7023-2/

 

[nathb1]

So have you taken the dragon to an actual reptile vet ?

I'm quite disturbed by the poor advise already given by the petshop. By removing the "head" from the abscess / ulceration you've now made it even easier for pathogens to enter the wound.

If that's a bite , I think it's more likely a spider bite , some spiders have very nasty hard to treat flesh eating bacteria in their bites , a swab needs to be taken to determine exactly what is cause this abscessed ulcer to form , and likely some surgery to debride the area and ensure no more infected flesh remains else this will be back and will likely spread and cause a nasty systemic infection.
Manuka honey applied to the site wont hurt (so long as there are no insects in the viv who will be drawn to the honey), but I think this infection is well past home remedies and it will be very sore for the dragon too.

I suggest a urgent appointment with the reptile vet.

But if you have wait a day or two to get in, I recommend bathing the ulcer using 1/4 strength Betadiene soaked surgical swabs, simply aspirate 1ml of betadiene and then 3ml of sterile saline or boiled tap water (cooled) into a syringe and then soak a small sterile surgical swab in a wound dressing kit's tray and apply the soaked the swab to the "ulcer" and leave it there for 10 mins at least once per day.
A 5ml syringe , surgical non-woven swabs , and wound dressing kits are all available at the drug store.

An even better interim treatment is to apply F10 barrier ointment to the "ulcer" see http://www.chemicalessentials.com.au/f10-skin-treatment.html
and
http://birdsville.net.au/7023-2/

Like others have suggested you should go to the vet since you done this yourself. Like king said some bacteria can get in it and cause an infection. I dont think honey would suffice to treat this big hole. Only a rep vet should have removed the mass because they know what after care is needed. Id be afraid of the wound getting infected mostly ...

 

[AHBD]

Actually raw honey is used on huge ulcerated wounds , even in a children's cancer center in Bonne Germany. It doesn't allow bacteria to grow but heals + promotes tissue regeneration because it contains amino acids.

 

[nathb1]

Actually raw honey is used on huge ulcerated wounds , even in a children's cancer center in Bonne Germany. It doesn't allow bacteria to grow but heals + promotes tissue regeneration because it contains amino acids.

Thats is interesting! What I dont like about the honey its sticky! That wound is on the shoulder so its better but when the wound is on feet or belly everything little particle clings to it! And I find its take a long time to heal a reptile skin...Dixie had a litte skuff under the belly, due to her being outside and running around think she rubbed her belly on something and its took a month ... was slowww. And it was size of a pea nothing like this.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, it's bad when the wound is in direct contact with the ground, then any ointment catches every bit of debris. A good piece of gauze + tape to secure it helps out in those situations. and another benefit of the honey is that it doesn't stick to the wound when changing a dressing.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Update please .

Has a vet examined and taken a swab and bloods to work out exactly what you are dealing with ?

 

[BDGHTY]

Update please .

Has a vet examined and taken a swab and bloods to work out exactly what you are dealing with ?

Been to vets, it has started with a cricket bite which got infected. No Problems with the core being removed. 2 sets of Anti-biotics over a couple of month, and possibly surgery in future. Things are looking good!
Thanks for all the replys!

 

[EllenD]

I'm glad he has seen a vet and put on antibiotics, I don't believe it was a cricket bite either though, it's simply an abscess (encapsulated pocket of "infection", aka white cells and pus), not a "core", lol. Abscesses can be caused by many things, but a cricket bite would have to be neglected for it to form a sub-dermal abscess that badly, meaning you would have noticed the bite festering externally long before the abscess started to form under the skin. I would not ever go back to that pet shop/reptile shop for medical advice again, because had that abscess ruptured it could have cause him a septic infection, it should have been drained by a vet long ago, and then given antibiotics. I understand a mom and pop reptile shop making up words for things they've seen before, like calling the abscess a "core" or whatever, but the problem with telling you that is that calling it the "core" of a cricket bite lessens the seriousness of it. Had they told you "He's got a wound of some kind that has gotten badly infected and formed an abscess under his skin" that would have most likely indicated to you that he needed a vet. He's very lucky it didn't rupture and cause a very serious, systemic infection.

When in doubt, take him to an experienced reptile vet.