Tonight I noticed that one of my new fat-tails, Mocha, has an injured back right leg. A couple toes are half-missing, one of the remaining toes has a little brown, hard thing on the end of it (could be a very contorted toe nail, but not sure), and the foot itself is swollen. I am trying to find out from Petco if it's been this way all along (I got him there less than a week ago) and I just haven't noticed yet, although it seems unlikely. The more likely scenario is that his toes got stuck under a rock in his home, which has slate layers as the substrate. He likes to climb on them, and hide between the layers.

I can't get a vet appt. until Sat a.m., so I'm wondering if I should go ahead and give him a shot of Cefotaxime/Claforam, which is what they gave us when my other AFT, Allison, had stomatitis. She died before we used all the doses. Is this something that could hurt him if it turns out not to be necessary? I think it's a pretty safe, prevenative proposition. But I thought I'd check with y'all first.

Thanks much,

Jennifer

I wouldn't treat anything with an antibiotic that wasn't prescribed for them.

It sounds like the toes might be necrotic because of retained sheds or injury.

Just make sure that the habitat is clean and free of threats and wait to see what the vet says.
Also make sure your humidty is right, because if it is retained shed it can be caused by bad sheds as a diresct result of too low humidty, subsequent bad sheds can compound the issue.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Lacey,

Thanks for your advice. Mocha hasn't shed since I've had him. In fact, the guy at Petco said he had just finished shedding when I bought him. Maybe something went wrong with that shed.

Since they've been here, I've been pretty meticulous about the temp & humidity.

The reason I thought of the antibiotic is that if it is necrotic, I'm afraid it will get much worse before Saturday!

Well, I'll just take your advice and hold out for Saturday.

Jen Gal

How did the vet visit go?

__________________

"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Hello,

Never give an abx that isn't prescribed to the particular reptile.

If the abx has nothing to fight, it helps the animal to build an immunity to the effectveness of the drug if they ever were to need it.

Most abx's are hard on the system and should only be used when necassary. There is no reason to subject an animal to them if it isn't needed. In all actuality, it could end up doing more harm than good.

Most abx's are catered to the type of infection the reptile has. Most doses are also determined by the weight of the animal. If the abx was for stomatitis, it may not be effective on whatever is wrong with this guy.

Since Sat. has come and gone, what ended up being the issue? Was it anything serious?

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Thanks for asking about the vet visit. What a caring community!

The vet visit was great. She said it is either an old injury that has healed, or perhaps a congenital malformation. I just hadn't noticed it yet. Nothing to worry about! In addition, she gave me lots of advice & info about geckos, based on her 25 yrs experience as an exotics vet. Among other things, she recommended a terracotta (sp) pot as a moist hide, because it won't attract bugs, it carries no fungus or other infecters (like moss can, according to her), and it hold moisture very well. She said to soak the little pot in water and it will soft enough to cut out a hole so they can crawl in. I'm gong to try it today. I'll let you know how it turns out. Of course, this is probably elementary info for all of you, but I am pleased that it solves a few of my viv problems.

She made other recommendations, including some I've never encountered - like avoiding bedding as a substrate (e.g. moss, sand, bed-a-beast) because it can cause anal prolapse, to which the geckos are already susceptible.

And, in addition to great advice and a thorough exam, it was free! My husband is a small animal vet, and she doesn't charge other vets. I couldn't believe it.

I FINALLY have the camera today, so I'll send pics, esp. of the deformed foot.

Again, thanks for following up about Mocha.

Jen Gal

Glad to hear the diagnosis was on the positive side.

__________________
Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Here are some pics of the deformed foot, as well as the normal side for comparison:

http://www.herpcenter.com/gallery/fi...tbackright.jpg

http://www.herpcenter.com/gallery/fi...otbackleft.jpg

http://www.herpcenter.com/gallery/fi...eetcompare.jpg