URGENT reply needed from EXPERTS! re: EWD LEG MISSING :(

[MoreliaMatt]

hey all, sad times tonight.

had put my 2 ewd's outside into a new outdoor enclosure (old rabbit hutch) and they were doing fine.... checking on them every 30 mins or so yesterday and today... theyre were all fine.. untill....

we went out and checked them and noticed blood allover the place and blood on biteys leg... upon closer inspection, his leg was missing! just below the knee and he had bone poking out.

a friends dog was around and was very curious about them being outside and was always watching them... there was a small gap at the bottom of the cage (its also raised on stilts) where the mesh had pushed away from the nails holding it in, obviously from the dragons pushing on it from the inside.

now we could not find the missing leg so we can only assume that the dog has it in his belly. from the look of the injury and the bonesticking out it looks like he may have bitten and stripped the leg off the bone....

and no i didnt take any pictures for any people wanting to see the injury!

we rushed him to the 24 hour emergency vet, where he is right now....
the vet said that he will amputate the protruding bone and stitch him up. he said that it would heal over and bitey would adapt to a life on 3 and a half legs. he should be ready to be picked up in about 2 hours.

now for the questions i want people with experience to answer for me!

1. we have organised seperate indoor enclosures for both turbo and the injured bitey, because i dont want turbo thinking "yum, flesh!" and biting at the wound! good idea? i think it cant hurt....

2. loving the water and bitey even sleeps in the water most nights, is it advised to have no water in his recovery cage? or should i put in a small amount, enough to drink from but not enough to get into.... or will he be fine in water with his injury and stitches?

if anyone reads this and could reply with answers to my questions or comments could you please try to post asap so i know whats best when i pick him up from the vets!!!


thanks so much in advance!

Matt

 

[AustHerps]

I had to deal with a similar situation with a central netted dragon a couple of years ago.

Separate enclosures are a must. The little tacker will be stressed out enough, and shared accomodation will only cause more stress.

As to the water, I supplied enough to drink, but not enough to get into.

Also, is your overnight vet a reptile vet? I'd recommend keeping the wound coated in betadine (not the liquid, as it will dry, and thus dry out the site... use the lotion).

Hope all goes well.

Cheers,
Austy.

 

[junglepython2]

Ditto keep them seperated for sure, ask the vet about the water but I'd imagine just have enough for him to drink, or maybe even spray or feed him on some moist fruit for a bit.

 

[waterdragon]

Awww Im So Sorry To Hear, Hope He's A Battler, Is He Fully Grown?

 

[MoreliaMatt]

thanks for your quick replies guys!

austy, whats the betadine lotion? ive only ever heard of the liquid!

can i get some from a supermarket? or is it like vet stuff? also im guessing you dont have to dilute the lotion with anything?



the vet that he is at does deal with reptiles, but i have a feeling that the one we saw wasnt familiar with them too much....





hes nearly at fullsize.... hes 2 and a half years old

 

[waterdragon]

Good Luck!

 

[ex1dic]

betadine is like iodine, a really really rich brownie colour solution.. woolworths may stock
it but your local chemist will definately, used on humans to speed the healing process of cuts,
abrassions ect and also kill/prevent bacteria/infection.

 

[MoreliaMatt]

thanks for your replies everyone!

hes now back from the vets and in his own recovery enclosure by himself.
i got some betadine cream like austy suggested.

the bone was amputated and he was stitched up, looks very good compared to what it did earlier!

he seems ok, feel soooo sorry for the poor little fella!

cheers

Matt

 

[Nagraj]

Betadine should not be used on surgical wounds and animals which are being treated with antibiotics. It is antiseptic and antibiotic which means it kills organisms and 'healing tissue'. It will actually retard healing of healthy tissue.

It can be used to disinfect dirty wounds etc. but should not be used long term.

Solosite gel is recommended to aid healing.

 

[aussie manda]

oh poor fella i feel so sorry for him hope he is ok

 

[lol93]

Poor wee man. Hope he feels better soon!

 

[richardwells]

Injured Eastern Water Dragon

Matt,
1. keep on its own for about a month;
2. generally your vet should advise you on antibiotic treatments...but I have to say, if he has done a good job on the surgery, you will be quite surprised how quickly the wound will heal without any major effort on your part;
3. maintain optimal temp. in the enclosure - recovery will be much quicker that way;
4. restricted enclosure (say, something smaller and indoors as you intend) will tend to reduce activity and therefore reduce energy expenditure during the early recovery phase (first week);
5. depending upon the size of the enclosure, it probably would be OK to reduce availability of water to just a small dish (more for humidity level really, than drinking), then back to the pond/outside conditions after about a week or so (when wound has closed);

I do hope everything works out OK Matt. This is obviously a very serious situation and you are quite right to be concerned about the lizard's welfare. However, reptiles are amazing when it comes to recovering from such traumatic injuries. I have seen a few dragons in the wild over the years with partially missing limbs (including Eastern Water Dragons, Eastern Bearded Dragons and even a Burns Dragon (Lophognathus burnsi) which had a partially REGENERATING limb! Don't get your hopes up though that your lizards' limb will regenerate (although if it had been a juvenile...who knows?). They are a tough act to beat physiologically, and hence very adaptable to challenging situations like this trauma. Without understating the problem, I have seen them recover very quickly from serious injuries from goannas, cars, cats and dogs...but do beware that the injury that has been treated is not the only problem resulting from the attack. Sometimes internal injuries can also occur that may be not apparent until some days later when the lizard may start showing signs of trouble - like inactivity, abnormal colouration, loss of righting response, failure to open its eyes during normal conditions of activity or mouth-gaping etc. If the lizard is more or less behaving normally, with its head erect, and trying to move around its enclosure during the day...then this is a good sign. If your lizard is lethargic and unresponsive to the usual stimuli after a week or so just be on the guard for a secondary infection or other problem that your vet may need to treat.
Given a professional surgical job, coupled with the onset of the warmer weather and increased activity levels, your lizard should pull through very quickly and be running around after a few weeks like nothing ever happened ! (Hopefully!)

Good Luck

Richard Wells

 

[MoreliaMatt]

hi richard!

thanks for your reply, very wise words in that post, and i thankyou for your help!

currently i have him inside in a smallish enclosure (approx 3ft x 2ft x 2ft).
this is heated by a heat lamp aswell as a heat mat, both on a thermostat with an ambient temp of 26ish and a basking spot of 30ish.

he is acting quite normal and seems to be recovering quite well, he is still active but he still hasnt eaten since the ordeal (sunday arvo)

we have a small water bowl in there for him, enough to drink from but not get himself or the wound submersed. have also been misting him with a spray bottle to keep him hydrated several times a day...

if there is anything i seem to be overlooking could you please let me know! i hope he makes a full speedy recovery! as we all do!

thanks again richard!

Matt