EWD attacked by dog

[fishunter]

So ive just came home from work to find a very sick EWD in my backyard. It has one puncture wound to his back, not sure if theres any on his belly i didnt want to move him much.

He was clearly unwell so i took him inside into my only free enclosure a 3X2X2. Hes a full grown adult male and i know this is way to small for him but its better then nothing i suppose. Ive got him under a 125w basking light to keep him warm with a fresh supply of water and greens.

My question is, is there anything else i can do for him? Should i mist him daily with water for a bit of humidity? Is there anything i should be putting on his wounds (Beta-dine?); Id much rather bring him back to health myself before releasing him instead of handing him over to the vets (they seem to be putting down common natives these days instead of treating)

Any advice would be much appreciated...

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Hand him over to a wildlife carer, chances are they will have a better chance of caring for them than you, also it is illegal for you to keep it even as it is sick for more than a minimum period before contacting a carer. A carer won't put it down unless there really isn't any other option and is usually happy to release back to your yard if you ask for it.

 

[ianinoz]

He's lucky he found his way into your yard rather than someone else's, a lot of people would have been very scared of the big lizard and they could have done physical harm to it in trying to scare it away.

Had a wonderful encounter with a EWD yesterday and they are incredible lizards.

Keep us posted on how he's gping, would be a real shame for such a wonderful lizard to be put down because it's too much bother and not profitable for someone to give it the help it needs.

 

[souldoubt]

It is illegal to keep an injured animal (if you arent a wildlife carer) for more than 72hours in QLD - not sure about NSW, handing him over to a wildlife carer as said above is the best option but if you cant find a wildlife carer you could start by

Getting antibiotics, you could call a local vet and most will help out - you may need to pay them for the drug which is usually next to nothing because lizards dont weight much and you shouldnt get charged a dispensing fee.
I would try to prevent misting until the wound heals, getting it wet will predispose him to further infection. you would be better syringing him water or putting him in a shallow water bath so the wound stays dry. I would clean the wound twice daily with a warm salt water solution. Someone in the past has suggested grinding up cuttlefish bone (a natural antibiotic used by aboriginals) and make it into a reasonably thick paste then apply that to the wound. I have used it both orally and topically with good results - applying it once daily should do it.

He does need to be examined though because you (or a vet) needs to see how stable his spine it, if its obviously unstable(its pretty likely that hes been shaken) then he may require euthanasia or if its fairly stable he may recover well but will probably require some extra calcium in his diet than he would with no fractures.
Hope it goes well!

 

[fishunter]

Hand him over to a wildlife carer, chances are they will have a better chance of caring for them than you, also it is illegal for you to keep it even as it is sick for more than a minimum period before contacting a carer. A carer won't put it down unless there really isn't any other option and is usually happy to release back to your yard if you ask for it.

Im well aware of the legalities of the situation, i apologize if i made my post sound like i intend to keep him for longer then needed; all i want to do he help this little trooper of a dragon . I completely forgot about wildlife carers somehow that slipped my mind, since you live nearby do you know of any reptile wildlife carers that i can get in contact with?

 

[ianinoz]

Im well aware of the legalities of the situation, i apologize if i made my post sound like i intend to keep him for longer then needed; all i want to do he help this little trooper of a dragon . I completely forgot about wildlife carers somehow that slipped my mind, since you live nearby do you know of any reptile wildlife carers that i can get in contact with?

Wouldn't the local RSPCA have a list of carers ?

 

[fishunter]

Wouldn't the local RSPCA have a list of carers ?

I work near the RSPCA at Carrington so i might see if they can help; failing that ill call NATF; i believe they take in injured animals.

 

[PythonLegs]

Native Animal Trust Fund Toronto 0418 628 483

 

[GeckPhotographer]

The phone number for the Hunter Wildlife Voluntary Rescue group is 0428 776 590, that's all I know. Don't know any of them personally, right near me is a person that works as a vet and voluntary wildlife carer but they aren't reptile specialist and probably don't have the space for a water dragon, if you get desperate I can give them a go though.

 

[ianinoz]

Must be a lot EWDs about in this area (near Lake Macquarie / Gateshead) , I had one up my tree the other day, the local kids caught one and I had the privilege of handling it and stroking it yesterday, and now you've got this one.

Guess this is because we are blessed with a lot of large areas of bushland that the developers haven't cleared for housing yet , and there are lots of creeks.

Is there bushland near your home ?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

So many water dragons and I still don't have good pics of one. :/

 

[fishunter]

I'd like to thank everyone for their help but unfortunately he was too far gone.

He passed on about 10mins ago.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Damn that really sucks, condolences to the local water dragon community, and of course it is great that you did your best and at least tried to help.

 

[ianinoz]

 

[souldoubt]

Losing wildlife in your care is never fun, but it does happen. He had a much better chance of survival with you looking after him than being left in your backyard.

 

[ianinoz]

Are you sure he's dead ?

Might be very weak and might come good if you leave in an nice warm enclosure overnight.

 

[Riggsy]

Even if it's dead you still need to hand it over to a wild life care group. I think it's "Wires" in NSW. It would be a good exercise to find where it needs to go so in the future you can call them straight away. I've worked with "Wildcare" in SE Qld for the last few years. Dog attacks on lizards usually result in punctured internal organs so the lizard bleeds to death internally. If internal organs are missed the dog saliva starts a secondary infection which kills it anyway.
It pays to have handy the number of a local Wildlife Carer or group to hand wild reptiles over to. It is illegal to take a wild animal into your possession. Putting it into an enclosure just stresses it further and offering it any food or water is pointless.
On Sunday I found a female EWD in the middle of the road bleeding from the mouth and nose. It had been hit by a car in the last 15mins. I got it to a wildlife vet within 20 mins and they gave it pain relief and an xray finding skull fractures and it was also carrying eggs. Half and hour later it was at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary for treatment. That EWD now has every chance of a full recovery and also the chance to lay eggs and the babies will be released into the same area to re populate.