stig
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by stig on Oct 2, 2007 11:08:01 GMT -8
a few days ago i got a 3 months old iguana in a pretty bad condition.When i fed him the firs time he started eating like theres no tomorrow. So the problem is he has a broken finger on his left leg. So the problem is i don't have a reptile vet anywhere near (not in a 1000 miles)me to look at the injury so the problem is what to do with it?! Ive wrapped some gaze around it and cleaned it with Jodi and alcohol and immobilized it with some tooth picks so he cant move or scratch the finger. The finger is not bleeding and its not infected so what do i do?cut it off or leave it?
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Post by prism_wolf on Oct 2, 2007 12:26:11 GMT -8
Just leave it. It's probably the starting effects of metabolic bone disease. With a good diet, UVB and the right temps...his bones will begin to get stronger and the toes will be less fragile. Zair...my 9 yr old ig...has several broken toes. He's done fine with them.
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Post by Jen on Oct 2, 2007 12:59:18 GMT -8
Its the crazy acrobatics that these guys do. I caught Cleo in a position and I thought for sure she was going to break all her back toes today
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stig
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by stig on Oct 6, 2007 7:41:33 GMT -8
 this is how the finger looks like now . the vet doesn't know what to do with it |
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 6, 2007 9:13:39 GMT -8
Oh...OUCH!  That's a badly broken finger. Can you buy some surgical tape from your vet? The stuff that they get is MUCH better than the crap you buy at supermarkets. You can use that tape to "buddy tape" the broken finger to the adjacent, healthy fingers. Just be sure to do so gently, you don't want to wrap the tape tightly...just enough to act as a makeshift splint. I noticed a missing fingernail on an adjacent finger also. What are you using on the bottom of the cage? Are you using any type of bark there or other particulate substrate? How about the sides and top of the cage? Is there any "chicken wire" on any of it? The reason I ask those questions is because those things are known to cause toe/finger and nail injuries. |
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Post by prism_wolf on Oct 6, 2007 9:21:27 GMT -8
Another thing you might do...and I was going to include it in the other post you have...buuut...since I'm here...  ... ...offer warm, shallow baths with what we call Betadine (povidone iodine) solution. It's great for offering topical antibacterial soaks which can get below the crud built up on the toe. Do this three times a day for a week then go down to once a day for another week. If it looks better than go to once a week until it's healed. Mix the Betadine with water until it looks like weak tea. Too much Betadine and it kills healthy tissue. |
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 6, 2007 9:31:59 GMT -8
Saw the other thread too, just now, V. I didn't realize the nail on the affected digit was gone. This is not good. Stig, please have a look at the other thread and ignore the "buddy taping" advice I gave. It looks like you have a more serious problem than what I thought. Prism's idea is good though. Until you can get your iggy back to the vet, try her suggestion and see how the finger responds to the treatment. Taking pics like you have already done is a good way to log progress.
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Post by Jen on Oct 6, 2007 10:03:58 GMT -8
I dont have any helpfull advice but the toe looks like it got smashed.
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stig
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by stig on Oct 6, 2007 14:10:44 GMT -8
ok,thank you for the advice.
The finger is missing the nail and whan i removed the dead skin underneith it was the bone , it looks crushed partially hanging by the thread.the wound looks infected and i am considering to amputate the finger before the igs condition gets any worse.the igunana is in bad shape and it appears pretty weak so i dont want to risk it. The Ig is 2 months old so get the finger amputated by the vet it will probabl grow back,if not the Ig will still be alive.
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Post by prism_wolf on Oct 6, 2007 14:36:09 GMT -8
Fingers do not grow back. This happens with tails only. Once the finger is gone...it's gone. It will be fine without it though.
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 6, 2007 15:29:13 GMT -8
Sretno! ;D
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stig
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by stig on Oct 7, 2007 0:23:12 GMT -8
hvala...
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stig
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by stig on Oct 7, 2007 5:42:14 GMT -8
Ok last night i started giving the ig some antibiotics and me and my vet opened the wound to clean it up and see the condition of the bones,everything was ok so i decided not to cut off the finger. Only after few hours the ig got its strength back and started to eat and behave normal. this is how it looks now,to color is normal and the injury is appears to be healing...the leg is wrapped in some bandages so you cant see it.   sleeping on my hand on the way back... |
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Post by prism_wolf on Oct 7, 2007 7:27:53 GMT -8
Did my post get deleted!?!
Never mind...different thread...:-) I got confused since I already answered this in another thread...lol. Coming home at 4:00 a.m. does nothing for the comprehension skills.
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Post by George-n-Me on Oct 7, 2007 8:59:23 GMT -8
thats so cute...I remember the days when george would sleep on me..It kept him alive this last ice storm, We lost power over the night and our house dropped dramtically to a dangerous level, George slept under the cover on my stomach with me that night.. in the morning after we got all of our horses watered and taken care of we went to the hotel...george came along..they werent going to tell me I could take him in :-P...good times
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That's a badly broken finger. Can you buy some surgical tape from your vet? The stuff that they get is MUCH better than the crap you buy at supermarkets. You can use that tape to "buddy tape" the broken finger to the adjacent, healthy fingers. Just be sure to do so gently, you don't want to wrap the tape tightly...just enough to act as a makeshift splint. I noticed a missing fingernail on an adjacent finger also. What are you using on the bottom of the cage? Are you using any type of bark there or other particulate substrate? How about the sides and top of the cage? Is there any "chicken wire" on any of it? The reason I ask those questions is because those things are known to cause toe/finger and nail injuries.
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