Her eyes are not getting better

[Saphira]

see previous http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=39767

We took her to the vet on Wed. He said he thought she had cysts on her eyes. He prescribed eye ointment and oral abx. He also said to feed her fishing worms and change her light to a uv light...

Her eyes are not better. I would think after 3 days of 2/day application I should see a difference.

She is still pretty lethargic but she can't see and her head hurts(my guess, why she keeps her eyes closed) She did eat one meal worm the other night.. so she has a total of two in a week... she usually eats about 4 every 2 days.

I don't know what else to do....

 

[Bellalee]

I don't know what else either.. I'm so sorry.. was this a herp specialist?

 

[Saphira]

I don't think so. he works on all animals. his reviews were good. I had to go 1.5 to get to him. I am on limited income..which doesn't help.

 

[Bellalee]

Understandable.. do you have a light on the cage..?? I wish I knew what to do to help..

 

[Saphira]

She does have the red over the tank heat as well as the uth. The uth doesn't keep it warm enough.

I am a Rachael btw too...good name!

 

[Bellalee]

for the name.. have you looked to see if there was anything rubbing her cornea or the other eyelid

 

[Saphira]

I can't see anything and have been careful to not pry open her eyes. She can open them but is refusing to do so... she had them open at the vet's office. but we were in a strange place.. at home ..she isn't opening them much at all. Her eyes are dark and there does appear to be stuff over them...like film....

 

[Lady_Kiya]

Could she possibly be going blind for some reason? Could the lighting be too bright? Perhaps stuck shed??

 

[snowgyre]

Fishing worms? UV light? Something tells me your vet doesn't really know much about reptiles. I certainly hope he meant mealworms and not earthworms. As for UV, leopard geckos don't need it to process vitamin D3 like diurnal reptiles do.

I strongly suggest finding another vet for a second opinion.

 

[Saphira]

I kind on wondered that... There is one other vet in the area that sees reptiles.. I can't afford to see her. The visit cost $125.... and that would have to come out of groceries..and I just can't.

 

[Saphira]

I can't imagine why she would be going blind. She has been so healthy up to a few weeks ago.

The vet gave me Metacam oral for her and Chloramphenicol ointment for her eyes.

 

[Lady_Kiya]

Hmm, that is so weird... I have no idea. All I can think of other than that is shedding. I notice when Ares sheds usually a film comes off his eyes too, so perhaps that got stuck and it is just awkward for her to open them?

 

[Saphira]

yeah she has shed again since it first happened... I was hoping that would fix it.

the rest of her looks great..

 

[Saphira]

so I noticed today that she has some skin on her eyes flaking off... What is that all about and why????

also she seems to be fading a little in color and she shed last week. is that normal? or a sign of something else?

She hasn't eaten about week... but is pooping and it looks normal..

 

[JordanAng420]

so I noticed today that she has some skin on her eyes flaking off... What is that all about and why????

I shoulda known this from the beginning, but I guess it's a lot harder when the patient isn't in front of you! She has some retained shed that is still on her cornea...which would explain why she's not eating, since she can't see her food...and she doesn't want to open her eyes because it's uncomfortable. She feels like crap.

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. However, i'm glad you have kept us updated. I'm going to go ahead and agree with Vanessa on this one, except i'm going to be a little bit more straightforeward...I wouldn't go back to this vet. He doesn't seem to know anything about herps...I get the impression he's trying to play "hero" when in reality he doesn't know what the heck is going on... You can probabbly get the skin to come off on its own by applying warm compresses to each eye 2 or 3 times a day...humidity is the key to getting it off. You can use a Q-tip soaked in sterile saline to try and work it off slowly each time you give him the "sauna" treatment. It should pop right off on its own.

IF you are unable to remove the skin from the eyes on your own, or if you're nervous to work with the eye area, then you should consider calling a vet. Call around your area and ask if any of the dr.'s see herps, how many/week/month & how often, etc.

Another thing that doctor should have told you...Chloramphenicol is a pretty strong antibiotic. Are you using gloves when you use it? Prolonged exposure in large amounts of it can be toxic to women. Another thing that doctor should have told you. Use it AFTER you get the retained shed off. Otherwise, you're just plopping it on top of what needs to come off. Warm, sterile water compresses to each eye should do the trick.

Good luck, Rachel...keep me posted!

 

[JordanAng420]

And the Metacam isn't necessary, IMO...it actually isn't even approved for use on reptiles, it's "off the label usage" for them (which they should have had you sign a waiver for, but I won't even go there) and all it's going to do is compromise her immune system and most likely annihilate her kidneys if its given for too long, and in the wrong dose...How much did he have you giving her?

 

[Saphira]

Thank you! That was really helpful. and it kills me that she feels like crap. didn't think I could get so attached to a rep...LOL I will discontinue the Metacam then. The chloramphenical is a 1% ointment. he told me to put it in her eyes twice a day.. Totally pisses me off that this is possibly making it worse and not better. I did wonder because I should have seen a difference after a few applications if it was going to work.

The closet herp vet wants $125 for the first visit. In that visit she checks them out and give you a thorough husbandry(?) education..LOL Probably worth the money. I truly wish I could afford it but I just can't.

 

[Saphira]

the dosage was .02ml once a day of the metacam and I am not sure how much I have actually gotten into her. Will boost her probiotics to help with her immune system.

no I haven't been using gloves with the ointment...

oh I have been spraying the whole cage with water too because she won't use her hide right now.

 

[Saphira]

ACK!! I don't know what is wrong.... She is really really lethargic today. There is no fight in her AT ALL. I think she might be dying. Also...her skin is really faded like she going to shed again but she did last week. Here are some pictures.

 

[JordanAng420]

PM sent...