Unusual looking shed concern

[sean8172]

Demani has some shed on his tail that just doesn't go away. This is the second (possibly third) shed he's had that it has stayed through. There are small sore like areas on the shed, as well as something that looks to be blood. I was hoping maybe someone might have some input.

Thanks

The first picture is what his tail looks like pretty much all the time, for the last few days. The second picture was right after his bath last night.

 

[river-7]

Good call Sean; it doe's look a little concerning i am sorry as i have not seen this before but i would wait for Germ or Budda-to come a long as they have more expeirnce then i do. but very good call in noticing that. river-7

 

[Germ]

The dark spots do not appear to be scabs to me in the pic, but pics can sometimes be deceiving. It could be retained\stuck shed that could possibly choke off the remainder of the tail in time. I wish I could be of more help on this one, but in my opinion, this is one for a qualified Vet to have a hands on look.

 

[sean8172]

I will make an appointment for him to see his vet tomorrow. Thanks Germ.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@sean8172....Just saw your PM...Glad you got an appointment with the vet to have that checked out and I agree totally with Germ that it's best to have the vet take a look. The thing that would concern me is that you mentioned it being the 2nd or 3rd shed that the issue has persisted thru and that you mentioned the sores. Those sores could just be tender flesh because the shed wasn't ready to come off but there could be underlying issues causing that same area to repeatedly have probs and always a chance for bacteria or fungus to get a foothold and complicate things further. Your vet should be able to diagnosis if it's just a sticking shed and give you some ointment to treat the area with to get it healed up. There are very good and effective home remedies for lots of issues that come up with these dragons but first you have to be sure of what you are dealing with and unfortunately looking at photos instead of seeing in person some conditions look very similar. I wouldn't worry too much though because sticking sheds are very common so hopefully that is all it is
Good luck at the vet appointment and look forward to hearing what they say so be sure to update us.

Enjoy!

 

[sean8172]

The more I think about it, this is the first shed that's been that way, in that spot. His shed was sticking in a different spot before.

 

[sean8172]

@Buddha Any home remedies that you feel could help, I would be more than willing to try. The vet didn't have an opening for a couple weeks. I would love to help any I can in the meantime.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Its real common for spots to stick on occasion. Sometimes giving extra soaks during a shed will help them. Mungi sheds in patchs and bits and pieces even moreso as he gets older. I would still have it checked by the vet to be sure and as Germ pointed out you have to be careful about stuck sheds around particularly tails and toes cause they can lead to the loss of those extremities due to the blood flow getting cut off. It can cause a gangrene or tail rot situation which it not fun. Also anytime you have sores or open wounds on reptiles there is potential for infection so again best to be sure of what you are dealing with and a qualified vet can certainly tell you for sure besides that he/she seeing things in person can better show you things you need to watch for in the future and enable you to catch and remedy issues quickly before they get out of hand.

Check you PM!
Enjoy!!

 

[sean8172]

Maybe you should check your PM. I already replied.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Nothing worse than playing "PM Tag"...lol...replied

 

[sean8172]

An update on Demani. The bare spots on his tail in my pictures gradually turned a dark brown, then black. I was unable to get him to the vet. I made an appointment with the only reptile vet I was able to find in my area, unfortunately, his appointment was canceled, because the vet had a family emergency. I am now pretty much convinced that this is shed build up. I have been soaking him daily (or every other day), and applying a diluted betadine solution, as well as using some triple anti-biotic ointment. The black spots have gradually come off, as well as the shed that was under his tail (that you can't see in the pictures). Today, while he was getting his bath, I gently rubbed some of the shed. It came off immediately, and easily. My concern now is the area under where the shed build up was, he is completely devoid of scales. It is only smooth skin. Is this normal? Was that area of shed not ready to come off? Most importantly (to me), will the scales grow back in that area? As usual, I am worried about my little guy.

 

[Pat B]

That is good the shed finally came off. Sounds like it was stuck pretty good. Does the tail look healthy?

 

[sean8172]

Thanks Pat. I think it looks healthy. He's sound asleep. I'll get a picture later today and post it, so all can see.

 

[sean8172]

Here is a picture of Demani's tail from today. You can see the "bare spot" I was talking about in it.

 

[Pat B]

When Spike lost part of his tail, I put neosporin on the end of it. It healed nicely and now just has a healthy stub. Since there is black still on Demani's tail I would take him to a vet. You really don't want to lose his tail.

 

[sean8172]

It's been a while since I posted an update on Demani. Fortunately, all this WAS simply stuck shed. Took some time, patience, and a lot of attention, but he's pretty much all better.

Took this today.

Oh, and Demani says...hello everyone!

 

[PatsyB]

He looks great! Glad that it wasn't anything more serious.

 

[Pat B]

Wow!! Nice looking tail! Wish Spike had one that looked like that!

 

[sean8172]

Knock on wood...we got lucky. The tip of his tail doesn't look nearly as pretty, but I'm still glad it got better. Thanks for all your support!