Hi, everyone I know I haven't been here in a long time, but I was hoping someone with more expertise might read this and have some useful information When fingers and toes die, do they just shrivel up and fall off or is a systemic infection likely? Background (Please read before you tell me I should see my vet): I have a healthy 3-year old Chinese Water Dragon. He's in tip-top condition, has a great appetite, and so on. I'm going to list the conditions of his cage because I don't think it's necessary. 6 weeks ago, he broke his ulna (a bone in his arm) near the wrist, probably from getting his hand stuck in his vines. We took him to the vet, who x-rayed him and confirmed the break. He wore bandage with splints for the entire 6 weeks. The bandage was changed every week by the vet with fresh gauze and flexible bandage. His ulna is healed. This was also confirmed by x-ray. About 5 weeks ago, he developed a small cut on his hand, and the hand and fingers swelled up. Our guess is that the swelling and bandage in combination caused some restriction of circulation to the fingers. I don't think the bandage is the main culprit because it was made such that it just barely stayed on the arm and held the splints in place. Two of the fingers have shrunken back to their normal size, but they are dark and are stiff. The quicks of the fingernails in that hand are also white, instead of pink. We told the vet that we think those fingers are dying/dead, but he says they are probably just unable to move because of the swelling. He prescribed Baytril (a broad-spectrum antibiotic). He's the most highly recommended reptile vet in town, so I'm inclined to trust his answer. The bottom line is that I can live with a lizard that has lost fingers, but I'm afraid that a dead finger can lead to something much worse. Cost is not a factor. I'm willing to pay whatever I need to to get the job done. Thanks in advance
hmmm, I'd go ahead and keep him on the antibiotic the doc prescribed for him and hope he doesn't lose any fingers. Not much else you can do other than maybe reliving some of the pressure on his hand?