hallenhe
Avid Member
I've seen the term bandied about a bit, but am not entirely clear on it. Early this year, Thaxter did not complete a shed properly and lost the very tip of his tail (maybe 1/2 cm or less). A bit later he (apparently) burned his tail a bit, too (a picture in this thread) - it's a bit mysterious how he managed to do this, but that's beside the point now. The vet saw him in June, and we discussed the loss of the tip of the tail; the rest seemed okay at that point. The burns were discolored but flush with the rest of the tail and caused no apparent pain.
During his latest shed, the burn areas exhibited scabs and some oozing (see this thread); we went to the vet who found bacteria and began antibiotic injections. The tip of the tail was also having a bit of trouble shedding again; the vet looked at it and, when we left, the last half cm of tail or so was thin, black, dead tissue. The burns are a bit above that area; they look much better since the vet removed the scabs, but are still discolored, and extend to maybe an inch and a half or two inches from the tail tip.
We're halfway through the course of antibiotics. Thaxter has at no time slowed down or showed any decrease in food or water intake. My question is, shall I leave the tail as it is and take further action as warranted, or would there be any merit in having the tail amputated above the last sign of any visible injury (i.e. would this help prevent a progressive necrosis)? I'll be asking the vet this when we finish with the antibiotics, but wanted to hear from anyone with any experience with this.
If it's useful information, Thaxter may have somewhat impaired kidney function (based on Ca/P ratios from his June blood test). He's on oral calcium and, again, has showed no diminished appetite and is well hydrated.
During his latest shed, the burn areas exhibited scabs and some oozing (see this thread); we went to the vet who found bacteria and began antibiotic injections. The tip of the tail was also having a bit of trouble shedding again; the vet looked at it and, when we left, the last half cm of tail or so was thin, black, dead tissue. The burns are a bit above that area; they look much better since the vet removed the scabs, but are still discolored, and extend to maybe an inch and a half or two inches from the tail tip.
We're halfway through the course of antibiotics. Thaxter has at no time slowed down or showed any decrease in food or water intake. My question is, shall I leave the tail as it is and take further action as warranted, or would there be any merit in having the tail amputated above the last sign of any visible injury (i.e. would this help prevent a progressive necrosis)? I'll be asking the vet this when we finish with the antibiotics, but wanted to hear from anyone with any experience with this.
If it's useful information, Thaxter may have somewhat impaired kidney function (based on Ca/P ratios from his June blood test). He's on oral calcium and, again, has showed no diminished appetite and is well hydrated.
