My bearded dragon is losing its tail

Question
QUESTION: My bearded dragon is losing its tail.  We got him two weeks ago and he was in the middle of a shed, his tail was the only thing left.  he soaked in warm water and the next morning, part of his tail was gone...since then it looks as though his tail is dying off little by little.  What can I do?

ANSWER: Hi Leslie,

It sounds like he might have a case of dry gangrene, commonly called "tailrot". It can start with an injury but it is also commonly triggered by retained skin from a previous shed. The old skin restricts the blood flow to the area resulting in tissue death. The tissue becomes dry and brittle and gradually falls off, it can also affect toes. Unfortunately, the infection can continue to spread until it reaches the body so catching and treating it before that is critical and far less expensive! It does usually require some minor surgery by your vet who will need to amputate slightly into the healthy tissue to arrest the spread. Because there is limited and poor circulation to the area, using systemic antibiotics alone does not tend to be affective. Topical treatments are also not well absorbed enough to be useful although both could be used in combination with the amputation.
I would really encourage you to see a vet soon. The procedure will still be quite quick and minor if it can be done in the thinner longer portion of the tail rather then later when it has progressed closer to the body.

This link discusses the condition a bit more:

http://www.anapsid.org/gangrene.html

This link will help you find a reptile experienced vet:

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My beardie is only about 4 inches long with full tail, will he survive the surgery, and will his tail grow back.  

Answer
Hi Leslie,

I'm not a vet but I believe that it would be done under a local anesthetic to the tail area (especially with such a small patient) so you would not have to worry about him not "waking up" afterwards. The vet would immediately control any bleeding as well. Talk to your vet about your concerns beforehand. From what I have been told, the procedure is quite minor. It becomes  more involved if the cut has to be done in the thicker, fleshier part of the tail closer to the body so catching it before it spreads that far is easier on your bearded. His tail will not grow back.