Leopard Gecko Wound

Question
QUESTION: We own 3 leopard geckos and one of them has sustained a wound while shedding.  She somehow has ripped her skin down to the flesh, but it was not bleeding.  The wound is on her side, just down from her "armpit" and all the ripped hide is appears to be in tact, yet at the base of the wound.  

We have had a past problem with her shedding, on her hand, that landed her a trip to the vet.  After a "there's not much we can do here" and $80 later, we were sent home with a cleaning solution and antibiotic cream to treat her; which worked and she had been doing great until now.  

While this injury is a more severe skin tear, I am wondering if the best care is to keep with the same treatment or take her in to the vet, yet again?  She seems to be acting in good spirits and has the same appetite for crickets and meal worms as before the incident.  We are mostly concerned for keeping it from getting infected and how we can best prepare the wound for a successful regrowth of the skin.

Thanks.

ANSWER: Hello Rhoda,

Wow I am sorry to hear that her skin has torn while shedding.  Do you have any pictures of her?
Do you have a moist humid hide/cave on the warm side of the tank?  
What type of substrate is she on?  Have you separated her from the others to put her by herself for less stress?
Which antibiotic ointment are you using?  
There is another cream you could try.  You could try silvadene that you can get from the vet or a cream called Thermazene, which is a silver cream & effective also.
That is great she is eating though, her appetite sounds very good.

Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

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


2/27   QUESTION: Yes, she was immediately separated and placed in 10 gal. tank alone.  Her substrate in this enclosure is paper towels (normally they are on reptile carpet).  She has a moist hide box that we made out of a plastic container with a bed of moist paper towels within.  We clean the wound 2x/day with chlorahexadine and then apply silver sulfadiazine cream once it seems dry.  The picture was taken on 2/27 about 1 week after she got the injury.  Her wound appears to be healing somewhat, and looks much better than before.  However, today we noticed that the skin has not reattached fully, but instead created more of a flap that could be lifted slightly to expose the "flesh".  The cream holds it in place and dries over it.  After flushing with the chlorahexadine solution, we gently rub off the excess that has dried with a q-tip (making sure to go in the direction with the wound), before applying the cream.  That's how we noticed the "flap".

Answer
Hello Rhoda,

Poor girl, that is quite a little wound on her.  Their skin tears so easily.  
Great, the paper towels are super for using as substrate.
The sulfadiazine is great so I would continue using that.  It is very good for expediting healing.  It sounds like it healed wrong, making a flap like it did.
I am not sure what needs to be done if the flap of skin doesn't heal or allow the skin to regrow over it enough to smooth out.  
I would give it a little more time, as reptiles do heal slowly.
Is she getting ready to shed again soon?
Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie