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Mouth Rot

22 13:27:15

Question

Scratch's mouth
Hi there, I sent a question your way a few weeks ago regarding my 2 year old female leopard gecko (her tank is between 93F and 82F, she usually has 2-5 gutloaded mealworms, she is under an infrared heating lamp all day as my room is generally cold) who hadn't been eating for a few weeks. After a trip to the herp vet she was diagnosed with mouth rot, and he gave me something called Gentocin to apply twice daily for two weeks. I've been applying it for the last 3 days or so as best I can. I was wondering when it would be safe to start trying to get her to eat again. I tried to entice her to have a mealworm this evening and she bit it once and then spat it out. How long does mouth rot take to heal? I have attached a photo so you can see how it looks, it was taken today (02/07/11). Is there anything else I can pair with the Gentocin to speed up the healing process? I have read on some internet forums that applying polysporin is okay I was hesitant to do so. Any general suggestions about treating mouth rot would be greatly appreciated as this is my first time dealing with such a problem.

Answer
Stick to the gentocin.  If it's not healed within 2 weeks, she'll need to go back to the vet.  Gentocin is an antibiotic.

Never use polysporin, or any other antibiotic ointment that is designed for external use, in an animal's mouth or eyes.  It's safe to use Neosporin ointment that does NOT contain painkillers to treat small scrapes or cuts on reptiles.  Betadine is also safe to use externally.

Mouth rot can sometimes be treated with diluted chlorhexadine solution, but I recommend just sticking with the antibiotics.

She looks like she's in fairly good condition, though it's hard to be sure without seeing her tail.  I recommend keeping her cage scrupulously clean (if you haven't disinfected it, now is the time to do so), and refrain from handling her apart from giving the meds.  Give her a week on the Gentocin before offering food.  (Calcium-dusted and gut-loaded insects, as many as she can eat in 15 minutes, are what she should be offered every 2 days).  

Right now, her mouth hurts.  You wouldn't want to eat, either, in her place.  Once her mouth feels better, she'll start eating again.  Use the antibiotic for the prescribed amount of time, even if she feels better, as stopping early can lead to antibiotic resistant infections.