Red mark by mouth, swollen cheek

Alisha Hawkins

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Hi there, little vodetort had some fibres caught on the side of his face from a cloth last week which i soaked off immediately with warm water and ive been keeping an eye on him since (the offending cloth is no longer accessible). Over the past couple days the side of his face where there fibres got stuck has swollen a little and he has gained a little dark red/brown lump by his mouth.
Hes having no trouble eating right now, infact eating any food you put infront of him at all, and allows me to touch the swollen area and brown mark.
Im booking him in to the vets tomorrow morning as soon as they open but would love a second opinion... is it mouth rot? An abscess? Any ideas are greatly appreciated 20180207_231054.jpg20180207_231027.jpg20180207_230524.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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There might still be something stuck in there. If there's a scab I would pick it off and have a look.
 

Alisha Hawkins

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There might still be something stuck in there. If there's a scab I would pick it off and have a look.
The red mark doesnt appear to be a scab if im honest, if it is then its really attached on there, so i am worried that it will hurt him too much if i have to use force to rip it off.
 

Kasia

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The red mark doesnt appear to be a scab if im honest, if it is then its really attached on there, so i am worried that it will hurt him too much if i have to use force to rip it off.
Is it dry? Did you noticed any puss comming out under the wound? It does not look swollen to me. That is a spot that he often will use, get wet etc. It will heal slowly. Push your finger agains it after a soak to check if he has any puss in it. If there isnt any I would leave it and try to keep it as clean as possible. Swipe of antibiotic oiment (make sure there is no food available for some time after) will do no harm. Check on it daily. If you see it growing/ him having problems eating/infection go to a vet and let him take a look at it.
 
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Alisha Hawkins

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Is it dry? Did you noticed any puss comming out under the wound? It does not look swollen to me. That is a spot that he often will use, get wet etc. It will heal slowly. Push your finger agains it after a soak to check if he has any puss in it. If there isnt any I would leave it and try to keep it as clean as possible. Swipe of antibiotic oiment (make sure there is no food available for some time after) will do no harm. Check on it daily. If you see it growing/ him having problems eating/infection go to a vet and let him take a look at it.
It is dry, i havent noticed any puss doing what you've said but it is visibly swollen right at the corner of his mouth as the red mark extends out past his jaw, as does the cheek above it, its easier to see when his mouth opens but very difficult to get a picture of that unfortunately :/
Thankyou 20180207_231111.jpg
 

Kasia

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It is dry, i havent noticed any puss doing what you've said but it is visibly swollen right at the corner of his mouth as the red mark extends out past his jaw, as does the cheek above it, its easier to see when his mouth opens but very difficult to get a picture of that unfortunately :/
Thankyou View attachment 229711
What is this little fiber sticking out of it? Get it out. If there isn't any puss as I wrote before I would keep it clean put a dab of antibiotic daily and give it time. Imagine if you had a wound in the lip corner. It's not a good place to have one. When he eats his scraping on it all the time and bits of food stay there. That does not support healing. It's maybe a bit swollen but it's a raw wound that his constantly putting stress on.
 
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Alisha Hawkins

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What is this little fiber sticking out of it? Get it out. If there isn't any puss as I wrote before I would keep it clean put a dab of antibiotic daily and give it time. Imagine if you had a wound in the lip corner. It's not a good place to have one. When he eats his scraping on it all the time and bits of food stay there. That does not support healing. It's maybe a bit swollen but it's a raw wound that his constantly putting stress on.
It was a piece of hay, came straight out as soon as i noticed it, he's booked in the vets now so i will keep it clean til he goes in and hopefully ill get some antibiotics from them, thanks for your help :)
 

Kasia

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If you have any over counter neosporin ointment I would suggest skipping the Vet visit.
 

TammyJ

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I don't like it and I would take him to a good reptile vet. He may need a course of antibiotic. Just to be sure?
 

TammyJ

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Let us know how the vet visit goes.
 

TammyJ

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The suggestion about the neosporin sounds good too, it's a commonly used antibiotic cream on reptiles. It's just that you can't beat a really good reptile vet and you don't want to take any chances.
 

Alisha Hawkins

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Sorry i didnt update earlier, vet says the formation of the scab led to a build up of dead cells around the area, he scraped it off, torts having ointment applied twice a day and soaks increased to every day until it's all cleared up :)
 

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