Holly Frisby, DVM, MS
Veterinary Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

The following information may help you decide which conditions are absolute emergencies, and which ones may let you take a "wait and see" attitude. If your herp pet is sick or injured and you are unsure of the severity of the condition, it is always best to err on the side of caution, and contact your veterinarian (or emergency clinic) right away.

Contact Your Veterinarian Immediately If Your Herp:

Has signs of heart or respiratory disease including:

No heart beat

No breathing or severe difficulty breathing, especially if accompanied by eye/nose discharge

Bluish or white gums or tongue

A near drowning

Has had trauma including:

A broken shell, bone, or a cut that exposes a bone

Bleeding that cannot be stopped

An eye injury, the eye is out of the socket, or appears enlarged or protruding

A fight, especially if it was with a cat or a wild, or unvaccinated animal

Being hit by a moving object

Puncture or bite wounds

Any trauma to the head

A severe laceration, or an incision that has opened and the skin is gaping

Falling or jumping from a height of over 2 feet

Mishandling (e.g., squeezed by a child)

Broken or torn claws, digits, or tails

Has had heat or cold related injuries including:

Biting on an electrical cord and receiving a shock or burn

Burns or inhaled smoke

Heat stroke

Hypothermia

Has signs of gastrointestinal, urinary, or reproductive distress including:

Straining continually, but unable to produce feces or urates

Choking

Bloat (abdomen is enlarged and sounds hollow)

Swallowing a foreign body (e.g., cage decoration)

Feces or urates with an unusual color, consistency, or a foul smell

A prolapse or eversion at the cloaca or bleeding from the cloaca

Difficulty giving birth or producing an egg

An overdose of medication or suspected poisoning

Has signs of nervous system or muscular disease including:

Extreme lethargy or depression, unconsciousness, collapse, or coma

Seizures

A head tilt, nystagmus (eyes move rapidly from side to side), staggering, walking in circles, difficulty rising or righting itself, unable to use hind limbs, lying upside down, or other problems moving

Severe or continuous pain

Sudden inability to bear weight on one or more limbs

Call Your Veterinarian the Same Day If Your Herp:

Has signs of heart or respiratory disease including:

Some difficulty breathing, shallow breathing at a faster rate (unassociated with physical exercise or mental temperature)

Discharge from nose or eyes

Has signs related to digestion or food and water consumption including:

Not eating a meal and acting depressed

Drinking water excessively

Changes in the frequency of passing feces or urates

Sudden weight loss or gain

An increase in the frequency of gaping

Changes in saliva, crusts around the mouth, or change in color of the inside of the mouth

Has changes in behavior, or signs of nervous system or muscular disease including:

Sudden change in behavior e.g., not coming out of hide box, or active at unusual times

Lethargy, depression, sleeping more than usual, unwillingness to move

Basking more or less often

Soaking more or less often

Tongue-flicking more or less often

Flinching when touched or picked up

Cloudy eyes, squinting, or appears to be unable to see

Lameness for over 24 hours

Loss of muscle tone

Swollen joints or jaw

Has signs associated with the skin including:

Abnormal shedding, retained eye spectacles, rubbing or scratching areas on the body, or head-banging

Abnormal lumps, bumps, or red areas

Scabs or abrasions

Ticks or mites

Abnormal color to skin or darkening of toes or tail