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RAUK - Archived Forum - injured slow worm ? cat bite

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injured slow worm ? cat bite:

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Eleanor
Member
Joined: 12 May 2007
No. of posts: 2


View other posts by Eleanor
Posted: 12 May 2007
My daughter and her friend have also just found a slow worm. Unfortunately
the injuries are not clean. My guess is a cat. There are two pairs of puncture
wounds just over an inch apart. There is another single pair and also a
single deep wound. The double puncture wounds are quite puffy and are
obviously unclean, one has a few hairs stuck in the wound.
The slow worm is slower than it should be, but it is moving and can flex the
whole length of its body. The girls have timed it flicking it's tounge.
If we should clean deep puncture wounds, how do we do it?
We have it in a large plastic storage box with a small dish of water, a handful
of commercial compost, and a cardboard tube.JavaScript:AddSmileyIcon('[8
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Eleanor
herpvet
Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
No. of posts: 30


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Posted: 13 May 2007
Hi Eleanor,

I would recommend getting the slow worm to a vet, as cat wounds (which are quite common in slow worms) tend to be contaminated by various nasty bacteria. During normal hours, most vets should treat wild animals for free.

If the wounds are deep, you need to be very careful about using antiseptics - salt water is probably the safest and best option. However, I wouldn't do any major cleaning until it has been assesed by a vet - depending on the wounds, sedation/anaesthesia and flushing may be necessary.

Hope this helps.

Bruce Maclean, Bird & Exotic Animal Veterinary Services.
Eleanor
Member
Joined: 12 May 2007
No. of posts: 2


View other posts by Eleanor
Posted: 13 May 2007
Hello Bruce,
thank you very much for replying. I did not think I should interfere too much
with wounds of that nature.The vets office said to call back at 08:00
Monday. I will do this.
The three junior members of the Reptile Savers Society say that they are
working very hard to look after the slow worm 'Sammy'. They don't know if
it's a girl or a boy.JavaScript:AddSmileyIcon('')JavaScript:AddSmileyIcon
('[=D%3E]')
Eleanor
herpvet
Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
No. of posts: 30


View other posts by herpvet
Posted: 14 May 2007
Hi Eleanor,

Glad to hear, hope the vet can help.


Bruce Maclean, Bird & Exotic Animal Veterinary Services.

- injured slow worm ? cat bite

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