#SILVER SULFADIAZINE CREAM FOR TURTLES FULL#
Fully assess the patient – are there any defects that could inhibit the patient’s ability to move away from a heat source? Is there any clinical reason as to why the patient might be seeking more heat than is normal for the species, such as a clinically apparent infection? A full husbandry review should be performed, including asking the client the temperatures of both the hot and cooler end of their vivarium or chosen housing, the way in which heat is provided and if that heat source is thermostatically controlled. The extent of the burns should be identified as well as the cause of the burns. Upon the presentation of a reptile patient for thermal burns, a full physical examination must be performed.
Burns can also occur when basking lamps are provided without adequate protective housing or are placed too close to the reptile’s basking spot ( Figure 2). Hot rocks or heat mats can malfunction and overheat when not properly thermostatically controlled (Scheelings and Hellebuyck, 2019), and many cases of hot rocks or heat mats short-circuiting and causing burns to reptiles have been reported in the literature (Fraser and Girling, 2004 Mader, 2006 Scheelings and Hellebuyck, 2019). Thermal burns usually occur due to prolonged contact with inappropriate or faulty heating equipment ( Figure 1). FIGURE (1) Second- and third-degree burns in a leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) from a malfunctioning heat mat Burns can be classified from first to fourth degree (Pees and Hellebuyck, 2019) and can have significant systemic consequences if not recognised and treated correctly. Thermal burns could also be an indication of a clinically ill reptile that is weak or unable to move away from a heat source. This could explain the lack of withdrawal reflex in response to thermal pain, as reptiles will continue to sit upon a heat source that is causing thermal burns (Mader, 2006). It is unknown exactly why they are so prone to thermal injury, but it has been theorised that reptiles have different pain receptors compared to mammals.
Thermal burns are a common presentation for a range of different reptile species.
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