Rehabbing a neglected leo

[animateash]

A pet sitter friend asked for my help. One of her clients has a 4yr old leopard gecko that has been severely neglected. The client mentioned she "hadn't been eating lately" and that was an understatement. The eyes were so blocked with stuck shed each one had a pea sized deposit of skin and pus inside the socket, and there was stuck head all over the face and feet. The eye crud was making her head bulge and there's no way any sane person could look at this and think it was ok. The owner is constantly on vacation and not very attentive, according to ym friend. She basically just throws bugs in every other week and assumes all is well. The gecko hadn't been eating because she's been absolutely blind, and has lost significant weight. I also suspect she has mouth rot.
With the owner's permission, I have the gecko at my home and have been providing comfort care. I removed all stuck shed and the eye deposits, and have been feeding ReptiBoost/Grub Pie/Electrolyte mix by syringe twice daily. I have done my best to clean the eyes with Tobramycin drops and terramycin ointment daily. One eye looks more hopeful than the other, but behind these extremely damaged lids both are still milky and receeded.
I have made clear to the owner that what i've done is no substitute for a vet visit, and that she still needs to take her. Antibiotics are likely needed and I have no clue how to advise on the mouth rot on top of the blindness. The owner keeps claiming she's been "trying to make an appointment" but my pet sitter friend suspects it is b.s. and it will never happen.
I have typed a care sheet, bullet pointing the daily aftercare needed since the gecko can not hunt. I plan to provide a bit of my supplements and marked syringe so that there's no excuse for not continuing to hand feed. Still, I'm really worried that this train wreck of an owner will not do it simply because she can't be bothered. If she couldn't even look at the gecko long enough to see there was a problem, how can i expect she will be feeding/cleaning/medicating?
I know there isn't much to be done about the situation unless the owner just throws her hands up at the rehab sheet and surrenders her over to me. I guess I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, or has any advice on how to word my information to make utterly clear that the vet visit is imperative to survival. My pet sitter friend and i keep saying so and I'm very direct, and this dope just keeps saying things like "yaay I'm so glad she's better!" Yes, this owner is an adult.
Also, anyone have experience with this level of eye damage? What are the odds of vision eventually being restored, assuming there's proper vet intervention?
I'm not sorry I got to treat what I could to provide some forms of relief, but I feel awful knowing this poor gecko is probably going to die at the hands of this ignorant owner who refuses to listen. I suspect she won't surrender until we're past the point of no return.

 

[Mr. Leopard gecko]

A pet sitter friend asked for my help. One of her clients has a 4yr old leopard gecko that has been severely neglected. The client mentioned she "hadn't been eating lately" and that was an understatement. The eyes were so blocked with stuck shed each one had a pea sized deposit of skin and pus inside the socket, and there was stuck head all over the face and feet. The eye crud was making her head bulge and there's no way any sane person could look at this and think it was ok. The owner is constantly on vacation and not very attentive, according to ym friend. She basically just throws bugs in every other week and assumes all is well. The gecko hadn't been eating because she's been absolutely blind, and has lost significant weight. I also suspect she has mouth rot.
With the owner's permission, I have the gecko at my home and have been providing comfort care. I removed all stuck shed and the eye deposits, and have been feeding ReptiBoost/Grub Pie/Electrolyte mix by syringe twice daily. I have done my best to clean the eyes with Tobramycin drops and terramycin ointment daily. One eye looks more hopeful than the other, but behind these extremely damaged lids both are still milky and receeded.
I have made clear to the owner that what i've done is no substitute for a vet visit, and that she still needs to take her. Antibiotics are likely needed and I have no clue how to advise on the mouth rot on top of the blindness. The owner keeps claiming she's been "trying to make an appointment" but my pet sitter friend suspects it is b.s. and it will never happen.
I have typed a care sheet, bullet pointing the daily aftercare needed since the gecko can not hunt. I plan to provide a bit of my supplements and marked syringe so that there's no excuse for not continuing to hand feed. Still, I'm really worried that this train wreck of an owner will not do it simply because she can't be bothered. If she couldn't even look at the gecko long enough to see there was a problem, how can i expect she will be feeding/cleaning/medicating?
I know there isn't much to be done about the situation unless the owner just throws her hands up at the rehab sheet and surrenders her over to me. I guess I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, or has any advice on how to word my information to make utterly clear that the vet visit is imperative to survival. My pet sitter friend and i keep saying so and I'm very direct, and this dope just keeps saying things like "yaay I'm so glad she's better!" Yes, this owner is an adult.
Also, anyone have experience with this level of eye damage? What are the odds of vision eventually being restored, assuming there's proper vet intervention?
I'm not sorry I got to treat what I could to provide some forms of relief, but I feel awful knowing this poor gecko is probably going to die at the hands of this ignorant owner who refuses to listen. I suspect she won't surrender until we're past the point of no return.

I’m not a professional but if you have the money or time if that was my gecko I would take him to the vet. (Just what I think) a professional will eventually arrive and might give you some advice. I hope the gecko can get better!

 

[animateash]

I’m not a professional but if you have the money or time if that was my gecko I would take him to the vet. (Just what I think) a professional will eventually arrive and might give you some advice. I hope the gecko can get better!

Unfortunately it is not a matter of my time or my money. I already called my regular reptile vet and they said since I am not the legal owner, they can't help me. The owner has to be the one to reach out to them for help. They also didn't have any appts for another 2 wks even if I sought owner written permission to bring her. If it were mine, it would have never gotten in this state.

 

[acpart]

I wonder if there's a way to get the owner to surrender the gecko to you (if that's what you feel you can do). The trick is not to give the message "you did such a lousy job caring for this gecko that you don't deserve to have it. I'll take it" because that can likely cause the owner to dig in their heels and insist they can do it (and then not do it). An alternative would be to say "It looks like you may have your hands full caring for this gecko because it needs a lot of medical treatment. Would you like me to take it? We can figure out later when it gets better about whether you want it back (you don't have to mention that you don't really have an intention of starting a "figure it out later" discussion). This way, you can say honestly that you own the gecko when you take it to the vet. If, at a later date, the current owner initiates a conversation about getting it back, you can think about that then.

Aliza

 

[Rusty2020]

I would tell the owner that they are in a pretty bad condition and that they need seen ASAP. I dont think this person is going to see the problem anytime soon unless you make it seem like a bigger deal.

 

[GryphKat]

I like the idea of offering to take over the care since the gecko's medical needs are so great. If at all possible also get a note to that effect as proof that it is now your responsibility. Alternatively, and I don't necessarily recommend this, but the poor gecko is desperate so you could call another vet (or yours) and say it's been turned over to you. Best of luck!