Iguana problems

[gekkogecko]

My iguana developed a tail problem recently. The first I noticed was necrotic tissue on about 10cm of her tail tip. Took her into the vet, expecting them to recommend amputation.

I was right. Far more than I was expecting. See, when I got her there, I then noticed a subtle, but open wound about 1/3 of the way down her tail. The vet made plans to amputate from just above that point.

When we got her in for the actual procedure, he took pre-operative x-rays. These showed four different fracture sites, and some bone dissolution. First thing I asked about when I saw them was possible NSHP, but the doc ruled that out. Yes, I did ask several times.

He wants to biopsy the removed tissue, possibly find out the cause of her underlying problems. Some of us with older iguanas are starting to see progressive degerative bone issues, particularly in female iguanas: this *may* be that issue. Not a lot is known about this yet, it's still a fairly new issue in the medical literature.

They ended up taking about 5/6 of her tail. But she did recover fromt he anesthesia far earlier than anyone (including me) expected; I was expecting to have to leave her at the hospital overnight, but she came home that evening. She's her usual feisty self, biting me every time I try to administer her pain meds & antibiotics. Her appetite seems undiminished, and she was doing her usual exploration and digging at the sides of her enclosure.

So, anyway, here's a pic of her from several years ago, with tail:

[gekkogecko]

And here are a couple of her, two days after her surgery. One's a little blurry:

[osuche]

Poor sweetie!! I am sorry she had to lose part of her tail. But I know she is in good hands with you!!

((((gg))))

[Aqua]

Sorry to hear about the tail amputation gg.

So glad to hear she's recovering quickly. As osuche said, she's in good hands. :)

[gekkogecko]

Oh, the biopsy thing: all this stuff has already cost me $650, when the original esstimate was $300-$400. And the biopsy is likely to cost another $100, and may or may not actually answer any further questions. I just don't know...

[sodaklostsoul]

Pets cost just as much as children.

Hugs to you and your iguana.

[Pita]

Glad she is ok ((((((hugs)))))))

[LixyChick]

Awwwwwwww (((((gg)))))!

She looks so devilishly cute in the first pic, on the tub...lol!

How old is she? What is the life expectancy of an iguana? Does her bite hurt or is it a "love bite"? How will the partial amputation affect her mobility? What is NSHP (if you don't mind my asking)?

I'm so sorry she is hurting. I hope her prognosis is a good one. I'll keep good thoughts for her and therefore you!

[gekkogecko]

I got her as a rescue adoption from the local humane society; we think she was around 4 when I got her, and I've had her for five years now.

Iguanas, with proper care can live 20 years or more (the record, AFAIK, is 29 years); but she had obvoiusly horrible care before MCHS got her: the somewhat-healed burn scars on her tail showed that.

Laurel, like a lot of iguanas will bite defensively; sometimes, this will be a warning nip, sometimes it's a serious bite & tear sort of thing. Her bites don't hurt me because I wear a pair of welders' gloves when I handle her, and she can't bite through them. But she's gotten to the point where she does do the serious biting.

And iguana's tail is typically longer than the body, although it's less bulky. Neverthe less, there's a substantial amount of the mass of the animal in the tail-since she lost the majority of her tail, there will be some balance issues until she gets used to the lack of tail. She has been cruising around her enclosure the past couple of days, as she used to do-but I think the difficulty she's had climbing is due more to the fact that I clipped her claws for the vet visit, and she can't sink them into her climbing logs.

NSHP-(N)utritional (S)econdary (H)yper(p)arathroidism. Now you know why we abbreviate it. Basically, a condition wherein a reptile doesn't get enough calcium in the diet or enough exposure to sunlight to make vtiamin D. This is a complex issue: all vertebrates have the ability to make D3 from the action of sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D3 is used to process calcium from the diet, which is then used to not only make bone & egg material, but also for transference of nerve impulses. Iguanas, in particular, don't seem to use D3 they may get from their diet, so exposure to sunlight, or artificial light that has a significant output of UVB radiation is necessary. Too much phosphorus in the diet can also bind the calcium in the diet, making the calcium intake useless. What happens is eventually, the calcium that is needed for nerve function it taken from the bones, resulting in bone fractures, "rubber jaw", etc. Aside from her tail, Laruel shows none of these symptoms.