Some thoughts to add to Harry's Dad's (long!)

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Posted by Iguanamomma on March 04, 2000 at 11:31:52:

In Reply to: Please help!! Don't know what to do!!!(long) posted by Amber on March 04, 2000 at 03:52:57:

hmmmm....I'm not sure that it should matter whether or not the vet had treated one her size before as to his ability to diagnose. You might want to seriously think about locating a more experienced herp vet. If you need help with that, just say so and there's some sites to help you OR someone here may be able to recommend one to you because of their personal experience.

The eating but getting thinner & losing color *could be* a sign of parasites. When an animal gets stressed out (new owner/move), its immune system lowers & illness or parasites can have a field day. Did the vet do a fecal exam? I would suggest what is known as a "fecal float & fecal smear" as these two will catch things whereas just doing one or the other might miss it. All animals have a certain amount of "thingies" in their system but when they get too high there's a problem. If this was not done, I would HIGHLY suggest that it be done. But until then, you could safely give her a bit of yogurt to help her gut flora. It may just be that if she is parasite-free that the move, etc. has lowered the *good* gut flora. This happens frequently in animals (including humans) who have undergone a series of antibiotics. What follows is a direct quote from a well-known iguana person (well, to us "oldies" anyway *grin*), Melissa Kaplan. If you've not visited her vast website on iguana care I would recommend it. This is her suggested feeding pattern of yogurt:

"A 1/2 teaspoon of acidophilus (livecultures) daily for 2-3 days, or use plain yogurt that has live cultures. This will help seed her gut so that she can start better digesting the food she takes in, giving her normal gut populations a chance to recover and grow."

As a side note of my own...if for some reason she hates any of the yogurts (you can try the fruited ones as long as it states somewhere on the carton that it has live cultures), acidolphilus also comes in capsule form & these capsules can be pulled apart and sprinkled on the food. However, I cannot really say how much of a capsule to use so it is better to use the yogurt. But this is a back up plan. *grin*

You might want to post back exactly what calcium supplement you are using. Some are better than others for varying reasons. Someone here would be happy to critique what you are using & make an alternative suggestion if needed. If her calcium level is seriously depressed, then it may be that she needs a better supplement right now. To determine if she has low level OR is going in to OR has MBD, a blood test is needed. (Here again I can't think of a reason why the vet couldn't have done this.) Regarding this supplement, here is another quote from Ms. Kaplan:

"Sounds like the export version of our NeoCalglucon (calcium glubionate), which is by Sandoz.

Some vets here recommend it as the regular calcium supplement, though most recommend/prescribe it for mild MBD to temporarily boost the dietary calcium
and usual calcium supplement. For mild to moderate MBD, the recommended dose is 1cc/kg bid. For hypocalcemic gravid igs, it is given 5x
day. It's also used in advanced MBD in conjunction with the necessary D and/or calcium
injections."

I apologize if I've hurt your feelings any by sort of bashing the vet. He could be an excellent vet that is just put off a bit by a large reptile *smile* and wasn't quite sure if your "baby" was going to tail whip or scratch & bite if he poked and prodded as he does smaller versions.

I've given you a couple of avenues to explore re what might be wrong right now. I also agree with Harry's Dad re the UVB situation. These lights can be expensive. A store in my town sells the 24" Zoo Med light for $35.99. However, I ordered the same light online from petstore.com for $18.99 no shipping fees! BTW the Zoo Med Iguana Light and the Zoo Med Reptile Light are one in the same just the names have been changed.

If you'd like to see and read more about parasites, a person who posts here has an excellent website complete with pictures of the little nasty things. Marie Eguero is a valuable source of info regarding these things. I'll leave her website for you.

I also think that her diet needs to be shaken up a bit but I'm hoping that Baby Herp, iZ's Mom, etc. might pick up on that and help you out. I think I've rambled enough *grin*

Good luck and please post back any questions, progress, etc. etc.

glenda

Iguana Parasites

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: hmmmm....I'm not sure that it should matter whether or not the vet had treated one her size before as to his ability to diagnose. You might want to seriously think about locating a more experienced herp vet. If you need help with that, just say so and there's some sites to help you OR someone here may be able to recommend one to you because of their personal experience. : The eating but getting thinner & losing color *could be* a sign of parasites. When an animal gets stressed out (new owner/move), its immune system lowers & illness or parasites can have a field day. Did the vet do a fecal exam? I would suggest what is known as a "fecal float & fecal smear" as these two will catch things whereas just doing one or the other might miss it. All animals have a certain amount of "thingies" in their system but when they get too high there's a problem. If this was not done, I would HIGHLY suggest that it be done. But until then, you could safely give her a bit of yogurt to help her gut flora. It may just be that if she is parasite-free that the move, etc. has lowered the *good* gut flora. This happens frequently in animals (including humans) who have undergone a series of antibiotics. What follows is a direct quote from a well-known iguana person (well, to us "oldies" anyway *grin*), Melissa Kaplan. If you've not visited her vast website on iguana care I would recommend it. This is her suggested feeding pattern of yogurt: : "A 1/2 teaspoon of acidophilus (livecultures) daily for 2-3 days, or use plain yogurt that has live cultures. This will help seed her gut so that she can start better digesting the food she takes in, giving her normal gut populations a chance to recover and grow." : As a side note of my own...if for some reason she hates any of the yogurts (you can try the fruited ones as long as it states somewhere on the carton that it has live cultures), acidolphilus also comes in capsule form & these capsules can be pulled apart and sprinkled on the food. However, I cannot really say how much of a capsule to use so it is better to use the yogurt. But this is a back up plan. *grin* : You might want to post back exactly what calcium supplement you are using. Some are better than others for varying reasons. Someone here would be happy to critique what you are using & make an alternative suggestion if needed. If her calcium level is seriously depressed, then it may be that she needs a better supplement right now. To determine if she has low level OR is going in to OR has MBD, a blood test is needed. (Here again I can't think of a reason why the vet couldn't have done this.) Regarding this supplement, here is another quote from Ms. Kaplan: : "Sounds like the export version of our NeoCalglucon (calcium glubionate), which is by Sandoz. <snip> : Some vets here recommend it as the regular calcium supplement, though most recommend/prescribe it for mild MBD to temporarily boost the dietary calcium : and usual calcium supplement. For mild to moderate MBD, the recommended dose is 1cc/kg bid. For hypocalcemic gravid igs, it is given 5x : day. It's also used in advanced MBD in conjunction with the necessary D and/or calcium : injections." : I apologize if I've hurt your feelings any by sort of bashing the vet. He could be an excellent vet that is just put off a bit by a large reptile *smile* and wasn't quite sure if your "baby" was going to tail whip or scratch & bite if he poked and prodded as he does smaller versions. : I've given you a couple of avenues to explore re what might be wrong right now. I also agree with Harry's Dad re the UVB situation. These lights can be expensive. A store in my town sells the 24" Zoo Med light for $35.99. However, I ordered the same light online from petstore.com for $18.99 no shipping fees! BTW the Zoo Med Iguana Light and the Zoo Med Reptile Light are one in the same just the names have been changed. : If you'd like to see and read more about parasites, a person who posts here has an excellent website complete with pictures of the little nasty things. Marie Eguero is a valuable source of info regarding these things. I'll leave her website for you. : I also think that her diet needs to be shaken up a bit but I'm hoping that Baby Herp, iZ's Mom, etc. might pick up on that and help you out. I think I've rambled enough *grin* : Good luck and please post back any questions, progress, etc. etc. : glenda

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