Didn't know that could happen...n/m

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Posted by xta on April 22, 2000 at 18:11:04:

In Reply to: Q's necropsy, unexpected results posted by T without Q on April 22, 2000 at 17:13:11:

: The vet who performed Q's necropsy found something he'd never before seen in a lizard. An experienced exotics vet (and well-respected in Denver) he's found this conditon in birds and mammals often and once (at necropsy) in a snake with cancer. He searched all his references, and found no mention of this in lizards.

: Cause of death: intussecption.

: Intussecption, as he explained it to me, is a condition where the small intestine loops back inside itself, (think "tube sock" for a mental picture). This is caused by some irritation or disfuntion of muscle in the bowel. When this occurs, the intestine gets more irritated, swells, and the tissue begins to die as blood vessels get blocked off, etc. The dead tissue then causes the animal to go septic.

: Why didn't we catch this in Q? The vet gave several reasons, first and foremost being that the condition is not common to lizards. With Q's history of kidney trouble, it was reasonable to assume the diminished function was causing stress on other organs. The fluid buildup around the lungs, elevations in the white count and AST (liver) enzyme supported this theory. The xray showed no bowel obstruction.

: The one oddity was the extremely high CPK. Since CPK is a muscle enzyme, elevations in bloodwork are usually due to the stress of the vet visit and the drawing of blood. Q's CPK was incredibly high, indicating greater trauma (like falling out of a second story window or being hit by a car). With four trips to two vet clinics in the span of three days, including several blood draws, we thought the CPK (over 23,000) was linked to that continued stress. In hindsight, it appears the CPK elevation may have been linked to the intestinal "trauma." This could also explain the AST elevation. While AST is primarily a liver enzyme, it is found throughout the body. Severe trauma can also elevate AST.

: But we had no reason to suspect such trauma. Due to reduced kidney function, Q's bone density wasn't strong and he broke a bone in a front leg in February. This lizard was still under enclosure arrest and only allowed to roam while supervised.

: The only way we could have identified this condition was through barium xrays or exploratory surgery. We discussed exploratory surgery on Wednesday (to take a liver culture to identify the infection and choose the best antibiotic), but Q was too weak to survive the procedure. And the fact that the intussecption was very low in the intestine and iguanas process food slowly, it could have taken three days for the barium to reach the effected tissue. Even had we given the barium at his first vet visit, Q would not have survived long enough or been strong enough to undergo corrective surgery.

: What caused this? The vet says it was just a fluke. I tried to tell him about Q's eating habits, what I'd been feeding, etc, to try to find a link, to find out if I'd done something wrong. But the vet said he could find no connection. He said this is something that just "happened."

: So, it seems Q's death may not have been related to his kidney damage after all, though I can't help but think there must be a connection somewhere.

: This has all been very terrible, and now it's also very strange.

: Thanks again to all.

: T.

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: : The vet who performed Q's necropsy found something he'd never before seen in a lizard. An experienced exotics vet (and well-respected in Denver) he's found this conditon in birds and mammals often and once (at necropsy) in a snake with cancer. He searched all his references, and found no mention of this in lizards. : : Cause of death: intussecption. : : Intussecption, as he explained it to me, is a condition where the small intestine loops back inside itself, (think "tube sock" for a mental picture). This is caused by some irritation or disfuntion of muscle in the bowel. When this occurs, the intestine gets more irritated, swells, and the tissue begins to die as blood vessels get blocked off, etc. The dead tissue then causes the animal to go septic. : : Why didn't we catch this in Q? The vet gave several reasons, first and foremost being that the condition is not common to lizards. With Q's history of kidney trouble, it was reasonable to assume the diminished function was causing stress on other organs. The fluid buildup around the lungs, elevations in the white count and AST (liver) enzyme supported this theory. The xray showed no bowel obstruction. : : The one oddity was the extremely high CPK. Since CPK is a muscle enzyme, elevations in bloodwork are usually due to the stress of the vet visit and the drawing of blood. Q's CPK was incredibly high, indicating greater trauma (like falling out of a second story window or being hit by a car). With four trips to two vet clinics in the span of three days, including several blood draws, we thought the CPK (over 23,000) was linked to that continued stress. In hindsight, it appears the CPK elevation may have been linked to the intestinal "trauma." This could also explain the AST elevation. While AST is primarily a liver enzyme, it is found throughout the body. Severe trauma can also elevate AST. : : But we had no reason to suspect such trauma. Due to reduced kidney function, Q's bone density wasn't strong and he broke a bone in a front leg in February. This lizard was still under enclosure arrest and only allowed to roam while supervised. : : The only way we could have identified this condition was through barium xrays or exploratory surgery. We discussed exploratory surgery on Wednesday (to take a liver culture to identify the infection and choose the best antibiotic), but Q was too weak to survive the procedure. And the fact that the intussecption was very low in the intestine and iguanas process food slowly, it could have taken three days for the barium to reach the effected tissue. Even had we given the barium at his first vet visit, Q would not have survived long enough or been strong enough to undergo corrective surgery. : : What caused this? The vet says it was just a fluke. I tried to tell him about Q's eating habits, what I'd been feeding, etc, to try to find a link, to find out if I'd done something wrong. But the vet said he could find no connection. He said this is something that just "happened." : : So, it seems Q's death may not have been related to his kidney damage after all, though I can't help but think there must be a connection somewhere. : : This has all been very terrible, and now it's also very strange. : : Thanks again to all. : : T.

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