Re: Sick or gravid?

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Posted by Michelle B on November 26, 2001 at 08:46:32:

In Reply to: Sick or gravid? posted by Toni Vitali on November 25, 2001 at 03:32:47:

Tony,
I would not wait long on this situation. I am not a reptile expert by any means, but I have been through renal failure with one of my little girls. Unfortunately, PJ didn't make it. My vet (my *OLD* vet) didn't know it was a kidney problem until necropsy. We thought she was gravid, and the vet kept advising that as long as she was doing OK, to wait and see, and she would either re-absorb the unfertilized eggs, or lay them. She was bloated, and once she started having problems with her back legs she did not last much longer after that. I still feel guilty that I blindly followed that doctor's advice, and PJ was in pain for who knows how long, all the time I thought she was gravid. Your vet is taking some good steps in having xrays and blood work done, but I agree that if he cannot find an answer in the results, he should consult others. You could always take your girl to another doctor for a second opinion. Good luck

Hi everyone...I hope everyone's holiday went well. I spent it with my family, but I have a new iguana crisis this week, and wanted to know if anyone could offer some input; I'm looking up information tonight, but I thought some first hand experience may help.
: This is my situation - my big girl, Skunka, has lost a lot of her appetite; I was starting to think she was gravid, but she started limping last weekend. I have 5 iguanas total, so last Monday I isolated her and started giving her calcium. A couple of days later her other front leg also got weak and she started to scoot herself around. I have her down low so that she doesn't fall and get hurt more. I was still just watching, but yesterday she stopped using her right rear leg. Also, she's drinking lots of water, although she's not eating. She appears to be kinda bloated. I took her to the vet and he took an x-ray, but we didn't see any eggs - he even compared it with the one from 18 months ago when she was gravid.He had thought her leg problem was a condition called edema (?) but when he saw the x-ray he said we'd better do bloodwork. The results of that show high white cells, high calcium, high proteins. He gave me Baytril, which is going to be hard to get down her, because she doesn't even want bread right now. He said if that doesn't help, he may have to do exploratory surgery.
: Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone? And can anyone tell me what the signs of renal failure are? I've had her for 5 years, and I know she's had a good diet and lots of sunlight, but I don't know what she was fed during her first few years. Sorry for the cross-posting, and thank you for any info. Feel free to e-mail me direct. Thanks again. toni

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: Tony, : I would not wait long on this situation. I am not a reptile expert by any means, but I have been through renal failure with one of my little girls. Unfortunately, PJ didn't make it. My vet (my *OLD* vet) didn't know it was a kidney problem until necropsy. We thought she was gravid, and the vet kept advising that as long as she was doing OK, to wait and see, and she would either re-absorb the unfertilized eggs, or lay them. She was bloated, and once she started having problems with her back legs she did not last much longer after that. I still feel guilty that I blindly followed that doctor's advice, and PJ was in pain for who knows how long, all the time I thought she was gravid. Your vet is taking some good steps in having xrays and blood work done, but I agree that if he cannot find an answer in the results, he should consult others. You could always take your girl to another doctor for a second opinion. Good luck : : Hi everyone...I hope everyone's holiday went well. I spent it with my family, but I have a new iguana crisis this week, and wanted to know if anyone could offer some input; I'm looking up information tonight, but I thought some first hand experience may help. : : This is my situation - my big girl, Skunka, has lost a lot of her appetite; I was starting to think she was gravid, but she started limping last weekend. I have 5 iguanas total, so last Monday I isolated her and started giving her calcium. A couple of days later her other front leg also got weak and she started to scoot herself around. I have her down low so that she doesn't fall and get hurt more. I was still just watching, but yesterday she stopped using her right rear leg. Also, she's drinking lots of water, although she's not eating. She appears to be kinda bloated. I took her to the vet and he took an x-ray, but we didn't see any eggs - he even compared it with the one from 18 months ago when she was gravid.He had thought her leg problem was a condition called edema (?) but when he saw the x-ray he said we'd better do bloodwork. The results of that show high white cells, high calcium, high proteins. He gave me Baytril, which is going to be hard to get down her, because she doesn't even want bread right now. He said if that doesn't help, he may have to do exploratory surgery. : : Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone? And can anyone tell me what the signs of renal failure are? I've had her for 5 years, and I know she's had a good diet and lots of sunlight, but I don't know what she was fed during her first few years. Sorry for the cross-posting, and thank you for any info. Feel free to e-mail me direct. Thanks again. toni

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