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Posted by snickers on October 06, 2002 at 12:53:27:
In Reply to: Re: sick 11-13 year old Iguana posted by PH Meliss on October 06, 2002 at 12:23:31:
:While ZooMed's is the better of the commercial foods, it should only be used as part of a proper plant-based diet and should never be fed as directed on the container. Iguanas are chronically dehydrated in captivity, and eating dry food creates an even higher demand in their gut for fluid to try to break down the dry food, and so dehdyation is increased overall. This puts even more stress on the liver and kidneys. The kidneys usually give out first, though it may take 7-10 years for that to happen.
:A healthy iguana doesn't need calcium and vitamin injections every year. Too much of a good thing--including vitamins--can be just as bad as too little. Some vitamins are stored in the body and can build up to toxic levels. Since the liver is the body's main detox center, when it is overloaded, it can't properly do all its other functions, which in turn puts an additional burden on the kidneys. If the kidneys are already stressed by not having enough fluids to process wastes...
:Not all vegetables are created equal: cucumber and it's equally nutrient-deficient cousin, zucchini, are okay for snacks, but lack the nutrient punch of the winter squashes.
:
:Right now, the main focus is on getting her back on her feet, so do read the articles I posted in my other response. Then, once you get through this, please read my Iguana Care, Feeding & Socialization. The books that were available 10 years ago--and still available today--weren't great then (or now), when it comes to how to care for igs properly, and we've learned a great deal in the past several years. Her diet needs to be changed, as does the way heat is provided. Hot rocks never were appropriate for igs, no matter what new features the manufacturers added through the years. :(
:
::24 inch vita light. I am not sure if they make those either cuz I bought 20 bulbs 10 years ago and still have some left.
:Vita-Lites are still made, but if they aren't installed properly (within the specified distance, unfiltered) and changed at least annually, then they won't do job.
:
::My other bid Lizard only eats zoo med dry food and
::vegetables. Neither will eat the other brand.
:You do need to change their diet - and stop letting them dictate to you what they will eat. ;) See my Picky Eaters article for help on that. It's never too late to teach an old iguana how to eat right - I've taken in igs 7+ years of age who "refused" to eat what their owners gave them who eventually realized I wouldn't cave in like their last humans. ;)
::She had an antibiotic shot and calcium shot on Thurs and the vet is coming here today to give her another one.
:Calcium is not used in treating mouthrot. Antibiotics aren't used in the treatment of MBD. An iguana could have both a systemic infection and MBD, which would indicated a diet and/or environment problem of long standing. Being too cold (and 75 is too cold for iguanas, other than at the lower end of their required day and night thermal gradients) for too long a period of time can compromise the immune system and result in systemic infections and abscesses as well as malnutrition, so you could be looking at multiple environmental factors here along with diet... A knowledgeable vet will talk about diet and environment as factors in health problems, understanding that, just as with humans, shots and supplements will never make up for a poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle or conditions.
:
::The only thing different this year is that she never laid eggs in May like she usually did but I thought this may be due to her age.
:Healthy iguanas, like most animals, continue to be able to reproduce right up until the end. They don't go through menopause like we do. ;) Not all females will develop eggs every year. Some females who develop eggs resorb them, for reasons which haven't been pegged down yet. Egg development, shelling and laying will be compromised by calcium deficiency, but MBD won't necessarily prevent follicular development... Do you know if she developed eggs and resorbed them? Weather patterns can also affect breeding season (onset, duration, multiple seasons), so there're a lot of variables here...except old age. ;)
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::Also there are kids that come in and out of the house and I think one turned off the switch that runs the heat rocks so she may have gotten cold. I used to have a thermometer in there but for some reason she hated it and spent lots of time ripping it down so I took it out.
:Then you need to find other ways to monitor temps - they are too important to not do so... And keep those rotten kids outta there, too!
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::The male is fine that is in the top half of the cage.
:Not all iguanas cohabit successfully - please read the Housing Multiple Iguanas: Issues and Concerns article for more info. Could account for prolonged stress > systemic infection, etc.
:
:If the vet isn't explicit with you about what the iguana's situation is, I'd suggest getting a second opinion...
:Let us know how it goes!
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:PCFMeliss
:Pet Host for PetHobbyist.com * Iguanas
:Herps and Iguanas
:Herp Societies/Rescues and Vets
Thanks everyone I called the vet and I will meet her in an hour. At that time we will decide to either PTS or IV. The only other Vet is 150 miles away so that isn't an option. I do have several books that I got 10 years ago but I am not sure where they are right now. I will come back and read all the sites that were posted after things settled down here. I also have a baby squirrel on a bottle and a hurt bird I am dealing with . Thanks for all the advice.
