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:

Attached Images

LITC.jpg (55.6 KB, 191 views)

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On the kinkometer, my kink measures as a sine wave.

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

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	Lnt.jpg (27.2 KB, 195 views)
	Lnt2.jpg (42.0 KB, 189 views)

__________________
On the kinkometer, my kink measures as a sine wave.

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

((((gg))))

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Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

Sorry to hear about the tail amputation gg.

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

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Put me on wheels and I'll turn tricks.

Clever? Nah, I ran out of that years ago. But if you find this, let me know, k?
"The road goes ever on..." ~ Tolkien

In memory of my friend skip...
Go then, there are other worlds than these

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...

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On the kinkometer, my kink measures as a sine wave.

Pets cost just as much as children.

Hugs to you and your iguana.