Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I took my lizard into the vet (the one below who'd been suffering from dehydration and anorexia), and the vet biopsied a small growth on her back. This turned out to be cancerous--a fibrosarcoma to be exact, and the vet gave me some medications and we're just seeing how it goes. Xanax (the lizard) gained appetite for a while, and she seems to be active and pretty much okay now (except, obviously for the tumor).

My question is, has anyone heard of this in monitor lizards before, and specifically in savannah monitors. This is the second animal I've lost to malignancy in two years. The vet tells me that he can't imagine a husbandry problem (short of housing them in a nuclear plant) that might cause this, but I wonder. Are there any ontogenic viruses out there that may have gotten into my collection?

I have seen similiar (usually oral) cancers in several monitors. It has mostly been with black and a few green tree monitors. Most of the animals have been treated by physical removal of the tumor via cold laser or typical surgery. In many cases the animals do fine but often the tumors come back.

I did a survey recently and confirms several cancers at other institutions with black and green trees.

ALthough no clear info is pointed at, I have wondered about the use of UV bulbs? Have you used these? If so what kind?

-Ruston

I used a UV bulb for one year on my first monitor to make sure that he got all of the Vitamin D he needed (I was an absolute beginner at the time). Once he was able to eat weaned mice, I discontinued UV. This monitor has never had UV in the four years I've had her, since I got her as an adult. In the UV debate, I generally split the difference and only use UV bulbs on juveniles who cannot eat fully-formed vertebrates yet (and I suppose I'd use them on a malnourished lizard at a vet's recommendation, although thankfully I've never had to do that). When I do use them, I use a single flourescent tube because I'm kind of scared of the ActiveUV bulbs.

I had a great Dumeril's that got Cancer in her rear thigh muscle.After an operation the Vet said that even one Cancer cell could bring the growth back.It did.After over $800 in operations I gave her to a guy who had the money to continue treatments and fix her.She lived.UV is not needed in monitors.FR has proven that over and over again.I guess monitors get what every other animal(including us)get.

Good to know, and good to hear that the Dumeril's lived.

I've never had problems with a lack of UV light in anything I raise--when I was raising my first sav I was paranoid about nutrient deficiency, but dusted insects and whole prey items were more than fine.

Xanax seems more or less okay except for the lack of appetite (which has meant that I can't give her her meds for the last couple of days). How do you force-feed a monitor (I know that it's a stressful and short-term solution0?

Is fibrosarcoma a malignant (fast-growing, destructive, metatstatic prone) mass or a benign growth in reptiles? I'm not familiar with this. What did vet say other than that it was a tumor that began in fibrous connective tissue? They are malignant in humans-occuring in kids sometimes. They develop sometimes in animals as a result of a foreign body where scarring/reactive tissues mutates to cancer cells. That's part of the fear of the silicone breast implant b/c silicone was implanted under the skin of rats and they developed these growths. Glad to hear your "pal"androme Xanax is doing ok

The vet said that it was malignant, and it does indeed occur in a part of her back that was scarred from a skin infection. I/we don't know if it's fast growing, or if it's likely to metastasize (or indeed, if it has or hasn't already). The vet recommended a chemotherapy regimen, and he was looking into whether radiation works on monitor lizards. Xanax is generally mostly okay--active, aggressive, and seemingly not in pain, although for the past three days she's been refusing food. I put a call into the vet today, and I think I see some assisted feeding in my future until we have a better idea of what-all is going on.

what does/did the tumor look like?

my ackie experienced black growths similar to what you are describing