Hello everyone,
I need your advise regarding my iguana Emerald. He is 10 yrs old, I've raised him from a baby and he's been pretty healthy all his life. Never fed him any animal proteins, only fresh salads until a year ago when I swithed to Zoo Med's soft pellets (decision that I very much regret).
Last week I noticed that he is not his usual self: he seemed lethargic, stopped eating, his urates looked thick and yellow and his eyes swollen and bloodshot. It seemed to me like dehydration/kidney failure. I took him to the vet last saturday who took x-ray, blood and checked fecal sample for parasites. Stool showed some parasite eggs but not an unusually large amount that would require treatment. X-ray was normal (no MBD). But his blood is all out of wack: WBC-13 (reference range 3-8); lymphocites 6 (ref range 20-50); basophils 5 (ref 0-1); AST 472 (ref 10-80), BUN 2 (ref 6-15); Calcium 15.6 (ref 8-13), phosphorous 15.4 (5-8); CPK 24,700 (50-400). So based on all this vet confirmed kidney failure, secondary liver disfunction, and systemic inflamatory process.
The vet put him on injectible fluids, antibiotics and phosphate binders. I am giving him SQ injections 60cc x 2 a day (1/3 lactated ringer, 1/3 dextrose and 1/3 SOdium chloride w/ vitamins); soak him for 20 min twice a day; Baytril tablets to fight inflamation; the vet also prescribed Renagel 120mg x 2 a day to bind phosphates, pharmacy ordered it but it still didn't come in. So this is pretty much the situation.
It's been almost a week since we started treatment but see no improvement so far. He is not eating on his own so I spoon feed him some slurry. He seems to have some difficulty swallowing/swollen throat (past two days). The Renagel is supposed to come in on Monday. I tried over-the-counter "Alternagel" (aluminum hydroxide) but it makes him throw up, so I stopped giving it to him.
Sorry for such a long post but maybe some of you had experience with kidney failure in iguanas that can help. I would very much appreciate your opinion as well as any suggestions regarding effectiveness of this treatment or any advice.
Thanks a lot,
Best regards
Lana
