Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As I posted below, I had a uromastyx that was battling some sort of clot/infection in her front left arm. It was swollen hard for 3 weeks. At first it was thought it was just a minor bump and the swelling would go down in no time. It then became apparent something more serious was happening. X-rays showed no sign of a fracture and good bone density. As the swelling lasted longer red discoloration became apparant on her arm suggesting some sort of septicemia possibly. She was taken to the vet yesterday for a needle aspiration which showed an unusual amount of white blood cells. Also at this time I was doing heat compresses with a steaming wash cloth on her arm to possibly get circulation going again. She was prescribed enrofloxacin 33mg/ml and was given .25ml orally yesterday afternoon. She was also given some pedialyte and pea based gerber baby food yesterday because she was not eating and I wanted to keep her hydrated.

When I went to take her out of her cage this morning to do another heat compress and give her her medication she was almost dead. I was completely unprepared for the state she was in. The arm in question looked the same as it always had but her back legs and tail were in really bad shape. One of her legs (the one on her left side, the same side as the swollen upper arm) was completely dead and dried out, as if it had been dead for weeks and baked in the sun. It was hard to the touch and you could not even move her toes. Her tail was the same way. Her back leg on the other side was in a similar state but not quite as dried out. She had defecated partly but still had some feces left half way in and half way out. I had her euthanized an hour later after taking her in to the vet one last time. My vet made a few calls to veterinary universities to see if someone wants to do a detailed necropsy but I have not heard anything.

Does anyone have any idea what could have happened? It happened so fast and in an area I really did not expect. Could she possibly had an adverse affect to the medication she took? Or maybe because of the heat compresses the infection and or clot somehow spread? I will attach some pictures taken of her this morning. Also, see the link for more detailed pictures of her infected arm. Also, if anyone knows of a place that is knowledgable and would want to do a necropsy of an egyptian uromastyx please contact me.

Rest in peace Pebbles, at least you are no longer in pain.

Peter

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More pictures of her swollen arm, taken 2 days ago

Sorry to hear about your Uromastyx. I believe that the breeder had probably lied about how this animal was housed. The Uro's arm had been traumatized-- probably by a cagemate (via biting) or a sharp object breaking through the skin. Usually septicemia is caused by an infection that spreads into the bloodstream. In this case, the infection was probably already coursing through the bloodstream; at this point, it's usually too late for antibiotics. Another critical aspect of keeping Uro's is to maintain high temperatures which keeps the immune system optimal. Uromastyx's are very affable lizards & I would not let this un-scrupulous dealer dissuade you from raising them again.

Again, I'm sorry to hear about "Pebbles" & I hope something positive will come out of it. Below is a link with great info on keeping Uro's--
Link

I'm sorry about your loss. It looks like you worked really hard for her.
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

Peter,

I am wondering, if she was having some sort of clotting problem she could have thrown what is called a saddle thrombus. This is where a large clot is formed and becomes lodged in the bifurcation of the vena cava as it goes to the saphenous veins of the legs. This would explain the loss of function in the hind end and the death and subsequent necrosis of the tail and left rear leg. Again, so sorry. I really hope they do a necropsy to find out what happened.
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Stacey