Zoe was put down at about 9:30 tonight.
Over the last couple months he really started slowing down. He hadn't been moving around his cage too much, mostly just staying under his basking light, even sleeping in that area, rather than his old dead schefflera that he refused to give up.
I thought that maybe he was slowing down due to his age, 3.5 years, and the fact that he has been living off of repti-aide for over a year now.
For about two weeks, he had been falling or climbing down to the bottom of his cage. We have never seen him fall, or climb down, but yet we were finding him sitting down on the bottom of his cage. Always upright, and with his eyes open.
When he got his URI's in 2003, he would gape, and have noisy breathing, and was obviously sick... this time...nothing like that. Just slow moving, and appearing to be more clumsy. He maintained great colour, no difficulty breathing, eating and drinking with enthusiasm.
I did notice that one toe on his front foot seemed enlarged...but not red, or draining. It was hard, and seemed to be painless, as he didn't pull his foot away if I applied pressure to it. I don't know if he had gout or what it was.
I had been advised to NOT supplement with calcium due to the fact that he was living solely off of repti-aide, and that would provide all the nutrients he needed.
Early this evening, around 5, for the first time I actually saw him fall from his basking area. When I went to his cage to retrieve him, he was laying on his side on the bottom of his cage. It looked as though he had vomited his water, as there was quite a bit of fluid around his mouth. Not thick muscousy fluid, but thin clear fluid, like water. I lifted him back up, and he seemed to perk up a tiny bit. Once I was sure he was breathing, I placed him on his basking area, and sat down near his cage, just to be able to watch him from a bit of a distance, so he wouldn't be stressed by me watching him. He attempted to take a couple steps, and fell over on to his side, hanging limp over a stick in his cage. Once again I went over to him, and scooped him up...I was sure at that point that he was gone, or very close to it. His colour was very pale, and he kept his eyes closed. He had no strength left to his grip at all, and his feet would not close. I could see his eyes moving, even though they were closed, so I layed him on his side in his pothos plant, near his schefflera that he liked to sleep on.
I called the emergency veterinary clinic and made plans to bring him in. The vet examined him. She said he was well hydrated, and appeared to be in physically good condition (meaning weight, etc.). Of course no one can be sure of what was happening on the inside. Whether it was age or renal failure from being on repti-aide for over a year, is anyone's guess.
We made the decision to have him put down. We were all there with him, and we brought him home to take him to be buried with all our other family pets.
It's breaking my heart...but I know that his time with us was better than the first two years of his life in that cramped glass tank.
He was well loved, and will be missed terribly.
Rest in Peace Big Zo'. We love you.
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Kim
