Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I finally got money to take ZIggy to the vet today. They did x-rays and as I thought his front left leg is broken. The inside bone of the leg is broken, and the bones have pushed together and are over lapping. He also has 3 broken ribs. We are going back in the morning to get the bone set and put in a cast. They can't really do anything with the ribs, but the ribs are good clen breaks and should heal well. The way his bones looked the vet did not want to say he has MBD, but he is DARN close. I feel so bad for him. I got them to give him pain reilever, Rimadyl, once a day. I am going to call his old owners, i have only had him about 3 weeks, tomrrow and get them to tell the truth about the lighting they used and what they fed. *sigh* poor ziggy
-----
Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.1.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig,Franklin, Doris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsky)
3.10.0 Leo
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory medicine.. It relieves pain by reducing inflammation. That is why old dogs get so much relief from it. I'm an old dog who gets spinal pain relief from Celebrex.

BUT

My personal MD just had surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his back, and *his* doctor wouldn't let him take Celebrix (our version of Rimadyl) because anti-infalmmatories inhibit bone healing. My doc got a HUGE prescription for a narcotic pain reliever, and he had to make do with that, he doesn't like them.

All that just to tell you that iguana bones are probably just as healing-inhibited as human bones with anti-inflammatories.

Allow this to comfort you: all of his swelling has already happened because of the delay of treatment (which with bones is not a problem), so having a cast put on won't hurt a lot. Most bone-fracture pain comes from continued swelling inside a rigid cast. I call them medieval instruments of torture. They put on rigid casts way too early. I'll never let a doc put a cast on me until at least several days have passed. I had a horrible experience with one of my children that added to my knowledge base about this matter.

All my best,

Roger

The RImadyl is aminly for tonghit before the cast to amke him more comfortable. They messed with it ALOT today and it actually had swollen up najorly again after the vet appointment. They will be giving him an injectiable PAIN RELIVER tomorrow. I am a pre-vet, and my mom is a nurse of 24 years, so I knew what the drugs were for. I asked them to give me something for him because, I know this is me being a girly human again, but I REALLY think he is in real pain. His bones were also SO overlapped, almost 1/2", that all his body could do was swell around it. Had I not taken him to the vet and found out how bad the overlap was, Ziggy would be walking on the outside of his arm for the rest of his life. I just hope they can make it anywhere near normal tomorrow. Also, I think Ieft it out, but his bones were so bad they had a hard time getting certain bone groups to show up on x-ray. I am so mad at those people for treating Ziggy this way.
-----
Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.1.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig,Franklin, Doris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsky)
3.10.0 Leo
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

I admit i got om my soapbox on the issue of anti-inflammatories. It's too bad about your ig's fragile bones I hope all goes well at the vet's today. Maybe they'll want to pin it? I'll be looking for the update.

roger

Just wanted to say i hope ziggy is feeling better soon. And give those old owners a earfull. Its too bad that people dont just do some research on how to care for their animals. When i first got ozzy, i was told to feed him, the bags of Dole spring mix, these are all lettuces and have no nutrition from what i understand, some carrot and apple. Thankfully i got online and found this site and eventually MK's site with diet info, or poor ozzy would have been in the same shape as ziggy. Thankfully ozzy was just a baby when i got him, approx. 6 months old. So they didnt have much time to do damage. Well just wanted to say hope he is recovering well. tami

Well, Ziggy is home. He is REALLY hating not having climbs, but he is on low level orders. Also, well they had him under they had a look at his mouth and he had a little rot, so that is being treated now with Sulfa/Trimeth. He is not a happy camper today. They also gave me medical grade calcium, gave it to me, for him. I HOPE he gets better. If the bone dosen't heal correctly, then they have to go to surgery and set it with a pin. I am HOPING, it dosen't come to that. Here are some pictures anyway.

-----
Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.1.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig,Franklin, Doris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsky)
3.10.0 Leo
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

another pic

-----
Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.1.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig,Franklin, Doris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsky)
3.10.0 Leo
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu