ARIZONA DAILY STAR (Tucson) 07 April 05 Reptiles hold fascination for veterinarian (Dan Sorenson)
A bearded dragon is giving Jim Jarchow the evil eye.
He'd probably give the veterinarian two evil eyes, but one won't open. Seems his bearded dragon roommate chomped on his head, crushing his right eye socket.
Except for the male of the species being a bit territorial when two are in the same space, Jarchow says they make interesting pets.
"They make gestures toward one another," he says. Really, they gesture with their legs. Makes one wonder what kind of gesture might have led up to the crushed eye socket.
Jarchow really likes reptiles, and it shows. A former reptile keeper at the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo, he was into reptiles before he was even a vet.
"When I was in vet school, I went to the library and I read everything that was available on reptile medicine in one afternoon. It's expanding exponentially. It's gratifying."
He says it's an important time to be involved in reptile work, what with the worldwide demise of many reptile species.
"We're going to be losing so many of these animals in a short … time without understanding how they operate."
Jarchow says this bearded dragon - who appears fairly friendly for a scaly, wall-eyed reptile - is doing well. He hopes he will regain use of the eye, a useful tool when scoping out food.
"They probably make better pets than iguanas," says Jarchow of Orange Grove Animal Hospital, 3091 W. Orange Grove Road.
He notes that iguanas were popular as pets in the 1980s, but not everybody knew what they were getting into. They grow quite large, need some space and - properly cared for - they can live 30 years.
This time of year reptile patients come crawling in, outnumbering the cats and dogs, especially after a wet winter.
"I feel a responsibility to reptiles," says Jarchow. When asked about getting paid for all the near-road-kill he brings back from the tread, it shows. Quite a few of his semi-squashed patients turn into pro bono work. He also helps out at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and did reptile research with the World Wildlife Federation from 1984 to 1989. He's known for his work on the effects of a fungus on the Tarahumara frogs of Sonora and mine tailings' effects on leopard frogs in Southern Arizona.
Jarchow has a hefty desert tortoise with ulcers on its legs caused by a fungus that thrives in damp nesting areas. This 10-year-old is on the mend. He says the condition is potentially fatal if untreated. This one's wounds are raw, pink, meaty- looking patches.
Jarchow sees a lot of tortoises. If it's not the soggy weather ulcers, it's upper respiratory infections or shell damage from getting hit by cars or mauled by dogs.
"I've got a back yard full of tortoises with three legs and Fiberglas shells," says Jarchow. He uses the material to patch damaged shells.
Another patient this particular morning, a Gila monster, had a run-in with a car in a parking lot on North Oracle Road last year. He lost most of his nose, and it still looks a bit raw, but Jarchow says he's doing well and will probably eventually go to Arizona Game and Fish. They'll find him a home with someone authorized to house protected animals. Jarchow says the monster has been out of circulation too long - nearly a year - to be released again into the wild.
Jarchow is the first, sometimes the only, name that comes to mind when some people look for a reptile vet.
"Dr. Jarchow's the only one I know of," said Henry Hohenstein of Tropical Kingdom, 1761 E. Prince Road.
He said the store staff refers customers to Jarchow for problems ranging from lizards that are off their feed to snakes that won't let go of a light bulb.
"Snakes like to wrap themselves around light bulbs," says Hohenstein, "and they're hard to uncurl."
Reptiles hold fascination for veterinarian