My iguana developed a tail problem recently. The first I noticed was necrotic tissue on about 10cm of her tail tip. Took her into the vet, expecting them to recommend amputation.

I was right. Far more than I was expecting. See, when I got her there, I then noticed a subtle, but open wound about 1/3 of the way down her tail. The vet made plans to amputate from just above that point.

When we got her in for the actual procedure, he took pre-operative x-rays. These showed four different fracture sites, and some bone dissolution. First thing I asked about when I saw them was possible NSHP, but the doc ruled that out. Yes, I did ask several times.

He wants to biopsy the removed tissue, possibly find out the cause of her underlying problems. Some of us with older iguanas are starting to see progressive degerative bone issues, particularly in female iguanas: this *may* be that issue. Not a lot is known about this yet, it's still a fairly new issue in the medical literature.

They ended up taking about 5/6 of her tail. But she did recover fromt he anesthesia far earlier than anyone (including me) expected; I was expecting to have to leave her at the hospital overnight, but she came home that evening. She's her usual feisty self, biting me every time I try to administer her pain meds & antibiotics. Her appetite seems undiminished, and she was doing her usual exploration and digging at the sides of her enclosure.

So, anyway, here's a pic of her from several years ago, with tail:

Attached Images

LITC.jpg (55.6 KB, 182 views)

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