I NEED HELP AS SOON AS ANYONE CAN RESPOND!!!

[austen1]

TEXTO.K. I just signed up today.My namez Austen Working and I live in Arizona.I have 2 lizards 1 male,Rex, and one female,Lady.They live together in a 7X4 Wooden cage with thin non-sharp mesh for sides.Rex is a little bigger than lady.Now the reason I need help is becuz Rex is hurt and we can't afford a vet because we spent our money on christmas gifts .Rex is pretty mutch not able to move from the waist down.We cant find out whats wrong. We dont want to try to move him.He has bene able to move from the ground to his perch(about 5 feet up) and i've seen him slowly move his legs while doing it.By the way,Lady shows no agression towards him at all.IF ANYONE HAS AN OPINION OR ADVICE I SHOUR COULD USE IT!!Thankz,austen1.

[Tesa]

Hi Austen.....and welcome to IZ.
Unfortunately, this is one of those instances where there is nothing we can do for you via internet. He absolutely needs to see a vet....period.

Did this come on suddenly or over a period of time??

[prism_wolf]

Give answers to these questions:

What are your temperatures?

What type of UVB do you use?

What do you feed?

These, the vet will need to know. Answer them here and we may find a clue to the problem...but paralysis is serious and should not be answered on a forum.

[Nanshe]

OMG - did you take Rex to the vet? I notice it's been about 3 or 4 days since you originally posted - please update us on his condition and treatment.

~Nan

[Tesa]

Here is the recent correspondance between Austen and I. Ya'll put your 2 cents in.

Thanks I inderstand, I guess I just feel a little helpless that I can't do
anything but hope Rex gets better. He's bene eating well, and has bene
sleeping alot.If he can make till the first I will take him to the local
vet. I suspect it is is something with his hip because of the way I saw him
when he fell. I have a large piece of bark up on a few branches below a U.V.
light that is on top of the wiring of the cage. I think he whipped at
Lady(he's very territorial,fell off the side ,and hit his side on the food
dish. He was sitting in a way that was very wierd,upright on his tail like a
human sits, and was able to turn himself around on his belly again. I have
heard that their bones get brittle because of their diet. I feed the a mix
of romain lettuce, mustard greens, celary, spinach and carrots. I also feed
them tomatoes, kiwi, and bananas. If you have an opinion to share please
respond.

[Tesa]

Hi Austin,
Ig bones will get brittle when they have a poor diet, and honestly, his diet needs an overhaul.
The only "staple" food item you have listed are the mustard greens. The overall diet needs to have a 2:1 calcium:phosphorus ratio. Have you looked at the food chart on IZ?
webpages.charter.net/tesa64735/Revised2.htm
I have nutritional information for quite a few items and color coded them so it's easy to know which are the best. Collard greens should be a primary food option as they have a 14:1 ratio.

As I said before, unfortunately we cannot diagnose the lil guy via internet.
If something is broken, it will be nearly healed (possibly incorrectly) by the time you are able to get him to a vet. :-(
My biggest ig has one arm that she cannot bend because it was broken (about 2 years before she came to live with me) and healed wrong. The best thing you can do is make sure his temps and lighting are correct.

btw: When you say a "U.V. light".......are you certain it's a UVB light?? or simply UVA or full spectrum?
Im sorry that I can't be more helpful :-(

--Tesa

[Tesa]

Hi tesa. I got your message, and it turns out I wasn't giving them
>enough
> iron or phosphorus. I decided to remalence thier diet to a mixed salad
>of
> collard greens, mustard greens, dandilions,alfalfa,and water cress. I
>will
> also try to get them some spagetti squash. Since I have more than I can
> stand out here in the dessert I will stert gining them stripped prickly
>pair
> as treats(I never thought they would eat those).I decided that they had
>to
> little scafolding and that was why they were getting if fights over it.
> tomorrow I will get them on some new food and get some more sanded
>branches
> and bark for them to climb on. Email me, new devoted owner, Austen
>

[Tesa]

Hi Austen
> Actually, they weren't getting enough calcium. The diet is supposed
>to contain twice as much calcium as phosphorus. Without it, their bodies
>suck calcium from their bones into the bloodstream, consequently damaging
>the skeletal system, internal organs and the nervous system.
> The diet you refer to know sounds great. Remember a BIG majority of
>their food should be greens, but you can add more vegetables to the mix.
>Butternut squash and green beans would be a great start. Make sure you cut
>them into VERY small pieces so they can be more easily digested. (I run
>mine thru a little 10 dollar food processor from Wal Mart. They end up
>being about the size of rice.)
> Quite frankly, you are giving me conflicting information. In your
>post on IZ, you stated that Mary wasn't showing any aggression towards Rex,
>but now you say they are fighting over it?? If there was one fight, there
>will be more. They need to have separate housing immediately before there
>is another incident. I use plastic coated wire shelves for them to climb
>on. Its a heck of alot easier to clean!
> Would you mind if I post our emails to Iguana-Zone? People are
>wanting to know how Rex is doing. And I'm positive others can add to the
>advice I've given you so far.
>Is Rex able to move any better? Is he eating? Is he going into the basking
>area??
>Lemme know :-)
>--Tesa

[Tesa]

hey tesa! if you get a repeat of our other message, ignore it. I hit the
wrong btton. By the way , I would be honored if you posted our messages.I
didn't know other people were interested. Mabe I could send a few pics for
them to see.When I said they didn't fight I ment they werent hurting each
other . They will bicker over basking spots, but otherwise they will lay
thier heads on eachothers backs and sleep together. They were born to the
same mother, and so they grew up together. My uncle who had them until they
were three said they never tried to hurt each other. As of now Rex is
staying up by the light and eating what food I leave up there. He is
starting to move around some more. He can use his legs to latch on the wire
with but still can't bear enough weight to stand up for long. Oh well, at
least he isn't finding a spot to sit in and waiting to die. If he's willing
to eat and move he most likely has a will to live. Thanks for showing your
support, Austen.

[prism_wolf]

This ig needs a vet now...not waiting until the first. This iguana is in pain or he would be using his limbs properly. Think what you would feel like if you were left with a broken bone and not gone to a doctor.

The diet is very bad, but Tesa sent you in the right directon for that. The right temperatures are equally important as is UVB.

It doesn't matter that the two are siblings. There will be issues of territory. Just because one lays it's head on the other does not mean they are friends...especially when only one basking spot is made available to two igs. They need to be seperated.

Oh well, at
least he isn't finding a spot to sit in and waiting to die.

And if you WERE expecting him to do this...all the more reason to get him to a vet! This is the type of comment that makes a poor caretaker. You may honestly care for these iguanas...or you wouldn't be here trying to help him. Now you need to follow through with the right care...

[austen1]

Hi everybody . I appreciate your concern and support towards Rex. So far he seems to be Recovering steadily and I am confadent he will beable to regain complete controll of his tail and legs. I phoned the local vet and the one in a larger town. They both said in this case there is nothing they can do. They said they were sure it was a broken hip and if the tried to do anything they would end up with spinal complications, then they would have to put him to sleep. I will notify you of any further improvements. Thanks,Austen.

[prism_wolf]

The vets you talked to must not have known what they were talking about. There may not be just the problem of the possible broken hip...which could very possibly be repaired (albeit with surgery)...but there was an underlying problem here, as well. This ig should not have gotten any broken bones from that fall if the bones were not compromised from a possible calcium deficiency.

Probably both of your igs could use a boost of a calcium injection...the hurt one especially. The other one may be ok with just a good change in diet, but now that the hurt one has a possible broken bone, the added benefit from the calcium injection would be more than beneficial.

In the wild igs jump from far greater distances and come down running.

You have not said that you use UVB lights. You said you have a UV light, but does it produce UVB. There are 3 types of UV which are UV-A, UV-B and UV-C. The UVB is what you need for vitamin D3 synthesis. You already know the diet needs to be revamped, you need the UVB light and you need to make sure the temperatures are good.

[IguanaKing]

Yes, like Veronica said...please answer her questions about diet, UVB, and heat. It'll help us to give you more effective advice on how to bring Rex back to good health, and it'll prevent Lady from entering this state. The lack of movement in the back legs is not necessarily a broken bone. Did this vet even take x-rays? This is one of many symptoms of advanced MBD, Calcium (and proper Ca absorption) is also necessary for proper muscular and nervous system function. Again...please answer Veronica's questions about Rex and Lady's environment and diet. In many cases, this condition can easily be reversed with proper diet, lighting, and heat. ;D

[austen1]

`Hi Veronica, I agree that the vets were giving me uneducated info . I did make a diet change consisting of alfalfa, and greens, dandilions, fruit ,and veggies.I will tryt to get them a UV-B light on the 16th when we have money. Do you know how much they cost . I will also make an attemp to get him some calcium injections. Can you tell me how much they cost as well. Thanks, Austen.

[prism_wolf]

You can get them cheaper online than you can ever get them in a store.
lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/zoo-med-48-50-uvb-bulb/
Using two of these is best. One is ok, but only minimally. For the optimal benefit of UV-B...two is suggested.

Use a shop light from Lowe's or Home Depot for about $20. Again, much cheaper than the petstore. Do not use the ones from Wal-Mart or Target for only $8...these have been found to be inadequate and actual inhibit the UV-B emissions.

You really need an x-ray done on your ig to see what is going on here. A calcium deficient ig will show the density of the skeleton.
www.iguanaden.com/health/mbd.htm
Scroll to the bottom of the page for the x-ray pics here of a healthy ig and an MBD ig. One of the first things you notice, besides the curvature of the spine, is the lack of a solid bone structure...like they are somewhat "ghostly" while in the healthy ig, the bones are a stark, white contrast.

I don't know what the costs are for all these things from the vet you choose. The costs are different in various parts of the country. Mine charges $45 for an x-ray, $20 for a calcium inj., $35 for an office visit.

I understand it's a very tough time of year to have a sick animal. I just had to take in our 12 1/2 yr. old pit bull for tumor removals. Her stitches come out tomorrow. To properly diagnose you ig, however, so the proper treatment can be given, a vet should honestly be seen.

With supplies and medical costs you could be looking at more than any of us would want to spend right now... . Many vets do provide payment plans, though. It is worth looking into.