Very Emaciated, Sick Iggy... I Just had to Rescue Him

[Logie_Bear]

Last night I went on a rescue mission.
A friend of mine told me about an iguana that was being kept by a woman who quite literally had him locked in a room with no UVB lighting, very little heat, no humidity... and fed him iceburg lettuce. He is in terrible condition. Every time I look at him I want to cry a little. He is extremely weak and barely walks around on his on. He is capable tho, so I don't think there's much in the way of MBD to worry about. I think he was kept by a responsible owner for the first 2 years of life before coming into this woman's care. He's about 5 years old now, and very small for his size. He's about 3.5 - 4ft long and nothing but skin and bones. All the musculature in his legs and tail has been used by the body and he's so pitifully weak it kills me.

So, here's where I could really use your advice. I've never taken in a reptile in such horrible condition before. I've done a lot of reading through www.anapsid.org regarding emaciation, dehydration and getting them rehabilitated. So, first thing on my agenda is getting him hydrated. I gave him a soak in the tub, and he didn't really drink any water. He really doesnt tongue-flick at all. Which is doubly concerning for a lizard who's in a new place with new smells and sounds. :/ I have a little plastic syringe I filled with some Pedialyte and gave him a few cc's of that, and later on I gave him a few cc's of water with some Spirulina powder mixed in. Once he opened his mouth, its clear he is definitely suffering from stomatitis/ mouth rot. Its on his tongue and along the back of his gums. I need to get him to a vet for antibiotics for sure. Unfortunately, they wont be open till tuesday due to labor day. I'm really afraid this guy could keel over at any moment. What suggestions do you guys have and what are his chances of being able to bounce back from this? I want to do everything in my power to help this poor lizard. ;_;

The white on the end of the tongue is what I think is stomatitis. There's a lot more inside of the mouth I couldn't get a pic of.

Getting a soak

Poor guy looks so worn.

His skin just sits loosely on his body. I can practically put my finger under his rib cage...


Oh, and I forgot to mention that I have him separated from all the other reptiles, but he is in the adjoining room. I've washed my hands after every interaction with him, but is there any chance of mouth rot being contagious to my other reptiles? Can it be airborne? Thanks so much for any advice/help you can offer me. This guy really needs some well-wishes!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

It needs a Vet even if it's to put him out of his misery, which any Vet can do that. Treating the mouth rot ( if that's what it is ) may be too much stress for him to handle in his condition. On top of that not knowing what else may be going on that could also be causing his issues. What ever he's going through and dealing with there's no telling how long it has been that way, with a suppressed immune system it can easily advance into other issues. Depending on how long he has been without food his organs may be shutting down, so force feeding him right now would not be a good idea without knowing if everything's still working properly. He basically needs fluids and supportive care until that can be determined.

It is most definitely a risk to your other pets not just for the mouth rot but any other issues he could have like parasites ( which could also cause the weight loss) a URI or anything else along those lines. Just washing your hands will not keep those issues from spreading to your other reptiles.

If you haven't seen it already here's a thread on Quarantine for new pets, especially sick ones.
http://tegutalk.com/threads/quarantine.10205/

 

[Logie_Bear]

It needs a Vet even if it's to put him out of his misery, which any Vet can do that. Treating the mouth rot ( if that's what it is ) may be too much stress for him to handle in his condition. On top of that not knowing what else may be going on that could also be causing his issues. What ever he's going through and dealing with there's no telling how long it has been that way, with a suppressed immune system it can easily advance into other issues. Depending on how long he has been without food his organs may be shutting down, so force feeding him right now would not be a good idea without knowing if everything's still working properly. He basically needs fluids and supportive care until that can be determined.

It is most definitely a risk to your other pets not just for the mouth rot but any other issues he could have like parasites ( which could also cause the weight loss) a URI or anything else along those lines. Just washing your hands will not keep those issues from spreading to your other reptiles.

If you haven't seen it already here's a thread on Quarantine for new pets, especially sick ones.
http://tegutalk.com/threads/quarantine.10205/

Thank you for your feedback Bubblz. I was definitely following quarantine procedures for this guy. I was going to update this sooner, but I got really sick on monday and I'm just now feeling back up to snuff.

So, I had a vet appointment scheduled for first thing in the morning on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he passed away in his sleep Monday night. It truly breaks my heart that anyone would mistreat an animal in such a way. Every time he looked at me, I knew he was suffering. So, on some level I'm glad he is no longer in pain. I wish I had known about him even a month prior, when he may have actually been able to pull through. The whole situation really just tears me up.

 

[laurarfl]

I'm so sorry to hear the outcome. At least he had some comfort in his last days.

 

[Walter1]

You did a kindness.