# Arm Dislocation?? Please Help! :(



## Axe B (Jul 21, 2018)

Hello, I'm fairly new to the tegu lizard species, but so far they are amazing, if my tegu were to represent all tegus  I originally received Diesel (my tegu) untamed about 2-3 months ago, he is about 5 months old or so. He scampered about and hid in his cage, refusing to be handled. I used several methods I read about online here to tame him. (Bathtub and shirt techniques are the best! Shoutout to all of the members who informed me of various taming methods on my previous thread) Diesel now walks on a leash outside daily, lays on my back while I play piano, and comes when called (when I have food of course)

I am creating this thread because about an hour ago, I was brushing my teeth with Diesel on my shoulder, and he must have saw a spider or something crawl across the floor because he, out of nowhere, turned around and leaped off my shoulder right onto the ground. I knew this would not end well, because Diesel is about two feet now, a pretty good size... I was shocked and unprepared, usually he stays very still and relaxes when he's on me. It's also late, around his bedtime and he's usually sleepy and not active Much too late to be jumping off of humans... Unfortunately I did not react to catch him in time, and he landed right on his back on the floor. Diesel layed there on his back at first, with his mouth open. I picked him up and flipped him over and he didn't move, he just flicked his tongue in and out with his eyes open and his arms back as if he was in a sleeping position. I put him on the ground nudged for him to move and he really struggled, not moving the entire front half of his body, his arms, or his neck. He just kicked his legs to try to propel himself forward. At first, I thought it was the end and he had clearly broken his back and that he was done because he looked so helpless, but he was moving his legs, which was strange... I picked him up and quickly massaged his entire spine to feel for any clean breaks and listen for possible popping or grating sounds, but his spine seemed whole and normal... After about 10-20 minutes of massaging and trying to figure out what was wrong, Diesel was walking around... Well, kind of walking. He struggles immensely with his upper left arm, putting all of his weight on his right arm and attempting to transfer it to his left arm, but instead fails to plant it down and collapses on his chest. I felt his arm for possible breaks and nothing feels broken, and he can still use the muscles in his arm, he just doesn't walk on it. He fails to put it underneath his body to support his weight transfer from his right arm, and when he does manage, it is tenuous and results in a quick weight transfer back to his right upper arm...

Aside from a possible breakage, the only thing I can think of would be a shoulder dislocation or a strain. From the way he fell, I barely caught a sight of the absolute fall because I was turned around looking in the mirror but it looked like he landed on his upper left shoulder or back. This leads me to believe a possible dislocation, but I have absolutely no idea how to make a diagnosis. Would I need to visit the vet or get an X-ray? I have a tight budget right now sadly, I spent it on extra pinkies and a new cage, if I were to spend over $100 on a vet trip It would have to be in a couple weeks when I receive my next check and I think that may be too late  ANY HELP OR POSSIBLE KNOWLEDGE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Maybe how to tell the difference between a shoulder/arm strain or a shoulder dislocation? possible home treatments or remedies? Maybe possibly explain the short term paralysis from when he first hit the ground?... Anything is great! Diesel is so young, I don't want my carelessness to be the cause of a possible future disability or amputation.... 

I will post a video tomorrow morning of him walking or trying to walk. For now, I'm just going to monitor it and let him sleep. Please please please let me know what you think! anything is helpful!

P.S., Something mildly similar has happened before when my sister was babysitting him, he fell off of the bed, she said at first he wouldn't move his legs for the first three minutes and then he went back to walking normally.


----------



## Zyn (Jul 21, 2018)

Just a heads up Tegus aren’t like iguanas they like to be on the ground, and if they have their way under it.

Vet would be the best call. 

And no more high places for little Tegus. They aren’t climbers, they’re borrowers. 

But he sounds stunned, brusied, and possible broken. 

That fall would be like you falling off the side of a house.


----------



## Walter1 (Jul 22, 2018)

Mild to severe harm. Can't tell without an x-ray. I appreciate that your finances are tight, but no other viable recourse.


----------



## Axe B (Jul 22, 2018)

okay zyn and walter1, I will try to schedule an appointment.Thank you for your feedback.


----------



## Walter1 (Jul 22, 2018)

Axe B said:


> okay zyn and walter1, I will try to schedule an appointment.Thank you for your feedback.


Good luck. The good news is that bei g young, repair and growth can be counted on more. Also, gravity less harsh on a little tegu than a big tegu.


----------



## Axe B (Jul 23, 2018)

Thank you so much, Walter1. I do have good news though, with the spare time I had a couple nights ago (since it is summer time, no school!) I did a bit of research and was able to construct a small makeshift cast/splint to hold his arm in place. He walks perfectly normal with the cast on when I let him walk which is great, to exercise it every now and then and regulate the walking motion. and I take it off at night when he sleeps so his arm can heal. I dipped his dinner (raw chicken liver stuffed with dandelion clover) in extra dusted calcium, in case there is a form of bone contusion or breakage. I was told this helps?... Maybe someone can clarify that since the web isn't very clear on it... He still voraciously eats the food the same so there's not much change in taste which I guess is a good thing haha..  


Based on what 
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000524.htm 
AND 
https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.o...ion_Shoulder_Dislocation_Separation_-_PMR.xml 

say, there would be swelling, bruising, and extreme difficulty in moving ones arm if it were to be dislocated. Additionally, the arm would be in almost a "disconnected, limp" stage. But there is also an assumption made here, mostly from a deduction stating that a lizard arm dislocation would have the same symptoms as a human arm dislocation which I'm not sure is the case... I did look at the lizard shoulder anatomy 

https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1273693&blobtype=pdf

and both the lizard and the human do have the shoulder ball-and-socket, its just the lizard's humerus bone is rotated in the socket at about a 90-degree angle to support a lizard's four-legged ground lifestyle, versus the human's two legged stance. But pushing that aside and going by medicineplus's and mydoctor's rules, I don't think Diesel's shoulder/arm is dislocated, which is a huge relief. I took the cast off today for a little bit to stretch his arm and get his muscles and circulation going for a bit, and he can now walk around on his arm, just not 100% yet. It's about 60-65% right now. When he does walk, he extends and contracts his fingers, so I think it's fair enough to say he can still use the muscles in his arm and hand well. There's no swelling in his fingers, palm or arm and no popping or grating sounds when he walks. I felt his arms and both arms contract and tighten their muscles the same, so there is no form of "limp" stage. PLEASE CORRECT ME ON THIS INFORMATION IF IT IS WRONG!!!!! FALSE HOPE= HEARTBREAK!

This is a huge improvement from before, as a couple days earlier when he fell he would not even walk on it, and his arm would flop uselessly to his side as he attempted to lift the front of his body off of the ground. He slips every ten steps or so still, so I put the cast back on. Based on the recovery he has made in only two days, I'm going to pray that it was just an arm muscle sprain or a minute pop in-pop out dislocation and his ligament connecting his humerus bone to his shoulder pallete is just sore or overstretched. If his recovery continues at this contingent rate I will assume that he will no longer need the cast in about 4-7 more days and should be walking normally. By then I believe my check will have come in and I can take him to the vet!  But if he really is fine by then, then hopefully that's hard cash I can keep... Fingers crossed, and thank you so much for your advice!!

P.S. IM ACTUALLY SO EXCITED! I HOPE HE GETS BETTER BECAUSE HES GETTING BETTER AH! and if he doesn't he's gonna take a vet trip anyways...  I legit love him so much it's crazy... EEE TEGUS!


----------



## Walter1 (Jul 23, 2018)

Very encouraging!


----------



## AlphaAlpha (Jul 23, 2018)

Glad to hear hes getting better it sounds encouriging ....remember in future when ever he is high to always be in a situation where you have him secure incase he is spooked or decides to take a dive.


----------



## Trede (Jul 25, 2018)

I've found that my tegu has gotten to the point of being a little TOO trusting...if she wants down from my shoulder or the couch, she'll just start walking down...we affectionately call this move the "spider lizard." After a couple of close calls, I just keep one hand on or around the base of her tail so if/when she starts, I can hold her and gently lower her to her destination.


----------



## Walter1 (Jul 25, 2018)

Trede said:


> I've found that my tegu has gotten to the point of being a little TOO trusting...if she wants down from my shoulder or the couch, she'll just start walking down...we affectionately call this move the "spider lizard." After a couple of close calls, I just keep one hand on or around the base of her tail so if/when she starts, I can hold her and gently lower her to her destination.


Lots of personalities.


----------



## Rebecca Stout (Jul 26, 2018)

Im so sorry this happened. I've been in the same place with money before. This is what I did.. and anyone who has severe financial issues and a vet unwilling to work with you should do this:
Get CareCredit. Its a kind of credit card for vet care. Almost all vets will accept it. You can go online and apply and get it instantly. But don't wait because if you want it for life and death emergencies there will not be enough time to do so. I think there is interest free for a spell when you use it, but I could be wrong. Most people are accepted. Hell even if you only get a couple hundred credit line it is a BIG help. A nice extra is if you are out of town, you can leave the cqrd with your baby sitter.


----------



## Bugz (Jul 26, 2018)

Axe B said:


> Hello, I'm fairly new to the tegu lizard species, but so far they are amazing, if my tegu were to represent all tegus  I originally received Diesel (my tegu) untamed about 2-3 months ago, he is about 5 months old or so. He scampered about and hid in his cage, refusing to be handled. I used several methods I read about online here to tame him. (Bathtub and shirt techniques are the best! Shoutout to all of the members who informed me of various taming methods on my previous thread) Diesel now walks on a leash outside daily, lays on my back while I play piano, and comes when called (when I have food of course)
> 
> I am creating this thread because about an hour ago, I was brushing my teeth with Diesel on my shoulder, and he must have saw a spider or something crawl across the floor because he, out of nowhere, turned around and leaped off my shoulder right onto the ground. I knew this would not end well, because Diesel is about two feet now, a pretty good size... I was shocked and unprepared, usually he stays very still and relaxes when he's on me. It's also late, around his bedtime and he's usually sleepy and not active Much too late to be jumping off of humans... Unfortunately I did not react to catch him in time, and he landed right on his back on the floor. Diesel layed there on his back at first, with his mouth open. I picked him up and flipped him over and he didn't move, he just flicked his tongue in and out with his eyes open and his arms back as if he was in a sleeping position. I put him on the ground nudged for him to move and he really struggled, not moving the entire front half of his body, his arms, or his neck. He just kicked his legs to try to propel himself forward. At first, I thought it was the end and he had clearly broken his back and that he was done because he looked so helpless, but he was moving his legs, which was strange... I picked him up and quickly massaged his entire spine to feel for any clean breaks and listen for possible popping or grating sounds, but his spine seemed whole and normal... After about 10-20 minutes of massaging and trying to figure out what was wrong, Diesel was walking around... Well, kind of walking. He struggles immensely with his upper left arm, putting all of his weight on his right arm and attempting to transfer it to his left arm, but instead fails to plant it down and collapses on his chest. I felt his arm for possible breaks and nothing feels broken, and he can still use the muscles in his arm, he just doesn't walk on it. He fails to put it underneath his body to support his weight transfer from his right arm, and when he does manage, it is tenuous and results in a quick weight transfer back to his right upper arm...
> 
> ...


Hello how are you so here is the thing as stated by Walter or what ever his name is tagus are not climbers and as babies and sub adults prefer being underground not a good idea to carry them at those stages of life even as adults they should be shifting next to u or walking about but not on shoulder as far as his fall give him a few days it could be the muscle leave him in cage so he can heal but check on him constantly if not important then contact vet here is my Facebook going to turn it to a retailer page soon for turatulla and reticles such as tagus monitors and snakes romeomthree


----------

