# what to say



## steve1 (May 13, 2013)

im not sure if this is appropriate place for me to post this but here goes.
Gator my tegu had not been eating well and for about a week not eaten at all, i had made the appt with the vet but had to put it off because the vet had an emergency elsewhere, so another week later i finally get in to see him. mind you during this time Gator acted healthy outside of not eating, he was shedding, he was active. the vet decided that he felt a blockage and did xrays to see whats up. now right off the bat i was not happy with the way he snatched Gator up as if he was this huge visious animal that was thretening to bite everyone, which couldnt be further from the truth. it wasent untill he grabbed the lizard in the fasion he did that Gator opened his mouth like he was gonna bite, any animal would have done this in the manor he was being accosted. so after the xray he was trying to show me how impacted Gator was although to be honest i wouldnt know an impaction in a xray since im not a vet. well he takes a rubber tube and pushes it into his vent and proceeds to blast in soapy water, aftre Gator proceeds to expell the liquid from him, he waits a while for gator to possibly pass it on his own wandering about on the floor. this did not satisfy the vet so he puts a tube in his mouth and stuffs a hose down his throat and pumps an undiclosed liquid down. this is where things go bad. gator was no longer responsive. limp tounge hanging out his mouth and breathing irratic, but at the moment alive. that lasted aprox 15 -20 mins. sometime between the ride from the vet to home Gator passed away. 

I am at odds here i have done what i have read and been told. humidity at 65% basking temps were over 100 degrees the rest of the enclosure ranged from lower 90s near the basking area to low 80s on the cooler side. he had a big tub of water to soak in and do his buisness. i used 100% cypress mulch as substrate deep enough for him to bury himself in. he was esentially a happy (for a columbian tegu) active, alert etc.. 

when the vet asked what i used for substrate i told him what i used and he said it was horrible to use it and prefered reptile carpet which makes no sence to me because i know they like to borrow. this is also the same vet that claims green iguanas are meat eaters. 

i am torn i am heart broken. i dont know what i could have done differently except chosen a different vet.......anyhow i dont think im asking for anything from anyone but really just needed a place to vent and warn others 

I live in Louisville kentucky and the vet was Stonefield on moser road. 
this vet killed my tegu for no good reason. i cared for 2 green iguanas for a number of years and the male was 15 years old and 5 feet long when he passed away. i never ever fed them meat and they were both healthy till the day they passed. i have come to a cross roads in reptile keping and dont know if i can do it anymore. 

if this helps anyone then i have done a service worth a million dollars and i do it for the love of reptiles. good luck to you all and i apologise if this is the wrong place to post this


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## Logie_Bear (May 13, 2013)

Words cannot express how sorry I am for your loss. I would put in a complaint to that veterinary office and definitely spread the word around your hometown about their horrible treatment of animals. Again, I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you.


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## Roadkill (May 13, 2013)

I would say your assessment is likely the truth, that this vet killed your tegu. I realize this is an expensive idea, but I would seek out another veterinarian trained in pathology to do a necropsy on your tegu. Keep the body cold but don't freeze it. It sounds as if the first vet possibly drowned your tegu by intubating the wrong passageway (or worse, perforated an internal organ). If a necropsy can show that indeed your tegu died because of the ineptness of the prior vet, sue him.


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## Jstew (May 13, 2013)

My heart goes out to you for your loss


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## laurarfl (May 14, 2013)

I am so so sorry for your loss. We can only speculate on what may have happened. Without a necropsy, no one will know for sure. I'll ask and see what others would say about this situation.

Here's an idea of what my exotics vet does, as a comparison. I had a corn snake that was thought to have an impaction, we later found it was an odd tumor.

First I fill out a patient husbandry form about all aspects of care.
*We does an exam and tells me what he thinks may be happening or lets me know what else needs to be done (x-rays, etc).
*When he did the enema (or any procedure), he was very good about explaining every step and what he was using. He has a white board in his exam room and goes into great detail.
*He always treats my animals as if they were his own pets...very gentle guy...even my annoying ferret that pees on him. 
*He generally spends about an hour with me and my critters.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss and the horrible experience that made it even worse.


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## laurarfl (May 14, 2013)

I don't know if this helps, but I asked a local vet about your situation. He gave me permission to post his reply here.

"I would be happy to look at the x-rays, if he can get a copy. I agree the vet was not very informed, based on the carpet substrate comment and the iguanas eat meat comment.

As for the blockage and death. I don't have any issue with the attempted enema, although I use mineral oil and warm saline, not soap. I don't agree with the oral route, I don't see that helping. There is a possibility the he could have damaged the internal structures if he was rough or tried to manipulate the blockage.

Lastly, an autopsy should have been preformed to identify the blockage, and find the cause of death. The autopsy would have allowed someone to look at everything. Identify the blockage, decide if it was food, substrate, foreign item possible ingested if he allows the tegu to roam free in the home, a tumor, or some other soft tissue item. This would give him the understanding of whether or not the enema would have even helped. If it was a tumor or some soft tissue structure acting like a blockage, then surgery would have been the only cure. Additionally you would be able to see if there was a perforation or other tissue damage, that may have resulted in the animals death. I doubt seriously that the vet accidentally placed the tube in the trachea and flooded the lungs with the fluid, but that also would be obvious with an autopsy."


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## BatGirl1 (May 14, 2013)

I would also definitely seek out some kind of "malpractice " compensation. A vet who claims to be qualified as a herp vet should, in fact, know what they are doing. Talk to dubya on here...he recently went through an impaction issue with gwangi and could also offer info about proper procedure as opposed to what your vet did. I'm soooo sorry for your loss. Very very sad


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## Aardbark (May 14, 2013)

Its definitly the right place to post.

My heart goes out to you and your loss. It sounds horrible, and if I were you I would definitly sue the guy. It really sounds like he killed your gu, dont let him get away with it.


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## steve1 (May 14, 2013)

thank you all for your kind words and suggestions, we put a stop payment on the charge so its doubtful id get a copy of the x rays, as for doing any kind of necropsy, i have already burried him a nice spot where he wont be bothered and has plenty of tall grass to hide in. i dont have the knowledge or resources to do any kind of legal action against the vet and even if i could i cannot put a price on the loss. i have posted on facebook about this vet warning others and have yet to as well on craigslist. if i can save one person thge grief then i have done justice. the one bit of justice i can never get back is the guilt i feel for haveing taken him there in the first place. the worse part yet is that the Louisville zoo recommended this vet to me which is why i went there in the first place. perhaps sometime down the road i will try this again. but right now a large enclosure will sit upstairs waiting for that day. once again thank you all for your warmth and kindness. hug your tegus and keep them warm and safe.


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## Roadkill (May 14, 2013)

I'd be careful going the route you have. I'm not sure where the law stands where you live, but the action you have taken can be considered slander and libel without any kind of proof. You're refusing to get proof and burying it instead, therefore there's the possibility that with you A)withholding legally earned fees and B)putting the veterinarian's name through the proverbial mud without solid evidence, the vet could now turn around and sue you. Being a vet, I'd guarantee he has the money to do so. Basically, what I'm saying is if you get a necropsy and have proof, you can say this. If you won't, you've basically taken the stance where you have to keep your mouth shut.


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## laurarfl (May 14, 2013)

I don't think you can get a necropsy after burial with any definitive results.


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## Aardbark (May 14, 2013)

Deffinitly tell the zoo what happend, so they stop sending people to that vet. 

Thats really a hard spot. I mean, who wants their just passed little one to be cut up and dissected? And on the other hand, if there is no proof its only your word vs his word. Both roads suck. Either way, I hope Gator is happy wherever he is.


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## dragonmetalhead (May 16, 2013)

What a heartbreaking story. Kodo and I wish to send you our sincerest condolences over your loss. From the story, it really does sound like the vet screwed up. Have you contacted the clinic to tell them your tegu died on the way home?


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## TheTeguGurl (May 16, 2013)

oh my heart is breaking for you. I am so sorry to hear of gators passing. I agree with what others have said that this is 100% the vets fault. my midgard went thru a impaction and he was seen by a great vet. he was so bad he went to surgery and yet the vet was able to help him without surgery and NOT one time did they ever stick or force something down his throat if he wasnt sedated .....I am glad you are warning ppl around your area of this vet and i am truly sorry this happened to you.


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## HeatherN (May 17, 2013)

many of my animals have been passing lately from the after-effects of a heat bulb fire (never buy cheap bulbs...), so i feel for you. that vet sounds like he didnt know what he was doing. Though, sometimes i find pursuing a wronging too furiously can just keep these wounds opened longer than they should be. If you feel that it wont cause too much residual pain, he should definitely pay in my opinion. In my situation though, i had to drop a lot of disputes for my own state of mind to remain intact. Put your well being above them paying for what they did. my condolences.


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