Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 39

Thread: Tegu with growth on metacarpal.

  1. #1

    Default Tegu with growth on metacarpal.

    Hello there, this is my first ever post here after a couple of years of lurking! But I thought you guys might be interested to see this. When I first took on Diega, my female T.merianae a couple of years ago she came with a lump on her wrist. Took her to the vet and checked it out and he said as it isn't causing her any grief not to worry about it unless it changes. So anyway, a couple of years later and it's changed! So she was taken straight down the vet. This is how she was presenting:









    And she was in obvious discomfort. So she was taken in for radiographs and this is what he found:









    I was shocked to say the least and so was he as upon first manipulation it possibly appeared she had an abscess and the procedure was to open and drain it under general anaesthetic. We don't know how she came around getting this but it appears that she's had an infection which has got out of hand and as she's always had this lump we never thought it was anything serious.

    So now we're not sure how to proceed as the calcification appears to possibly be attached to her accessory metacarpal bone and we're wondering if that can safely be removed with the weight of the Tegu at the front and have her live a comfortable life afterwards. We won't know until she's opened up if it's attached.

    So for the moment she's being treated for the pain with Metacam (meloxicam) and being treated with Fortum injections (ceftazidime) to combat any infection. We're measuring the growth every 72 hours now when she gets her next dose of Fortum as we've noticed it's starting to look more pleasant than before so fingers crossed it at least reduces in size because as we know if she goes for an op to remove it, on top of the complications of putting her under general anaesthetic, and the growth involving any bones etc... Tegus also don't have huge amounts of skin to stitch up!! So just fingers crossed really.

    I didn't put the photos up for any reason other than it might be interesting to see other peoples' opinions and if there's a possible shared experience, but mostly because I think they're fascinating and always appreciate seeing these things when other people offer them.

    As you can see, (even from the radiograph) Diega is a chunky monkey so i'm even more worried about her having to have a general anaesthetic. Has anyone else had their Tegu go under? Diega means the absolute world to me and we share an incredible bond, I want to do what's best for her but i'm a concerned mummy at the same time.

    Here's a happy picture of Diega:






    ETA: I don't know the history of Diega, when I took her from the bloke who was keeoing her she was kept in a 3ft glass aquarium, no light or heat source and being fed on liver and apples. She weighed nearly double what she does now!!

    ETA: All radiograph photos and photos taken on vet's table are copywrite to my vet. Not that I think anyone would steal them, and i'm sure he doesn't mind me using them, but always polite to cite
    Last edited by EmeraldSapphirez; 02-20-2012 at 08:47 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
    Posts
    746

    Default

    I don't know which one you'll see first so I just c&p'd from the other site.

    Not a Vet but from the top views it doesn't look attached to me. It's harder to tell from the lateral view but they won't know for sure until they get in there. Kind of reminds me of a tumor, did they take any samples or cultures to get a better idea of what it may be?

    Hopefully it's just a mass that didn't heal properly and can easily be removed. It would definitely be uncomfortable since it's shifting her bones.

    Keep us posted and thanks for sharing.


    0.1.0 BP (Spiral) aka Rita Wayward
    2.1. Dogs (White Boys "Powder", Paw Paws "Achilles" & Panini)

    " 14 July 2010,..Always Remembered"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I'm surprised the first vet didn't try to aspirate or look for evidence of an abscess since reptile abscesses are hard rather than liquid. Also, that seems like an area that would be easily traumatized and easy to get contaminated. Given the history and the mess of bones, could there have been a previous fracture?

    Animals seem pretty resilient and if needed to accommodate a healing foot, I bet she could manage. She's lucky to have found you!
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Central,IL.
    Posts
    88

    Default

    I have one big male that has gone under anesthetic twice, and he did excellent. If this is a "herp" vet you are talking about, he should have more confidence in using it on yours. If not, he should at least consult with one that is first. There is always a risk for any pet or human going under, but chances of something going wrong is not as strong as your Tegu loosing more than just it's foot, if it is an abscess and infection gets worse.
    Just one way to look at it, in case it has to be done.

    And please, keep us posted on the situation. You have a very cute one there.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Central Maine
    Posts
    1,689

    Default

    It looks like this tegu has fallen or jumped down and landed full weight on its front foot. I can not tell you how the tegu would fair after the operation, but I can tell you that I did have one blue tegu female, get her leg bit/ripped off just below the shoulder by another female. It happened on a weekend and my vet was not available. I drop almost 80 miles to an emergency vet who had no idea about reptiles (and he was very up front about that, but we had no other choice).

    He made a call to find out what he could use for pain management and to put the tegu under. They removed the remaining bone/arm at the shoulder, folded over the muscle with a stitch or two and then stitched up the skin. She healed perfectly and lived happily for years. Hopefully she is still doing well, but she was either stolen or released/starved by my ex during our divorce, but the point is that she never even acted like she was missing a foot/leg. She would just walk using the side of her chest as a foot. You will be surprised how resilient these magnificent creatures are.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
    Posts
    9,505

    Default

    OMG. I'm speechless. I hope all turnes out well. Thank you so much for sharing this with us ( and it's nice to see you around after all these years ). Please give her a hug from me. She is very beautiful and such a strong girl. I'm very proud of her. PLEASE keep us posted.

    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

    http://www.youtube.com/user/txrepgirl

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
    Posts
    9,505

    Default

    Rick. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your poor Tegu. I can't believe they can be this mean toward each other. Thank you for sharing your story with us also. I'm happy to hear everything turned out well at that time. Hope she is doing well.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

    http://www.youtube.com/user/txrepgirl

  8. #8

    Default

    Little update after taking her for her jab of Fortum. (Which by the way she HATES!) But she is a good girl and doesn't eliminate, groan, hiss or whip at us which makes me feel worse for betraying her and taking her to get stabbed in the leg - but needs must! There is a definite improvement in the aggressiveness of the infection and i'm glad the vet suggested we try this to start with. Whilst it won't make the calcification go away, it is most certainly making her more comfortable. That and possibly reducing the size so that when it does get removed, there isn't so much.

    Thank you all for your comments, i'll address them all now

    Bubblz: She is booked in on Friday morning to have a biopsy taken to see if we can't find out what is causing this. We haven't ruled out a tumour but from the radiographs we can see that there is definite calcification; a tumour probably wouldn't show up as high contrast as this has. Thank you very much for your input though, I appreciate it.

    Laurarfl: The first vet is the same vet I am taking her to now. I have total faith in him and know he has Diega's best interests at heart. The reason I didn't request that he aspirate the lump when I first took her there was because it wasn't a worry at the time. The lump was stable (and has been for a couple of years) and much smaller and she didn't seem in the least bit concerned by it so I figured there was no need to stress her with invasive procedures. I just wanted the reassurance that the way I felt about the lump was justified. The moment the lump changed she was taken straight to the vet and this is the story so far. We don't know what has exacerbated it hence the biopsy on Friday and treatment with Fortum to be on the safe side. There is also the possibility there may have been a fracture at some point and her body has just gone into overdrive trying to repair it as can often be observed in other cases of high calcification. I think that is slightly less likely though as the structure of the bone in the areas around the lump doesn't appear to have been traumatised. The anticipation of finding out is driving me mad though. Even if this wasn't my own Tegu i'd be fascinated by the outcome regardless, hence why I shared the photos. Thank you very much for your comments

    RamblinRose: Thank you for complimenting Diega, she likes to know she's beautiful! Whilst my vet is not a herp vet I have full faith in him as he has lots of experience and if there's something he doesn't know he'll go above and beyond to research it or find someone who does know. I know he has Diega's best interests at heart and even if something should go wrong throughout the treatment or operation I will at least be satisified he did his best for her. What more could anyone want for their little Tegu? In fact I received the radiographs from being copied into an email from my vet seeking advice from a very experienced herp consultant. I turst him fully I'm very glad to hear that your big man has suffered no ill effects from his trauma. Thank you for sharing

    Rick Thank you very for posting your experience Rick, I really appreciate it. Diega is a tough nut so i'm 99.9% sure she'll fight her way through this, the way she bulldozes through everything else she comes across in life. But it's just that 0.1% you know? You may well be right that she sustained significant injury/pressure to her foot at some point but we just don't know. Fingers crossed we'll have a better idea when her biopsy results are in but for now we can only speculate. Very glad to hear that your female coped well with her amputation, it does show you how tough they really are when faced with adversity. Sorry to hear that you know longer have her though, hopefully she found a lovely new family to dote on her.

    And finally..

    Txrepgirl Thank you for that lovely image for Diega I will keep you all posted, and I am very proud of her too. She's had her hug! - She knows she's adored lol, that and that everyone she's beautiful. Silly Tegu thinks she's a Goddess. (I haven't had the heart to tell her otherwise!)

    Thank you everyone for your kind words and input, I really do appreciate it. I will keep everyone posted and fingers crossed the biopsy goes smoothly as it'll obviously be quite hard to penetrate the calcified lump but I do have every faith in my vet.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    It is pretty fascinating! I know you are relieved to have a vet you can trust, too. It is hard when you don't know what the history is or what animals can't tell you is going on. Be sure to keep us updated, and best wishes to you and Diega!
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
    Posts
    9,505

    Default

    Your welcome . Diega is very blessed to have her ( I know it goes both ways ). I will keep you both in my prayers.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

    http://www.youtube.com/user/txrepgirl

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •