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Thread: R.I.P. Domino

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Sanford, FL
    Posts
    186

    Default R.I.P. Domino

    I lost my precious Argentine b/w female today following surgery for impaction. The vet said she was so impacted her liver was in the wrong place in her body and other organs were twisted. Because her stomach was pressing on her lungs, she could not breath. I don't understand much about lizard anatomy so I am probably not describing this very well, but her insides were very out of place. She was in surgery for 2 1/2 hours.

    She did not show symptoms until it was too late. Although she was refusing food, she eliminated her waste. I thought she was preparing for hibernation. When her breathing became strange, I rushed her to the vet. I was going to have her put down on Friday, but decided to give her another chance.

    Why she chose wood chips over the good food I tried to feed her, we will never know.

    I have owned many lizards, but Domino was my favorite. She was so sweet and special. I will probably not get another, at least now right now. It was too heartbreaking. After I have time to get over losing her, I will decide if I will get another lizard or put her beautiful custom cage up for sale.

    I want to thank all of you who have offered your prayers and support.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Lin

    1.0.0 Australian Water Dragon
    6.9.0 Bearded Dragons
    1.0.0 Florida Kingsnakes
    0.1.0 Cornsnakes
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    RIP Domino

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I'm sorry, Lin. You gave Domino that second chance and answered that "what if" question in your mind.

    I hope you find peace tonight despite your grief.
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    3,310

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    lin, I am so very, very sorry !! Domino was a very sweet and good looking GU. I don't know why some of the tegus eat the wood but I have one that does the same on occasion. You tried and did the very best you could to help Domino and you will always, always have fond memories.

    My heart truly goes out to you and may she rest in peace now.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    614

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    I am sorry for the loss of such a beautiful animal....

    Rob

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    614

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    p.s. My vet told me something similar... I asked him last year, if after my tegu has a very large meal..if it was normal for them to breathe very heavy for a while after it. He said yes, because the lungs are so close to the stomach, that when full, the stomach may be pushing up on the lungs. So how you understood what your vet told you is exactly what he meant.

    Rob

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
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    :cry: I'm so sorry Lin.But at least you tried your best and gave her the second chance.Now you don't have to wonder every day for the rest off your live " what if " ( like Laura sad ).We will miss her.Please let us know if you need any thing.May she R.I.P and may God give you comfort and strength to your heart.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    1,233

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    I'm sorry to hear for your loss, it is quite devastating when this sort of thing happens.

    However, I'm rather perplexed to hear repeatedly what I'm hearing from these vets. I do indeed agree that a swollen stomach can displace other organs and affect breathing, but tegus have a post-hepatic septum, a tissue barrier between their thoracic and abdomenal cavity. This not only helps in breathing, but also in anchoring a number of organs in place. Think of it like our diaphragm, it completely separates these cavities. Did they recommend euthanizing your tegu because of their "rearranged" organs? That is rather...odd....because a friend of mine did a study wherein he surgically removed the post-hepatic septum to see how much it would impact breathing (the answer is quite substantially) and one of the consequences of this surgery was the animals' organs rearranged themselves. This study was done about 7 years ago, and the animals are still alive to this day.

    linlizards, I hope you don't take the following as chastizement, it is merely meant to emphasize something and hopefully educate a little with people paying attention. Most people think that impaction is due solely to the consumption of substrate. This is nonsense, except in extreme cases (ie. such as very large matter) in a healthy individual, ingested substrate will and does easily pass. Consuming substrate IS part of the problem, but it isn't the sole REASON of it. Usually, it is due to some other underlying health issue. Why are they choosing to eat so much substrate in some cases? There is growing speculation that part of the reason they are seeing so many animals that are getting impaction from massive substrate consumption is that the animals are seeking digestive fibre to help motilize gut contents (yes, ironic). This is one of the prime reasons I keep stressing a sizable vegetative component to tegu diets. Yes, we've all heard some people's illinformed rants on how vegetation offers nothing, but they keep overlooking the laxative property of vegetation. "I keep my tegu on nothing but rodents and it does fine!" Yes, and many people eat a largely red meat diet and don't suffer consequences, same as some people smoke without getting lung cancer. If exceptions were the basis of our planning, than none of us should work because we should all count on winning the lottery. Clearly, a very, very bad plan. So please, let this trajedy teach us not to be overly complacent in the care of our beloved tegus. Be proactive.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Sanford, FL
    Posts
    186

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    Thank you all for your kind words. Tupinambis, the post-hepatic septum is the membrane the vet was trying to explain to me. What you describe put into words what my vet said. Unfortunately, there was an unusual amount of undigested food, hair (from mice?) and TOTAL impaction from substrate. He said she had been eating it for a long time; however, it did not show up in Xrays earlier this year. Domino was fed mice, rat pups, ground turkey, chicken and other protein. She was also fed fruits and vegebles, all dusted with calcium and vitamins. She was passing up her good food for junk. Yes, the vet said almost exactly what you said. I just couldn't put it into words. During surgery, he tried to rearrange the organs and remove the impaction. I feel he did his best.
    Lin

    1.0.0 Australian Water Dragon
    6.9.0 Bearded Dragons
    1.0.0 Florida Kingsnakes
    0.1.0 Cornsnakes
    0.2.0 Cats
    0.1.0 Dog

    RIP Domino

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    toms river, NJ
    Posts
    72

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    Sorry to hear about your Domino.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

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    I am so sorry, lin. My heart is breaking for you. You and your vet did everything possible; it's just a sad situation.

    I'm sure most of us have had the experience of seeing our tegus pass up all sorts of good, nutritious dead animals and ripe, tropical fruits, only to show intense interest in trying to eat something they imagine is, say, between the pages of an old, musty phone book or inside a hiking boot. They live in their own world of smells and instinct and who-knows-what quirky individual variation that results from captive generations of breeding.

    I am really thankful to lin and other people who have shared their tegu problems on this site, and to the moderators and experts such as tupinambis who are so generous with their knowledge. By learning about what can go wrong, it helps me know what to watch for.

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