Hello,
I have some concerns with my 20 year old leopard gecko.
She hasn’t been eating or pooping for almost 3 weeks and is becoming increasingly bloated. I had initially thought that this was standard brumation, but she is becoming more and more bloated and ‘turgid’. She is also increasingly active and is laying in spots she doesn’t normally. I assume she is uncomfortable from the pressure. When I pick her up she sometimes chirps and releases fluid.
I brought her to the vet last night hoping for a solution. We did a heart rate check, ultrasound, and drainage procedure. There was a strong and healthy heart beat. The vet could not determine any blockage from the ultrasound. All we found was fluid. That being said, the vet was unfamiliar with one other item/organ in her abdomen. The vet said that they could sample the fluid and send it for analysis, however, I opted not to as this was likely lymphatic fluid and any result would just be a snowball effect of bad news…
The vet drained about 10 grams of fluid (by needle) and did a B12 injection. They advised I come back in 2 weeks as the fluid would likely build up again.
Im pretty disheartened as I was hoping this would be an impaction issue we could resolve by physio methods, medication, or enema.
I really hate to see her suffer and don’t want her to bloat up again to the point of rupture. Im starting to think euthanasia is the only option here. Especially considering her age.
Some things to note that may have caused this issue: she ingested a small amount of coconut husk bedding in September while feeding. A friend mistakenly fed her a small piece of water
melon in September as well. We moved into a new condo on Nov 1st. The temperature is much dryer than our previous residence.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and recommendations.
Thanks,
I have some concerns with my 20 year old leopard gecko.
She hasn’t been eating or pooping for almost 3 weeks and is becoming increasingly bloated. I had initially thought that this was standard brumation, but she is becoming more and more bloated and ‘turgid’. She is also increasingly active and is laying in spots she doesn’t normally. I assume she is uncomfortable from the pressure. When I pick her up she sometimes chirps and releases fluid.
I brought her to the vet last night hoping for a solution. We did a heart rate check, ultrasound, and drainage procedure. There was a strong and healthy heart beat. The vet could not determine any blockage from the ultrasound. All we found was fluid. That being said, the vet was unfamiliar with one other item/organ in her abdomen. The vet said that they could sample the fluid and send it for analysis, however, I opted not to as this was likely lymphatic fluid and any result would just be a snowball effect of bad news…
The vet drained about 10 grams of fluid (by needle) and did a B12 injection. They advised I come back in 2 weeks as the fluid would likely build up again.
Im pretty disheartened as I was hoping this would be an impaction issue we could resolve by physio methods, medication, or enema.
I really hate to see her suffer and don’t want her to bloat up again to the point of rupture. Im starting to think euthanasia is the only option here. Especially considering her age.
Some things to note that may have caused this issue: she ingested a small amount of coconut husk bedding in September while feeding. A friend mistakenly fed her a small piece of water
melon in September as well. We moved into a new condo on Nov 1st. The temperature is much dryer than our previous residence.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and recommendations.
Thanks,
