Greebo

Last year, I took this little girl to the vet thinking she was egg-bound.  It was a shock when the best exotic pet veterinarian in the area informed me my precious iguana was filled with fluid, which was weird.  After some tests, the doctor determined surgery was the best option.  Since he had no idea what he would find and admitted he hadn't seen anything like it in such a young lizard, I was not optimistic.  All I could do was take an empty pet carrier home and wait. 

Eventually the doctor called to say everything went smoothly.  Greebo had an infection, the main source being her ovaries, which the doctor removed.  It was 'the best' of the problems he could have found when he opened her up.  It was a relief, but I was still pessimistic.  Lizards are slow to heal.

It was not long after bringing her home that I had to take her to the emergency veterinary hospital.  She had a prolapsed cloaca, which meant some of her insides were hanging out.  She got stitched up, but then had to go back to the vet to get the stitches removed because she was straining so much.  My nerves were shot at this point, but somehow the vet convinced me I could take her home.  I gave her antibiotics, and eventually, she got better.  On her road to recovery, she lost the end of her tail and then had to have even more of her tail cut off.

Greebo has had a tough time in her life.  It's no wonder that she has always been a bit feisty.  I think the vet was surprised I could handle her at all since she threw a fit any time the staff was near her and refused to eat while in their care.*  When she was small, in addition to whipping me with her tail, she would bend her body in half just to bite me.  Thank goodness she has mellowed out.  

My iguana had exploratory surgery and a partial hysterectomy.  For months, I kept expecting to find her dead.  Lizards don't tell you they are sick, and many times it is too late when you figure out there is a problem.  Finally, I'm optimistic that Greebo will be with me for years to come. 

*Oddly, her appetite did not suffer when she was sick.  In fact, she had been eating 4+ cups of chopped veggies a day, which was quite a bit more than a young lizard her size should have been eating.