To Surgery or Not to Do Surgery?? urgent!

Originally Posted by Geo7809

Hi Dragonscalestudios, yes i kind of have an update. I talked to the vet today they told me that the only real option is to do a biopsy and even then if there is something seriously wrong there may be no cure. I cannot afford a biopsy at this time. I really dont know what to do,I cant tell if she is in pain all the time or not, she rarely poops and she will only eat if i feed her. I bathe her every day in hope of poop but she goes only twice a month or so and thats with four days of mineral oil in her! Shes alert and active when she is out of her cage. Im wondering if i should put her down or not???

Sorry about the bad news.

Euthanasia is ALWAYS a hard descison. Its tough to gauge pain/discomfert in reptiles.

Its imortant to remember that quality of life, not quantity, is important when dealing with animals.

Do you feel that she has a good quality of life?

It also comes down to how long you are able to sustain her in this state, is she losing weight, does your schedule permit the kind of nursing care that is required.

How much is she eating in regards to how much is being deficated?

Also consider the diet she is being fed, it is not meant to be long term and other complications may arise from her diet alone.
It seems her lack of deficaton is not obstructive in nature, but that she will not eat on her own.

Definately not trying to push you either way, just different factors to think about, and no one will judge you either way, it is your choice.
I wish you luck.

I do believe she has a good quality of life currently. I dont have to force feed her, she will only eat from the syringe though. When i take her out of her enclosure she runs around a little bit then finds a place to relax. She is not reallly super active but i dont think any of them are. I have time to take care of her. She doesnt act "goofy" so i dont think there are any toxins going to her brain. I may calll the vet back tomorrow and ask if they can put her on some lactulose, i was reading about treatments with that and it looks like it may be helpful. Oh and when she does poop it is a good amount!

Yeah, definately ask about medications, it seems kind of silly not to at least try some and moniter for a response.

It sucks having a chronically ill pet, believe me I understand, my Chinese Water Dragon suffers from chronic anemia of unknown origin. Found out last july when I brought him in for diareah and decreased appetite. Drew some blood and bam, strait up looked like water.

He has since improved after much nursing care and monitering of his rbc counts, prognosis was very poor, but he did regenerate signifigantly and has been doing fantastic until this last week.
Looking pale again and decreased appetite, yay here we go again. Have an appt for thursday.

Point being, you never know until you try, reggie should be dead, its amazing he has made it this long with no problems. Seems very alert and active, as always.

Good luck.

I just want to say good luck and it's having a great life with you! All that wonderful care that you provide!

Wow bucher that's a sick dragon! I wish your guy well! Im gonna call today and see what they say.

Originally Posted by Geo7809

Wow bucher that's a sick dragon! I wish your guy well! Im gonna call today and see what they say.

Yeah, hes worth the effort though, and thank you.

I hope to see your lizard lady recover!

I called the vet today and im waiting for a call back. I asked to put her on lactulose so lets see what they say. I started her on pumpkin tonight, so i hope that helps. i gave her 2cc or 2mL im not exactly sure what the measurement is. how long do you think it will take for the pumpkin to help?

Getting milk thistle and lactulose from the vet today. Hopefully this does the trick!