In searching for answers for the abscess on my Anole's neck, I found a thread from 2007 here about it. I wondered if any progress in research had been made about it? I have a vet visit regardless, but just wanted to see what you guys might've come up with?
Hello, Kodie, and welcome to the forums. Unfortunately, I can't find any more recent information on abscesses in anoles specifically. However, I know they are a very common problem in iguanas, which belong to the same family as anoles...Melissa Kaplan has a good little article about the causes and treatments of abscesses (http://www.anapsid.org/abscess.html). She mentions it there (and I've read elsewhere as well) that recurring abscesses are a major problem, so it's very important to be diligent about whatever treatment your vet decides to go with. Unfortunately, anoles can be very difficult to treat for intrusive problems such as this (in my experience, at least). I don't know if it's because of their size, the fact that most are wild caught and don't handle the stressors of captivity well, or something else altogether. However, don't give up hope yet, and definitely keep us posted on your anole's progress. As you've already noticed, there just isn't enough information out there about abscesses in anoles, so I'm sure others could benefit from anything you can provide. I look forward to hearing from you in the future and hope all goes well for your anole!
The vet believed it was a clot from trying to breed. That is, the female bit the side of his neck, clotting the vein. They removed the abscess and are running it through a culture to determine what exactly it is and how best to treat it. I'll keep this updated when I know more!
Poor little dude. =( That's great that your vet is finding the exact cause of the abscess rather than just doing a blanket treatment. Sounds like he is in good hands. Good luck with his treatment, and like I said, let us know how he's doing. =)
Doing really good now, the vet called back and he has no bacteria in the wound at all but to keep using the broad spectrum anti-biotics just to be safe while it heals.
I had a similar problem with my green anoles, when I kept them years ago, and I recall hearing from other folks over the years who have as well. It presents the same way--a swelling on the side of the neck, or both sides of the neck, which gradually enlarges. When drained, the fluid inside is clear, viscous, and free of any sign of bacterial infection. The swelling usually returns several weeks after it's been drained. My animals eventually died. No actual diagnosis has ever been produced for this problem, only speculation.
I realize that I am commenting a little late, but I am intersted in this topic. I am a veterinary pathologist (= a veterinarian that studies diseases) and I had an anole case very similar to what you are describing. I performed some microscopic tests and found that rather than an abscess, that the mass-like on the neck of the anole that I examined was actually a cyst. After doing a little digging into the normal anatomy of this species, I found that this likely represents cystic dilation of a normal structure (called the endolymphatic sac). This could explain why no bacteria are found in these lesions, and would account for the recurrence following drainage (when you simply drain a cyst, the lining of the cyst remains and will continue to secrete fluid/material into the lumen). So these abscesses you mention, may not be abcesses at all. Just a thought. I would love to get an idea of how common this problem is.....
