I have an argentine black & white tegu that is quite ill. She is approximately 1-1/2 - 2 years old. Approximately 1" of intestines are hanging out her vent. The intestines did not simply fall out, but were caused by excessive "bearing down" ( I witnessed it in progress ). I've already taken her to a reptile vet, and he x-rayed for blockages ( there were none ). Worms were also suspect because my cat had recently been de-wormed, but none were found. We de-wormed her anyhow just to make sure. He then knocked her out tucked everything back inside and stitched her up. 2-1/2 weeks later the stitches were removed and within 24 hours the intestines were back out ( i did not witness it this time ). At this point she has not eaten in over a month, and will only drink water if i place her head directly in front of the dish, and then very little. If i give her a bath she'll still try to bear down as if trying to poop, but at this point there's nothing in her but more intestines to poop out. All of this surprisingly dosen't seem to cause her much discomfort and she has generally a good demeanor. Sorry for the long post, but really could use some ideas on what's wrong. Thanks ShadowFlash
I would take her back to the vet. Obviously there is something wrong. You may need to get a second opinion. I hope she gets better!
It's called a prolapse which definitely requires a vet. Did your vet do any kind of testing for parasites? Sometimes one test is not enough. This type of thing does not happen without a reason. Did your vet go over all the husbandry requirements with you?
If they just dewormed the lizard without doing a fecal, it may have parasites that the medication wouldn't get rid of. The lizard won't get parasites from the cat, parasites are mostly species specific. Usually a direct smear will show anything that the animal has, whereas fecal floats aren't as accurate since some parasite eggs don't float well. Keeping the stitches in for only 2 weeks probably wasn't enough time as reptiles heal very slowly. Make sure her temperatures are very warm. You can give her some NutriCal which is a high calorie, very nutrient dense paste made for dogs and cats, but works well in almost all animals. Try some baby food if she will eat it, the meat kinds. Put her supplements in the babyfood so she will get her calcium and vitamins. You can give her Pedialyte to keep her hydrated and give the needed electrolytes. Does she pass feces at all? If not, the vet can do a cloacal swab and do a smear on that to see what types of parasite eggs are present. If nothing is present, it may just be a genetic problem that can't be taken care of. Hopefully it isn't that "worse-case scenario" but you always should prepare for the worst. Good luck with her.
