iHerp Answers: Full Body Edema + Enlarged Liver in Leo

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Full Body Edema + Enlarged Liver in Leo

Posted By:

Range

In Relation To:

All State

One of my leos (approx. two years of age) reciently stopped eating. I thought nothing of it (they both skip a feed once in a while) until I suddenly realized she hadn't eaten for a while. I picked her up to see if there was any obvious problem and noticed her feet were swollen. We took her to the vet and she said that she had never seen this before in a gecko but it looked like what liver failure does in cats/dogs. She shed two days ago but didn't shed her legs at all. I peeled her legs and I noticed that she's now completely incapable of walking (she can scoot by throwing her legs foward but her feed and 'elbows' are completely locked). She will probably be put down but I would like to know if anyone knows what the problem is.


Points:	150
Topics:	General Health , Limbs
Tags:	Edema, Leopardgecko, Liver
Species:	Lizards > Geckos > Eublepharis macularius
Administrative:	Show/Hide

Member Comment

2/2/2010 10:21:13 AM

WhiteHillReptile

do you feed a lot of wax worms? or pinkie mice?

Member Comment

2/2/2010 10:27:24 AM

EandJReps

Has the leop. gecko pooped lately? Is your temperatures high enough for proper digestion and do they have clean h2o? Have you fed it any spiders that may have bitten the lizard? Natively, they eat scorpions but if they get bit by a spider they can have a reaction!

Member Comment

2/2/2010 10:37:15 AM

FyreFocks

I have the same question as Tre. I actually didnt know that too much fat can cause liver issues with these guys, and im thankful that none of my girls who do get pinkies have had any problems.

Member Comment

2/2/2010 10:51:35 AM

WhiteHillReptile

when i had more leos that i wish to admit i fed mealworms only to adults. some of the bigger girls would eat pinks, but that was only when i had leftovers that something else would eat. this sounds like fatty liver disease.... just my two cents though.

Accepted Answer

2/2/2010 8:11:08 PM

Aimee

all lizards are susceptible to fatty liver disease, and this is often complicated by feeding too many larvae and/or pinkies. we had a vet come speak to our herp society last year who adamantly suggested worms and pinkies ONLY be fed as a rare treat and to underweight/breeding animals. roaches and dusted crickets otherwise - when this has befallen lizards in our halfway house, often there isn't much for symptoms. we lost a cham just two weeks ago to renal failure, probably due to over-supplementation with vitamins and minerals. he had very swollen legs (edema).

Author Comment

2/3/2010 7:18:16 AM

Range

No wax worms, and the only one that gets pinkies is her tankmate (she won't eat them). She's pooped, they have fresh water every day, and they don't eat spiders. They both eat a combination of dusted crickets and supers but since they both have the same diet wouldn't both of them be sick? (One is substantially 'bulkier' than the other, I haven't figured why as they're both female but it's the smaller one that's having issues)

Assisted Answer

2/3/2010 10:24:41 AM

WhiteHillReptile

the bulkier one is probably that way cause shes getting pinkies.... my guess anyway.

if its not a liver issue, my next guess is hypo/hypercalcemia. i quit supplementing feeder insects directly for my leos 1) to save time and 2) they will regulate it themselves if you put a little bottle cap full of a good multivitamin/calcium supplement in the cage. they lick walls of caves in the wild, so this isnt really all that far off. i used miner-all but that was just my preference and i could get it in bulk.

FWIW,
Tre'

Member Comment

2/3/2010 5:23:19 PM

amarilrose

Any two animals within a species could easily react differently to the same diet, just due to individual variation. I'm no leo person, so I really can't help you on the specifics of the diet, but I would guess the leanest diet you can get away with would be your best bet with the sick one. I'm sorry, I'm sure this is terrible for you. :(

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