So we got Louie as a hatchling from the local reptile shop, he was so cute and we couldn't resist. Both my boyfriend and I have a great passion for reptiles and did our research prior to getting him.
This is Louie shortly after we got him, he grew so fast, just like many reptile species do. So when they grow as fast as he did, if their calcium levels drop a little to low it can cause a more damage than if it was a full grown adult.
Louie started showing signs of early stages of MBD, his walking gate was a bit off and he held his back end a bit differently. So we immediately took him to the local Hero Vet to be checked out. At this point we didn't know these were signs of MBD so we weren't sure what was going on with him, so we asked out "experienced" vet. I've been to this vet before and never had any issues until that day.
Louie went in and she did some X-ray and checking him over, watched him walk around but she couldn't figure out what it was that was causing this issues he was having.... I'm no where near a vets education however knowing what I know now I would have been able to determine that right away.
So our Vets sent me home with Louie with basically no results and said to give him some time and didn't suggest changing anything we were doing.... well with MBD that's the exact opposite of what needed to be done... and I know that now. So over the next week I did so much research trying to figure out how to help him and that'd when I found out he had MBD. I was devastated, like any owner should be. So we corrected everything that needed fixed immediately and that stopped him from progressing even more, but by that time he had already had some deformities in all his legs and tail.
Looking back I should have gotten a second vets opinion, but I trusted my vet and what she had to say. That was my mistake. If I had of taken him to a second vet who diagnosed the issue he would be in better shape today. So as he grew is issues changed.
We built him an enclosure that was a good design for savannah monitors, but he had trouble moving around in it and he doesn't burrow with the way his legs are. So we just finished making him a new enclosure that was easier for him to move around in and get in and out of. This is Louie now.
The curve in his tail is actually fused like that, his tail has a permanent kink in it from mbd. You can also see in this picture his thing of his back leg is really thick at the top. All four of his legs have issues but he still gets around ok. his front feet cannot bend forward as far as they need to in order to walk properly so they actually bend underneath of his when he walks
We do our best to keep hum active but he does have restrictions.
SO please learn from my mistakes take your reptile to the vet if you notice an issue and dot be afraid of getting a second opinion from a different herp vet.
Thank you,
Robin Small
Ontario Iguanas
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