The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-11-04, Page 7Feature
Veterin jmj: `:; performs operation for
biadder stones on Iggy the pet iguana
Iggy the iguana is much better, follow-
ing surgery at the Goderich Veterinary
Clinic for removal of bladder stones.
Joanne Gowanlock of Goderich bought
Iggy at a London pet store two years ago.
She describes Iggy as a conversation piece
who is kept in an aquarium, but has the run
of the house.
"I would not call him affectionate," said
Gowanlock.
An iguana is a large, harmless, tropical
American lizard.
Iggy had not been eating properly for
about six weeks when she brought the
lizard to see Dr. Louis Kwantes at the
" clinic. In the wild, iguanas eat vegetables
and small insects, but Iggy seems to prefer
honey -dew melons, she said.
X-rays showed what appeared to be a
large round object in the stomach, said
Kwantes.
Surgery revealed a distended bladder
that stretched almost to the rib cage and
contained several (about two cubic cen-
timeters worth) small stones. Stones are
.• mineral deposits in the bladder. The
surgery also revealed a number of egg
yokes, which means Iggy is a female,
something they did not know before.
"To anethetize Iggy we put her in a
refrigerator for six hours to slow down
metabolism, because iguana body
temperature fluctuates according to en-
vironmental temperature. We gave her
another anethesia, which sedated her. To
the casual observer she would have ap-
peared dead," said Kwantes.
Kwantes graduated from the Ontario
Veterinary College in Guelph in April and
" has been 'working at he clinic since May.
He had some experience working with rep-
tiles in college, but the surgery and treat-
,ment of Iggy was a team effort of the
clinic's staff—Dr. John Hordyk, Dr. Nancy
Ridder and Dr. Bill.Schilthuis.
"There is very little information concer-
ning iguanas in literature and that aspect
of verterinary medicine is still much of an
unexplored frontier. We had to rely on
good judgement and daily assesments of
Iggy," said Kwantes.
• During the surgery, Kwantes had a
phone link to a specialist and Kwantes
. described to him what he was seeing.
Everything else appeared to be fine, said
Kwantis and we sewed up the paper thin
bladder with cat gut suture material.
Kwantis removed some of the stitches
last Friday and Gowanlock said Iggy is
eating better and running around
The iguana 'is not on medication but
Kwantes did recommend giving Iggy
distilled water to ' reduce ° her mineral
intake.
The ,Goderich Veterinary Clinic
celebrated Animal Health Week October
19-25 and they have an open house planned
this Saturday (Nov. 7), including low cost
rabies vaccinations '
Have You
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We've a totally new look. outside and in.
Yet proudly. the tradition of quality.
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01 rfir
N.
94 THE SQUARE, GODERICH
524-7841
Iggy gets
unstitched
Joanne Gowanlock of Goderich holds Iggy
the iguana while Dr. Louis Kwantes of the
Goderich Veterinary Clinic removes some
stitches. Iggy un;',. nt surgery to.
remove bladder stones, .;Gowanlock said
Iggy is eating better and is running
around. An iguana is -a large harmless,
tropical American lizard. ( photos by Ted
Spooner)
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GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1987—PAGE 7
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