He ate a rock!!!

CRG · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject: He ate a rock!!!

I let my tegu roam around the yard again today, only his second time and he ate a rock

.I didnt have time to stop him.It was about a half inch across.About as big as my thumbnail and round..Do you think it will pass through him okay?He is well over 36inches long now and pretty big, Im not sure how much he wieghs, I could find out tomorrow though maybe 5lbs..PLease tell me this will pass through him. I just had a huge vet bill recently and just cant afford another one....

JenDVM · Member Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 20

there is no telling if he'll pass it or not *fingers crossed*

what i can tell you is that you've got a couple options:

1. you can wait it out and see and if he starts showing signs of illness/impaction you can rush him to the vet for radiographs and most likely surgery. The problem with this option is that by the time you wait until he's showing signs, it greatly lowers his prognosis as far as successful surgical removal mainly because the clinical signs associated with intestinal blockage come from intestinal tissue damage/swelling/necrosis.

2. Your other option is to take him to the vet now. they will take radiographs and see where the rock is (if it's there at all), then take radiographs in another 4-6 hours and see if it's moving or if he's become obstructed. The good side to this one is that it is the safest for the pet, if he becomes obstructed they can remove it right away before tissue damage is done and he has an excellent chance for recovery. the down side to this is that it costs money and there is a chance he may pass the rock with no problems and you would have spent money for nothing but peace of mind (which to me is worth quite a bit)

VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:33 pm Post subject:

He might pass it just fine, or he might not. I would not feed him anything until he passes it. You might give him a little cod liver oil to help him push it through. If he does not pass it soon, get him to the vet.
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CRG · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:14 am Post subject:

For those of you who keep your tegus outside.How do you keep them from eating stuff? Would they eat stuff like this in the wild? Or is mine just an idiot.
I was really going to try and make him a nice outdoor enclosure this summer but now Im not so sure if I have to worry about him eating every rock or stick he finds.

VARNYARD · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:41 pm Post subject:

To tell you the truth, I have never had a problem with tegus eating stuff like this. I have had monitors that would try to eat white rocks or stones, but not tegus.
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CRG · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:14 am Post subject:

Well this is odd cause he trys to eat everything including my rug..I feed him plenty, in fact I worry cause he has grown so fast that I was feeding him too much.He is one of yours I got him end of last August when he was a month old.And now he is well over 36in. and easily 5lbs.He trys to eat toys and balls too..Im afraid to let him outside now, I let him wander around the fenced yard and just follow him so he can have a bit of freedom.At least till he ate the rock.At least he doesnt try to eat the dogs or cats, just ignores them..

CRG · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 1:12 pm Post subject:

If anyone is interested he passed the rock today.Nothing like digging through a huge pile tegu poop right before lunch to put things into perspective...

JenDVM · Member Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 20

congrats on the passed rock!! but you've never been so happy to find a rock in a pile of poo before! Always the best outcome!

(I had a client once that I sent home to search through her dogs poo for a dimond ring)

a common cause of Pica (eating things they shouldn't) is vitamin or mineral deficiency. It's seen all the time in large animals (horses eating rocks for calcium/minerals...etc.)

might be something to look into.