only seen cases this bad in a book

I work at a petstore part time while in school. Today a man came in to sell us a large iguana. He walked in with it and I nearly choked when I saw this thing. I have "rescued" several iguanas. Never had too much of a problem... just dietarty changes, addition of UVA and UVB lighting etc...
I have seen pictures of rubber jaw, but this looks like a rather old bone deformity. Lethargic, poor skin color, old breaks in the toes, and of cours a jaw that on the lower half is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to far back with a swollen jaw that when I touch it feels like firm bone. The eye lids are a little swollen. I am not made of money... few people in this hobby are. I suppose I have a bleeding heart because I took the thing home. It's only been hours since she arrived. I provided the proper lighting, balanced diet with a minor amount of calcium added. What else can I do? I would take her to the vet if just one person here tells me she can be saved "and happy". She eats well, and though her jaw is not normal she still manages really well. Anyone with an idea please let me know. I only really deal with problem snakes. An iguana in this bad of shape pains me to see. I don't want to prolong her suffering, but if she can survive she will be more than welcome to stay in my home for the rest of her days. Thanks

Sorry the post is soooooo lonnngggg

Christine Hofpar

There is hope...

I know I'm a little late but this forum was just brought to my attention. This iguana does have a chance if you're willing to put in the effort and it's willing to survive. Most iguanas have a very strong will. Here are a couple of photos of bad cases that we've had come into the rescue.
Wizard was 3 years old when he came to us and the size of a yearling. He had one of the worst cases of MBD that I've ever seen. He had multiple fractures in his legs, curvature of the spine, and his jaw was horribly disfigured. With good UVB (ZooMed PowerSun), CA supplementation, and a good diet, he has recovered well and is doing just fine. He's even grown 6 inches in length!!
Lumpy came to us as an adult, supposedly with an ill temper. He has a very strange deformity of one eye....it bulges way out and is huge! Ultrasound shows an old abscess or cyst behind the eye and multiple old fractures of the bones in the face. He also has a terribly undershot lower jaw. He has filled out under our care and is a sweetie. He's a very dependable tolerant educational animal for us.



Please do what you can for your new iguana and you will be rewarded in so many ways. Best of luck!

I just couldn't give up...

I appreciate your response. I did not give up, he went to the vet he had old fractures, but they did a blood screen which showed that there was no other serious problem at that time. I decided to keep him and nurse him back to health. He filled out quite nicely, and has a wonderfull disposition. A really good friend of mine was looking for an iguana, and though she had never owned one, was more than willing to do all that was necessary. I warned her that there were still more vet visits that should be done, and she agreed. She has had Olly for about three weeks now, and loves him. She came over to see him one night after he had just arrived, and I watched them together it was like love at first site He is doing really well, and she built him a large home and treats him well. I wish everyone would treat there pets the way she does. I try not to keep animals like that here too long just because there is always another one that will show up eventually. Those photos look quite a bit like this case, and I am really thankfull that I decided to invest in this animal, and of course so is my friend. Thanks.

Christine

Thanks Jiff, visit more often
Christine best of luck to your friend and her new ig. If able keep us updated