Tongue Amputation

[Margaret]

A while back I took my month old chacoan tegu to the vet for not flicking his tongue. Turns out his tongue was curled up under himself and over half way paralyzed. She suggested to keep on eye on it to make sure no infections happen and to see if it causes him trouble; and if either were to occur that I should consider getting it amputated. Well... he has been having trouble eating now. The food just gets stuck, won't move out of his mouth and he starts to freak out while creating a bunch of saliva and a large mess. That keeps up till I pick him up and help move the food. I opened his mouth up and his tongue now curves back into his throat making it hard for eating. And when he opens his mouth to "smell" his tongue doesn't come out and you hear a little popping sound of saliva.

Has anyone ever dealt with something like this? And should I seriously consider getting his tongue amputated since it is causing him trouble now?

 

[Josh]

Wow. Very sad
I have no heard of a case like this. Is the vet you're going to a reptile vet? Have you considered getting a second opinion? I'm not saying amputation is the wrong call, I would just want to make 100% sure that you're making the right move. Poor thing though. Lucky he has you to care for him. Please keep us updated on how things progress.

 

[Margaret]

Yep, the vet I go to is an exotic one, but hasn't dealt with many tegus. They contacted another vet that deals with many tegus and they said not to jump to amputation yet, watch his behavior closely, make sure he is gaining weight, and that since he is small to make sure he is getting all the calcium&vitamins he needs.
Went to the vet in August, he has been gaining weight since and his behavior has been constant (except lately due to starting hibernation), temps have been consistent as well as humidity. But I have to help him eat because his tongue doesn't allow him to move the food in his mouth. I have to pinch the meat into little oval shapes and make sure it goes down smoothly, which helps but he still has major troubles eating and that concerns me. I don't want him to be incapacitated by his tongue but I also don't want to make the wrong choice and ruin something for him.

 

[N8bub]

Wow, thats terrible. Hopefully the lil guy can push through this it sounds like you're covering all your bases. Just a thought, is there any veterinary or herpetological medicine forums or boards? Possibly post your question there? Someone there may have some insight.