Green Iggy Not acting righy

Question
Hello,
I have a mature green Iguana named Puff.  He is a rescue so we don't know exactly how old he is.  When we rescued him he was already 6ft and sexually mature.  We have had him for 13 years.  We live on the golf coast.  When it is warm he has outside accommodations.  It is winter so now he is inside.  His cage is an open (plastic over chicken wire and is 4x4x8ft.)wooden enclosure.  He has a Zoomed basking bulb for day and an overhead ceramic heater for evenings.  He has green leafy vegetables always.  Whatever is in season. Never lattice.  From time to time he desires some of our dogs food.  His favorite treat is Mac and cheese.  He is kind of like a cat.  He knows the rattle of the box.

For the last few days he is not able to move his hind quarters.  One of his back legs seems ever so slightly smaller than the other one.  If you touch them he will draw that leg in but he cant use them to move.  We noticed he had a problem 3 days ago.  Puff was on his back and could not right himself.
Our vet says we have to call a specialist form LSU.  I fear the worst.

Thank you for your time

Don

Answer
Hi Don,
It is possible that he caught his leg on something and sprained it. Problems with limbs can also happen with internal blockages.  Has he been eating and pooping normally?
Dog food and cheese should never be given to an iguana as their systems cannot digest/process animal proteins properly.  This can lead to kidney, liver and even thyroid problems..which can show up in their limbs. If he is fed a lot of greens such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower he may have gout which will show up as swollen leg/legs....also possibly swelling in the throat area.
If your regular vet would do an xray and blood work you may be able to find the problem that way.
With not knowing his actual age, but it sounds like he would be in the 16 yr range, or more..yes, it is possible that he is shutting down due to old age.  Again, blood work and xrays would give a better idea as to if it is age related or a health/disease issue.
Have you tried putting him in a tub of warm, shallow water to see if he can/will use his legs that way?  If you try this,don't leave him alone even for one second.