Iguana with an eye problem/infection

Question
Hi,
My question is pertaining to our iguana who is 4 years old. His left eye is swollen shut. My husband and I just did a saline solution rinse on his eye. We are hoping we can help him to get better at home...lack of $, plus we are in the middle of the 2nd blizzard in less than a week. Can we heal him homiopathically? My husband has been able to massage the area and we are hoping that this along with the saline rinses, we can cure what ails our Lenny.
Can you e-mail me back with any ideas/suggestions..?
Thank you so much from the snowy suburb of Phila., PA
Sincerely,
Shawn, Dan, and Lenny Massey

PS. We are not sure of what has caused the swelling.

Answer
Dear Shawn,

This is interesting to me because this is one of the rare instances in which I can tell you that if it were me, I would see a vet. I know you already know that, but I just can't imagine any homeopathic substitute for the need for antibiotics. If you are dealing with an eye infection and you don't know the cause, it is possible that he could have been injured, he could have some particle lodged in his eye, he could have an infection so bad it costs him his eyesight in that eye. It is common for iguanas to get particles in their eyes and get infected from their substrates if you are using wood chips, bark or any other types of particles.

I always try to recommend home care to people because I have dealt with a wide array of iguana health-related issues and when I started this rescue I was taking my iguanas to the vet for just about anything and everything and now, I can treat just about anything and everything that iguanas deal with from tail breaks to metabolic bone disease...but sometimes there just isn't anything a person can do when antibiotics are needed. In a situation like this, I feel confident assuming antibiotics are needed.

In the meantime, another idea is to go to the pet store and get "turtle eye drops". This will not cure any present infection but will help lubricate the eye in order to get objects out. As far as saline solution, this is better than nothing. I know, also, that it is the main ingredient in most eye drops/nasal sprays but I am just not sure this is sufficient enough. I would say that is better than nothing and not to try and squirt any chemicals in his eye like peroxide or betadine...but if it doesn't appear to be improving within 2-3 days, it is time to think about how you can get him to a vet.

Another important thing to note with iguanas is that when they are fighting infections/illness...they should be kept warm at all times because when they drop below 80-85F or so, their body functions slow down and their immune systems become suppressed because they cannot retain enough body heat to perform unnecessary bodily functions such as produce white blood cells/lymphocytes...which require extra energy and heat.
So in conclusion, I would focus on keeping the iguana warm, hydrated and fed well so he can fight infection best and continue to use the saline at least twice a day opening the eyelid and spraying into the eye, but please recognize the urgency in getting him to a vet if it does not improve shortly. Thank You!

Sara J Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptorRescue.org

Good Diet + UVB Radiation + Proper Temperatures + Set Daily Schedule = Healthy + Happy Reptile