Archie
Warning, some graphic images below
Archie's Story
Archie has certainly been through the wars but she is very much loved here by staff and volunteers.
Archie came to the rescue several years ago after being abandoned in a park.
We don’t know her age but believe she was quite young when she was discovered, she arrived here with a re-grown tail and later on we found out she had an old fracture to her front right leg.
Diagnosing
In late 2022 Archie started experiencing abdominal growth and an increased sensitivity to that particular area. She was still eating and as normal; a sassy individual, but something clearly wasn’t right so we consulted an exotics vet.
X-ray's were performed and to our surprise she had a huge amount of ovarian follicles which were growing and pushing up towards her respiratory system causing large amounts of inflammation, which was undoubtedly very uncomfortable.
Surgery
The only treatment option was surgical management, and so, Archie underwent an operation. Nearly 500 grams of ovarian follicles were removed as seen in the photo to the right!!
We also had her spayed as a preventative measure against any future problems with her reproductive system.
Recovery
Archie's recovery has been a success, however not without its turbulant times. She had a lot of stitches (See photo to the left) and initially lost more weight due to a lack of appetite.
You may notice in the photo below, Archie has a small hole on top of her head by her nasal passage. Earlier in her life she had an abscess develop under her scales which burst and damaged a lot of the surrounding tissue.
Although the hole has decreased in size now and will continue to do so; it will never fully heal.
Luckily we have a couple of fantastic vets on board who have assessed her and advised on the best way to manage this going forward!
Why Archie needs your sponsorship
We would LOVE you to sponsor Archie! She is a unique (and sometimes sassy) iguana who has experienced a lot of trauma throughout her life.
Sponsorships are vital to continually providing her with important veterinary visits, upgrades to her enclosure and an abundance of tasty treats like her favourite rasberries and blueberries!
If you'd like to sponsor Archie, visit the sponsorship section of our online store.