Could Someone Help Diagnose Shenron's Death?

[mpinsky]

This isn't urgent, as Shenron sadly passed away at the beginning of this week three months short of his twelfth birthday. After pressing my father for more details surrounding the cause of his death, I got some more information that perhaps my father decided I wasn't ready to handle when he broke the news to me.

Shenron hadn't been eating or drinking much for about a week or two, though he remained incredibly active in the bath and defecated on his regular schedule. When I last held him, he was limp, though still flailed a bit when first picking him up. Before his death, Shenron apparently vomited a large amount of "blood-colored liquid" and passed shortly after.

He'd been parasite-free for his entire life, so when my father told me of his passing on Tuesday (he died Monday), I was told he vomited "clear" liquid, which made me mentally kick myself that perhaps he had pinworms that we just didn't catch. But upon learning the truth, my dad and I suspect stomach cancer, which is common in older animals.

While I realize Shenron's death is not my fault and that he lived longer than an average beardie life expectancy, I would like to seek closure on what caused his death.

Thank you.

 

[RockHound]

No one here can give you absolute closure. Can you afford to have a necropsy done by a reptile vet? That will tell for sure if he had cancer, or some internal hemorrhaging around the lungs, or something like that.

Sounds like he was well taken care of and lived and long and happy life. Sounds like his death happened pretty rapidly as well, right? Cancer can take a while and tends to cause debilitating symptoms (another beardie with stomach cancer showed signs of impaction). That's why I think hemorrhaging.

 

[mpinsky]

Shenron is already buried, so the necropsy can't be done.

I realize absolute closure isn't possible, but yes, the death was fairly rapid and it's been on my mind since.

Thank you for your reply.