Tail base aneurysm in an inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In bearded dragons, aneurysms are most commonly observed on the head and neck and in the cranial coelom. A nine-year-old male bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) was presented for a ventral tail base swelling. Aspiration yielded frank blood, and Doppler ultrasonography confirmed an aneurysm by demonstrating pulsatile jets into the lumen. Three months later, the animal presented for acute regurgitation and tenesmus. Coelomic ultrasound showed a distended stomach and pyloroduodenal intussusception. An exploratory coeliotomy revealed a tortuous and distended ventral abdominal vein and mesenteric vasculature. The colon and cecum were markedly distended, and intracoelomic blood clots were discovered. Euthanasia was performed. Necropsy revealed a tail base aneurysm, presumably arterial. The walls of the aneurysm exhibited osseous metaplasia and smooth muscle replacement by fibrous connective tissue with no infectious organisms. This case report provides information on a differential diagnosis for tail base swellings in bearded dragons.