administering medicine

[dakotakleiner]

hi im administering trimethoprim orally because baytril didnt work for an popping nose and eventually lead to more gasping for air and i was wondering should i put it in the tip of his mouth or in the back because when ive been doing it at the tip of his jaw with him biting on the tip of the syringe he starts standing and reaching for his cage and then when i put him in there he tilts his head up then opens his mouth an gasps.....i dont know doesnt seem right to me

 

[bridgofaith]

Administering medications can be tricky. If you can hold him gently but firmly around his body and just behind his head, he will most likely open his mouth wide for you. Put the meds at the back of his throat and let him swallow them.

If you are dealing with a respiratory infection read through my thread. https://www.chameleonforums.com/back-vet-medication-questions-39302/ I would highly suggest that you get a warm mist humidifier in the cage and run it 24/7. Also, warm steamy showers a couple times a day are very helpful. You want to keep things warmer than usual. Increase the basking temps by a few degrees. Keeping things warmer and humidity a little higher helps them to expectorate the mucus. If you see mucus developing at his mouth, gently remove it. He also may not eat and drink as usual. Try offering feeders that have higher water content such as silkworms and hornworms if possible.

This thread also should be very helpful to you: https://www.chameleonforums.com/another-vet-appointment-41267/ It would also be helpful if you would fill out the https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
form.
Good Luck to both of you!

 

[VeiledOwner87]

get a toothpick, or break a skewer in half and gently press it flat against the front of the mouth, he/she should open its mouth and in this technique you will be able to keep the mouth open to give its dose of medication. the best way to do this is from behind, let your cham gently know youre there so you dont startle it and bring both tools from the side of the head, not over.

 

[bridgofaith]

get a toothpick, or break a skewer in half and gently press it flat against the front of the mouth, he/she should open its mouth and in this technique you will be able to keep the mouth open to give its dose of medication. the best way to do this is from behind, let your cham gently know youre there so you dont startle it and bring both tools from the side of the head, not over.

If you want to or need to force the mouth open I would suggest something flat like a guitar pick instead of a toothpick or skewer. They could cause injury to the mouth. Sometimes with chameleons that have respiratory infections, they can develop very sensitive mouths and even develop an infection. Even gently tugging on the skin under his throat would be better than using a toothpick or skewer in my opinion.

If at all possible I would let the cham open his mouth on his own for med administering.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

you must have a wrong picture of this. im taalking about mimmiking the way a vet does, you use something with larger surface area, then you dont have as much room to work with the syringe. im not talking about using the point whatsoever, but the long smooth round pard of it. ive only used a long plastic needle for another type of syringe. but for anyone, im trying to interpret and everyday home item. and sometimes you have to do what you have to do to give the animal its meds. im not debating with you, but i just take it you perseived the wrong idea lol.

 

[jannb]

If the animal is still eating I inject the meds into a worm and feed off immediately.

 

[kinyonga]

Are you easing the medication in or "shooting" it in all at once?

 

[bridgofaith]

Also, it appears by your previous threads that you have been dealing with this RI for quite some time. If you haven't done so already, I would request a culture and sensitivity test. It will determine what bacteria is present and what medications it is sensitive to.

 

[dakotakleiner]

thanks bridgofaith and others yes I have usually been using a folded piece of clean paper to open his mouth or just the syringe sometimes but i noticed that it goes down easier when administering it to the back of his throat instead of the tip of his mouth......however my vet also said if this medication does not work we will have to do a culture i still have about 5 days or so left on a 21 day dose id have to check my calender. his nose is still popping once in awhile im just hoping it goes away after finishing this medicine. anyways roughly how much would those tests cost?

 

[bridgofaith]

When the C&S was done for my little girl, it was $108.

 

[FFSTRescue]

I always use a Gavage Needle. This is a small, stainless steel feeding needle, tipped with a small ball, so it is technically not a needle, but a feeding tube. I don't medicate chameleons without it because you want to place the medication towards the back of the throat past the glottis so they don't aspirate. What I do is take my thumb and index finger and tap the corners of the mouth from behind the head and that usually gets them to gape and hiss, then with the gavage needle attached to the syringe, I place the gavage needle into the mouth towards the back of the throat and only push the syringe when he/she is hissing (exhaling), not when inhaling in case of aspiration. You only want to give a small amount at a time this way because if you give too much fluid, it will come back up and go into the glottis causing aspiration pneumonia. You can judge what is a good amount. Also, I line the long metal part of the needle with several layers of electrical tape because if reptiles bite down on the metal, it breaks their teeth. That is what is great about these things, they can't bite down on the syringe, break it, and ingest it, or they can't bite down on your hand. This has worked for me 100% of the time medicating chameleons.

You can find them at www.reptilebasics.com. I always keep several sizes on hand.