Bone Disease??

[moanachameleon]

I don't know anything about females, but I do understand MBD (I think) her legs look a bit wonky to me?


yes it’s mostly her back legs are swollen and she doesn’t like to move them much her front legs she uses the most and the swelling went away in them. Any tips on how to get swelling down in the back legs or how to fix it?

 

[moanachameleon]

yes it’s mostly her back legs are swollen and she doesn’t like to move them much her front legs she uses the most and the swelling went away in them. Any tips on how to get swelling down in the back legs or how to fix it?

 

[KittyB]

You said..."Also in reference to another poster.. why does it matter how old an owner is? does being too old or too young automatially make us stupid owners? please tell me what is the BEST age to own a chameleon"...it matters because if the OP is 10 I'm going to explain it a little different than if the OP is 40....that's all.

Ok this is fair... Sorry a bit defensive because it's been nothing but a struggle (personally trying to get consistent advice on husbandry other than " oh Chameleons are the most difficult do not get one"

 

[KittyB]

yes it’s mostly her back legs are swollen and she doesn’t like to move them much her front legs she uses the most and the swelling went away in them. Any tips on how to get swelling down in the back legs or how to fix it?

Again I am NO expert but I have learned enough to know that my vets initial blood draw contained lymph fluid and skewed the first labs on my boy.
My understanding is that swelling is not caused specifically by MBD but may be a symptom of a kidney issue? someone more knowledgeable can correct me or weigh in.

 

[KittyB]

Did your vet do bloodwork on this gal? IMO that is essential to find out what is really going on..

 

[moanachameleon]

no the vet didn’t even take blood work or anything he walked in said she has bone disease to give her the .5 mm of calcium the bath and hope for the best because she probably won’t recover from this. So far she hasn’t gone downhill since but i’m not seeing much progress which is why i asked here. the lady at the pet store who uses the same vet said he was wrong with her snakes when she took them as well so i was seeking other sources on what to do.

 

[KittyB]

no the vet didn’t even take blood work or anything he walked in said she has bone disease to give her the .5 mm of calcium the bath and hope for the best because she probably won’t recover from this. So far she hasn’t gone downhill since but i’m not seeing much progress which is why i asked here. the lady at the pet store who uses the same vet said he was wrong with her snakes when she took them as well so i was seeking other sources on what to do.

Is this a vet who has Reptile certification? because it makes a massive difference. You need a reptile vet... If he told you outright "she probably won't recover" I don't think this vet knows their ass from a hole in the wall, he didn't even do any tests? Problem is with these guys.. they don't have the same metabolic rate that mammals do, so it can take them months to die if something is wrong (and you let it go) and also take them weeks to recover with proper care.

 

[moanachameleon]

yes surprisingly he is reptile certified we called ahead before the appointment and a different vet referred him since he was closer so i’m not sure if he’s burnt out or just doesn’t want anything to do with her.

 

[KittyB]

yes surprisingly he is reptile certified we called ahead before the appointment and a different vet referred him since he was closer so i’m not sure if he’s burnt out or just doesn’t want anything to do with her.

What area do you live in? we can look up a good vet for you

 

[moanachameleon]

Ellis county area in Texas

 

[MissSkittles]

Ellis county area in Texas

This appears to be near Dallas, correct? This may help.
https://arav.site-ym.com/search/newsearch.asp

 

[MissSkittles]

Forgot to add, although a vet may be reptile certified or say they are ‘exotic’ vets, not all have experience and knowledge of chameleons.

 

[MissSkittles]

Just wondering how your girl is doing today?

 

[moanachameleon]

she is moving a lot more today crawling up the side of her cage. She still has her tongue out a little bit but it’s not too much.

 

[MissSkittles]

she is moving a lot more today crawling up the side of her cage. She still has her tongue out a little bit but it’s not too much.

Is her tongue still that dark color?

 

[moanachameleon]

the tip of her tongue is sort of a off white frosty color she hasn’t put her whole tongue out anymore just the little part at the tip

 

[MissSkittles]

the tip of her tongue is sort of a off white frosty color she hasn’t put her whole tongue out anymore just the little part at the tip

That’s much better than the dark grey which could have indicated she wasn’t getting any circulation to it. Hopefully her tongue will go all the way back in. Do keep us posted on how she’s doing.

 

[moanachameleon]

here’s some pictures from today. haven’t seen much improvement other then her tongue and her moving a bit more. i’m not sure if there’s anything else i can do? i have the laybin with the sand and a hole dug for her i have the drip system i still give her the calcium and feed her crickets so i’m not sure if this takes time or if there’s something else i’m able to do.