Cant afford vet. had to take matters into my hands

[Sharka]

so tonight i was working on hw and i noticed that the foot on my cham was leaking puss. i got the rest of the puss out and removed the hard, dead tissue. I then cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide real good and wrapped it in a bit of gauze and medical tape. what do i do now? i cannot afford a vet. i could buy three jackson's chams with the money it takes to see a vet here. im contacting one to see if there's anything i can do here but i also would like some opinions from anyone whose been in a situation like this. please help!

 

[Miss Machine]

A picture would help...

 

[Bokaru]

You should save up a bit of money specifically for vet visits. Its going to happen and to be unprepared, should not be an excuse when it is harped on this forums so much. I don't mean to come across as nasty, but making excuses as to why you cant pay for a vet visit isn't going to help your cham get any better.

Sounds like you did a good job at doctoring up the wound though. If it doesn't heal up soon, I would work on getting your cham out to a vet.

 

[jannb]

Your chameleon needs a vet visit. It may very well have an infection and need an antibiotic. When you bought this animal you took on the responsibility of taking care of it which includes vet visits when needed. They are not just something you can disguard when they are sick and buy another one. Most pets that I have ever had were free or almost free because they came from shelters or just wondered up in my yard. When they were sick or old it didn't matter to me that I could go get another one cheaper than taking care of this one.....I've spent thousands of dollars on pets that I received for free.

 

[Gensen]

Well....

Well, yes I have to say atleast you addressed it and what you did with it seems like it "should" help and was better than doing nothing. But as others here have said and it is said all the time on the Forums and is 100% true... If you cannot afford to take your Cham or any pet be it a dog, cat whatever... to the Vets you really should not purchase the "pet" it just is not fair to them.
Now, I can appreciate the fact that sometimes money is tight and things come up at bad times and it puts people in a pinch... but I must say that I think what upset me the most reading your post was you said "I could buy 3 Jackson's for what it would cost to take this guy to the Vet!" That left me quite honestly very disappointed... especially since you cannot even afford a Vet for this guy. Reptiles are no different than any other living creature... if we as people are going to take them on for our own personal joy and amusement than we OWE it to them to do whatever necessary to ensure they have a HEALTHY and QUALITY Life!
I think you should stay on top of the treatment, and if it's not looking better you should and I would anyway make calls to local Vet's and see if they are willing to work something out with you... they might and you never know until you try... you owe it to your Cham to make an attempt at getting him treatment... call 10 Vet's if you have too maybe one will be willing to see him and work something out. Or maybe there is a professional breeder in your area you could check with? It really would help the more experienced people here to see a picture, so if you can get some up that would be great... Good luck with him & his healing....

 

[pssh]

Go to your vet, ask if they will sent up payment plans, and work something out. Most vets will work with you to save the animal.

Nothing ever happens when all anyone says is, "I can't."

Edit: if you really need money, walk around outside and pick up dropped change. Collect bottles and cans and get the money for them. If you actually work at it, you can make over $100 in a month.

 

[Mr Wilson]

I completely understand the whole not being able to afford it right now. We have 4 chameleons and a puppy. We spent the money we had saved up for our puppy's final vet visit with his shots and then our one chameleon suddenly started acting sick. We couldn't afford to bring her in until we were able to get the money, almost 2 weeks (bi-weekly paychecks, woohoo!). Nothing is more irritating or annoying than people saying "too bad, you need to find a way to get your pet to the vet" so I completely understand where you are coming from. Some people just don't understand that every once in a while the money just isn't there. It's not that you can't normally afford to bring your pet, it's just that right now, the funds are not available. And if people say that has never happened to them, then they are truly blessed. With that being said, I know for a fact you are not alone on this matter and that many people, myself included, have panicked about a lack of funds and worry about how you're going to take care of your animal.

With that being said, I think it's great that you took the initiative and took matters into your own hands. What I would do is find ways to save up, maybe ask family if they need help around the house (I don't know how old/young you are, but either way I don't see why maybe a few helpful chores couldn't be done for family/friends). Maybe you can help clean a house or something and they can pay you. Until you can come up with the money, I would just keep an eye on it. Then I would do what another member said, maybe call up a vet in your area that is an exotic pet vet, mention the situation but also mention that you don't have the necessary funds right now and see if they are willing to set something up with you.

Do you know what happened to your cham that made him/her have puss on it's foot?

 

[GoFast]

I can't believe I am going to get into this, but I completely agree with you. At some point, people have to set a realistic limit on how much money they are willing to spend on a vet to fix a problem with an animal. These aren't people, they are chameleons. I just put down my beloved cat who was around the age of 18 years old because he had cancer...does this make me a bad person? Hell no it doesn't. To spend thousands of dollars on an animal that was old anyways just doesn't make sense. I gave him the best life he could ask for and he gave me years of memories and love, but there was a point that just didn't make sense to spend more money on a cat.

You are doing the best you can for your chameleon and trying to provide the best possible conditions that you can...anybody who criticizes you for that needs to get off their high horse.

I completely understand the whole not being able to afford it right now. We have 4 chameleons and a puppy. We spent the money we had saved up for our puppy's final vet visit with his shots and then our one chameleon suddenly started acting sick. We couldn't afford to bring her in until we were able to get the money, almost 2 weeks (bi-weekly paychecks, woohoo!). Nothing is more irritating or annoying than people saying "too bad, you need to find a way to get your pet to the vet" so I completely understand where you are coming from. Some people just don't understand that every once in a while the money just isn't there. It's not that you can't normally afford to bring your pet, it's just that right now, the funds are not available. And if people say that has never happened to them, then they are truly blessed. With that being said, I know for a fact you are not alone on this matter and that many people, myself included, have panicked about a lack of funds and worry about how you're going to take care of your animal.

With that being said, I think it's great that you took the initiative and took matters into your own hands. What I would do is find ways to save up, maybe ask family if they need help around the house (I don't know how old/young you are, but either way I don't see why maybe a few helpful chores couldn't be done for family/friends). Maybe you can help clean a house or something and they can pay you. Until you can come up with the money, I would just keep an eye on it. Then I would do what another member said, maybe call up a vet in your area that is an exotic pet vet, mention the situation but also mention that you don't have the necessary funds right now and see if they are willing to set something up with you.

Do you know what happened to your cham that made him/her have puss on it's foot?

 

[Gensen]

Right thing...

I can't believe I am going to get into this, but I completely agree with you. At some point, people have to set a realistic limit on how much money they are willing to spend on a vet to fix a problem with an animal. These aren't people, they are chameleons. I just put down my beloved cat who was around the age of 18 years old because he had cancer...does this make me a bad person? Hell no it doesn't. To spend thousands of dollars on an animal that was old anyways just doesn't make sense. I gave him the best life he could ask for and he gave me years of memories and love, but there was a point that just didn't make sense to spend more money on a cat.

You are doing the best you can for your chameleon and trying to provide the best possible conditions that you can...anybody who criticizes you for that needs to get off their high horse.

Well, I think each "case" is different. In your case you did the best thing you could with the animals best interest at heart... you always have to consider "quality of life" and go from there.

 

[jessica]

If your chameleon has an infection (which it sounds like he has an abscess) He can become septic and he could die. When infections spread it can cause other major problems like organ failure for example.

I hate to be one of "those" people but he needs antibiotics, he needs to go to the vet.

Until then you may want to get some polysporin or salvidine and keep that hole in his foot moist. It needs to heal from the inside to the outside basically you don't want it to scab over, it will just trap the infection.

Goodluck

 

[Elizadolots]

would Reptaid be of assistance in this?

 

[Eltortu]

would Reptaid be of assistance in this?

I doubt it. He will need antibiotics if the infection is not controlled by simply cleaning the the affected area...

 

[Eltortu]

so tonight i was working on hw and i noticed that the foot on my cham was leaking puss. i got the rest of the puss out and removed the hard, dead tissue. I then cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide real good and wrapped it in a bit of gauze and medical tape. what do i do now? i cannot afford a vet. i could buy three jackson's chams with the money it takes to see a vet here. im contacting one to see if there's anything i can do here but i also would like some opinions from anyone whose been in a situation like this. please help!

Would you post some close up pictures?...

 

[pssh]

If it's that bad, I think it would be best to either put him down, or send him to someone who can afford it. You don't want him to die a slow death (I imagine it would be painful with the infection.)

 

[tdotcham]

honestly, i havent read anyone trying to help this guy out. quit bickering at him... he obviously knows a vet is the optimal solution, however... he is not able or willing to go at this point in time.

so unless you can help the guy out... stop posting the same useless crap.

id suggest contacting one of the more experienced keepers or breeders on the forum. there are alot of people with great knowledge of these animals who i'm sure would be able to assist you in some way

 

[Carlton]

I doubt it. He will need antibiotics if the infection is not controlled by simply cleaning the the affected area...

Exactly. Cleaning it out was good first aid, but if the infection keeps recurring or spreads, you have no choice...a systemic antibiotic is required. Now that the abscess has been cleaned out, don't keep putting peroxide on it. Use that only to clean away puss or dead tissue. An antibiotic ointment such as Polysporin MAY control the infection, but if it has spread beyond the immediate area you don't have a choice about the vet. Another thing to do to help keep the foot as clean as possible...scrub down all his perches to make sure there is no mold or bacterial buildup where he puts his feet.

 

[Elizadolots]

From the Reptaid site:

he product, called Reptaid™, available now through Reptaid.com and distributed by Chameleons Northwest, includes a variety of oils and herbs specifically chosen for their ability to fight against parasites, infection, and boost the immune system.

Fighting infection and boosting the immune system seem like they would be helpful.

Also from the site:

REPTAID™ is found to be effective for use against:

Coccidia and other parasites

Bacterial infections

Viral infections

The site has testimonials regarding its success against URI's and Mouthrot as well as parasites.

It can be purchased from board sponsor LLL Reptiles for about $24.