Casque Burn

[SamW]

Hey all,

I took Samir to the Vet's right before Christmas. He had a supposed RI and a burned casque, which was quite obvious. He would always put his casque against the top of the screen and eventually it was burnt. He his now unable to do so and has a different setup. I may include pictures later, I am just very busy today. A big piece of skin/casque is beginning to come off, towards the front. It looks like it will be making its' way along the burn, up the casque. From the point of the casque, it travels about 1.25 inches forward.

Two concerns:

The vet said it wasn't a burn (clearly is, and I also saw it happen over time), and proceeded to pick off his dry skin with her finger. I told her that I thought you were not supposed to do that, because should remove naturally (it had been there for some time and would not shed..she prior posts) and she didn't say anything..

She also suggested I buy one of her 160w power suns. Some have been saying this seems high, but it is elevated a few inches of the screen. The temperatures are ideal, too.

What should I do about the burn, light, and overall vet experience? I thought I selected a good clinic, but now disagree. I don't know that I can afford a second opinion, also risking another unsuccessful visit.

 

[camimom]

Did you get anything to put on the burn?

 

[SamW]

The vet recommended silvadene, but it is a prescription medication...others have suggested neosporin without pain medicine. I have yet to apply a cream, but at this point I dont think it would help. This piece of skin is surely coming off. I understand that it could help the new, fresh layer.

Perhaps I'm in the wrong forum for this question, but is there a way I can make a formal complaint about my experience from the clinic. They shouldn't be treating reptiles, in my opinion. I am posting pictures soon..

 

[SamW]

Casque Burn Pictuers

There appears to be speckles of blood where the skin is still connected. Before accusing me of neglect, know that I asked an exotics pet vet to treat his burnt casque, and she found no sign of burn. My guy is now in trouble, having lost a large portion of his casque and the color.

 

[SamW]

Casque Burn Pictuers Cont'

These are the others..

 

[mgebbie]

I had a similar problem with my cham, Thorium RIP. I would recommend another vet visit (another vet altogether). Silvadene would be great to have on hand in general and is great for burns. I would gently wipe it clean every morning and apply silvadene twice daily until the area is healed. His casque will never look the same again, but it should heal nicely in about 4 weeks (more or less). Good luck

 

[DavidBuchan]

The vet didn't give you a prescription after recommending silvadene?
Either way both creams would be good (and useful) for him. It is a bad burn but I've seen worse on this forum. The quicker it recovers the better though, of course
You shouldn't make any complaints where you name the vets on this forum I think.....but maybe a new one would be better for you.
I think a Powersun would maybe be too much for him at the moment, but when he's healed it should be fine as long as you have a big enough cage and distance from the bulb.

 

[SamW]

The vet didn't give you a prescription after recommending silvadene?
Either way both creams would be good (and useful) for him. It is a bad burn but I've seen worse on this forum. The quicker it recovers the better though, of course
You shouldn't make any complaints where you name the vets on this forum I think.....but maybe a new one would be better for you.
I think a Powersun would maybe be too much for him at the moment, but when he's healed it should be fine as long as you have a big enough cage and distance from the bulb.

David,

My screen is 48Hx24Wx24L. What distance should he be kept from the bulb? He always wants to get closer, I don't know if he is seeking more heat or UVB.

 

[DavidBuchan]

David,

My screen is 48Hx24Wx24L. What distance should he be kept from the bulb? He always wants to get closer, I don't know if he is seeking more heat or UVB.

A big enough enclosure then. You just need to accurately measure the temps with a good electronic thermometer. I advise certainly no more than 88F until his burn is healed. That means attaching the probe to a branch and leaving it where his head gets closest to the light, you can take the branch and probe out once you know how hot it got right where he can get his head to. If it's too hot, move it a bit further away and test again. Here's a great all-round caresheet you might not have seen yet- https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html

 

[raedarr]

How does the burn look now?

my Cham just got a burn in the same place and is healing slowly. The skin (casque piece) has not fully sloughed off yet but I am sure it will. I was wondering how the scaring will look after he heals.

 

[csmolins89]

This just happened to my guy and I understand your concern as I was worried as well. I have been constantly applying Polysporin to the the areas where there is open skin. My guy seems to be doing just fine and doesn't show any signs of stress or infection. Just make sure the area stays clean and apply polysporin and you should be ok.

 

[Leslie11]

wood

You can raise your lights up a little with small pieces of wood/slate.

 

[sunflowerbabe98]

First I just want to say I am terribly sorry about your unfortunate vet visit. May I ask what you did??? I know this is an old thread, I’m hoping to receive a response because the EXACT same thing happened to me. I’ve been taking my chameleon to the vet & have spent about $1000, before this vet though, he had seen 2 others. Not because there was ever anything truly wrong with him but because I felt that he needed to be checked up on. With the 2 terrible visits I had, they “found nothing to be wrong with him” so it wasn’t until a few months later that I found a wonderful vet & proceded to spend the grand that I spent, in the time being he developed an illness from too much uric acid, he has been on meds unfortunately & will be for the rest of his life, but is making progress & doing very well. However, The one time I was unable to see my normal vet I expressed my concerns for a casque burn when it was more minimal than it is now (2 months later) his casque is beginning to like “crack” just like yours but not as progressed yet... the vet told me multiple times it was not a casque burn & I have not had the money to go back. PLEASE tell me what you did, it would help me out in more ways than one. I would really really appreciate anything advice or opinions you have to offer. Thank you so much. Also there are pictures of my Chameleon’s casque on my page.

 

[JacksJill]

Your state likely has a place that you can report your vet if you think it was malpractice.
Fauna classifieds has a board of inquiry section that fields complaints. I try to check it before doing business with strangers in the industry.

Edit: Didn't realize this was an old thread.