Chameleon Smells Skunky

[DMPanther]

turn for the worse?

It looks like I spoke to soon.

This morning I noticed that one side of his gular (flap under jawlne) is swollen. I thought maybe a superworm bit him and caused an infection, but then I searched on here for swollen gular or gular edema and found causes to range from hypervitaminosis or organ failure and either of those with dehydration. Which leads back to the vets concern for kidney problems.

Looking at other people's pictures of gular edema I noticed the swelling is closer to the neck rather than the lower jaw. I went back to look at Blue and noticed that, yes, he's had a puffiness below the neck region for quite a while- it never looked very strange- but I did notice. Now, the flap on his lower jaw is swollen- which is much more noticeable and happened over night.

So, I WAS concerned that his stripes reappeared because of stress. And I was hopeful it was a good sign that he had a normal-ish poop.

But, now I've got to wait an hour before the Vet opens so I can call and see if I can bring him in. This is just awful for so many reasons. Not the least of which is that I'm supposed to be leaving on vacation in a few days and I'm sick over the thought of leaving him where he could die in someone else's care.

Last week the vet mentioned they could do hydration therapy but keeping him there in a noisy, high-traffic vets office is a big concern. And they can't maintain his temp or humidity like I can. If I take him to the store where they will board him, they might not be able to help him.

Any suggestions? Advice?

 

[jannb]

I wish you lived near me......I would keep him for you. Start a new thread with the title "Pet sitter needed, with dates, for very old chameleon, in your area".

 

[DMPanther]

jannb,

You are too kind!

I'll start the thread and see what turns up.

-Dena

 

[jannb]

How's he doing today?

 

[DMPanther]

Hi Jannb,

This morning he looked the worst ever - red bars with a black tint near the spine and a bright white stripe. He was not awake as he usually is. I was very worried.

Thankfully the hornworms arrived so I was able to feed him something really yummy. After he ate and drank he perked up and displayed his normal resting colors.

An hour later, he looked bad again.

I brought him to the vet. They basically said there was nothing they could do- save for fluid therapy which wouldn't treat the edema (swelling). He could have a number of different causes for the edema, even cancer, she said. I decided poking him with a needle right now would not be helpful. He weighed in at the same weight he's been for his past few visits, so that is a good sign.

I will see how he is doing tomorrow. It's the last day before my trip. So, I'll either be bringing him to the pet store for boarding (if he looks ok) or to the vet's office for euthanasia [gulp] (if he looks miserable).


Here is a picture of him from Tuesday - shows the gular swelling in two places, near the "neck" and below the jawline. Also his watery eye, which has been an ongoing problem for a couple years.

And here's one from this morning after I fed him. He's displaying his slightly more content/neutral colors- though the red, green and black are still visible, whereas over the past couple of years he has been much more dull than this. You can't really see the swelling from this angle.

 

[Chameleon Loco]

He has lived a long life

I know it sounds bad but consider euthanisa he has lived a long and furfilling life and if things take a turn for the worse you will fell it when the time is right. I had to put down my bearded dragon of 12 years about a year ago RIP Puff

 

[Elizadolots]

I would ask the vet if he/she can house your chameleon. On the rare occasions I get to do a vacationy thing, I board my dogs at the vets (it's never more than a night..so, the other animals can cope). They'll charge you for it, but probably not so much you find it impossible. It's definitely worth a phone call.

 

[jannb]

I would definitely leave him with the vet. At lease he can have medical attention while you are gone.

 

[DMPanther]

Yes, the vet offered this- something they do under special circumstances. They care for lots of exotics and wild animals. I heard they have a red-tailed hawk recovering from a bullet wound in the back room. (!)

I will seriously consider this. Maybe they could keep him as perky as possible and nurse him back to a good condition. He really needs a nurse right now, not just a sitter.

Thanks all!

This will be my last post for a while. I've got to prepare for my trip.

-Dena

 

[donnak0125]

Oh gosh, I hadn't read far enough through the thread to see your cham had taken a turn for the worse. I'm so sorry; I just butted in with my questions below, I didn't mean barge-in. Please forgive. I am so sorry your baby is feeling so poorly. It is heart breaking to watch someone you love suffer. I can tell you love him dearly. You've been a great friend to him.

If or whenever someone has time to answer: How often should I take my cham in for regular check-ups? And what should a vet do at the "check-up"?
I have only taken my Romeo in for one visit recently just after getting him, for an emergency visit due to illness/infection. How old do male veiled chameleons live? Mine was already an adult when I got him (ordered through a pet store), as I wanted an adult male, but I wasn't told how old he is. Are there any clues I can look for regarding his age?

 

[donnak0125]

I didn't realize this was an older thread; I thought I clicked on new posts...