Chameleon unidentified wound on side of body

[alexander_the_great]

I have a full grown male adult panther that I purchased a few months ago. Upon purchase, he had a birth mark on the side of his body that was a patch that had chromatophore cells permanently flared. (red/yellow in comparison to his green side.) About a month ago, this patch began looking like a scab, and became more tightly packed. And just today, after some shed had gathered around the wound, and it became tighter and more scab-like, it fell off, and under it exposed weird white patches and pink skin, with a divet in the pink skin. I'm not sure what this is and it is concerning me.

Here is the patch first day I got him (on wood under light), a month after (sleeping), and today (fresh wound).

Is it some type of bacterial infection ?

 

[jamest0o0]

I'm not too experienced with This, but I do know there are some nasty bacterial and fungal infections. I would get him to a vet asap

 

[kinyonga]

I have to agree with jamest0o0. I would get it tested for CANV first.

 

[jamest0o0]

@kinyonga is it CANV that shows up as a yellow mark first, is highly contagious, and deadly? I believe someone else here on the forums had a nightmare going on with it.

 

[kinyonga]

In my chameleons it never showed up as yellow skin like beardies get...in one (a Parsons) there was a grey mark on its knee that looked like it had been a wound that healed which then developed pox like lesions around that mark at first and then all over its body. None of the pox like marks ever developed into lesions that looked like yellow fungus in beardies. The other chameleon had a small blackish mark on its foot and then things developed from there. I'm not 100% sure that the one in this post is CANV but I'm going with a hunch.

Yes...someone did just lose a few of their chameleons to what looked like yellow fungus lesions.

There was also this thread...but no photos and no real confirmation.....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...what-to-do-anymore.158034/page-2#post-1354510

 

[jamest0o0]

ahh i see, scary stuff. Is this type of thing common? All of this stuff gets me paranoid. I feel terrible for anyone going through it.

 

[kinyonga]

It seems to be more common lately. It may be like a lot of diseases...it comes and goes to some extent....has outbreaks then subsides for a while. When they first identified it in my chameleons, they thought it was trichophyton (ring worm) and we (myself, my husband, the vets) had all been handling the chameleon! We thought we were all going to get it!

 

[alexander_the_great]

In my chameleons it never showed up as yellow skin like beardies get...in one (a Parsons) there was a grey mark on its knee that looked like it had been a wound that healed which then developed pox like lesions around that mark at first and then all over its body. None of the pox like marks ever developed into lesions that looked like yellow fungus in beardies. The other chameleon had a small blackish mark on its foot and then things developed from there. I'm not 100% sure that the one in this post is CANV but I'm going with a hunch.

Yes...someone did just lose a few of their chameleons to what looked like yellow fungus lesions.

There was also this thread...but no photos and no real confirmation.....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...what-to-do-anymore.158034/page-2#post-1354510

I looked up CANV and it seems that it's mostly only in bearded dragons ?
I'm for sure thinking of taking him to the vet but just to have a bit of an idea of what this could be, are we leaning more toward CANV in this chameleon, bacterial infection or a yellow fungal infection ?

 

[jamest0o0]

CANV isn't only in beardies. @kinyonga is amazing with this stuff, but you'll have to go to the vet to be sure. and I would absolutely go as soon as you can. Make sure the vet has experience with chameleons, as I understand they are treated differently than many other reptiles.

 

[kinyonga]

Alexander_the_great....read the sites I posted in this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...what-to-do-anymore.158034/page-2#post-1354510
It will help you to uderstand CANV. I'm not a vet so I can't tell you for sure that it it CANV but I can tell you that if it is, your chameleon will need treatment with an antifungal medication ASAP if you want it to survive.

 

[alexander_the_great]

Alexander_the_great....read the sites I posted in this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...what-to-do-anymore.158034/page-2#post-1354510
It will help you to uderstand CANV. I'm not a vet so I can't tell you for sure that it it CANV but I can tell you that if it is, your chameleon will need treatment with an antifungal medication ASAP if you want it to survive.

I'm for sure going to bring him to the vet soon- I'm also looking more into this CANV stuff. It says CANV starts out small and increases in size, although I can't tell if he had it before due to the fact that I got him with a patch already there, and the clerk who breeds chameleons said that it looked like a birth mark... A couple things I'd like to mention though: this guy was wild caught, and the scab fell completely off his side today- it really doesn't look infected, it looks like skin that's getting better- it doesn't look irritated or worsening, it seems to be healing in a way. It looks as though when he shed his weird birth mark patch, it shed too deep and took too much skin with it. This is just my own synopsis though, only from observations

 

[Beelinn]

I second what everyone said about being seen by a vet as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side. To me, I'm wondering if this is an injury. You mentioned he was wild caught? I don't know how they catch chams in the wild, but I'd take a guess they don't always keep them separated. It almost looks like a bite mark, maybe from another male? The upper pictures made me think it could be a burn as well, like he got too close to a heat source. Either way, vet. Just to be safe. Have a great day!

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post a photo of the way it looks now please.

 

[alexander_the_great]

Can you post a photo of the way it looks now please.

it still looks like this although the dangly bit fell off. to me this resembles a wound healing, although on chams it could be something different. not a vet and not experienced with injuries though, and keep in mind I'm still looking to go to a vet soon for him, but it doesn't seem infected ?

 

[alexander_the_great]

I second what everyone said about being seen by a vet as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side. To me, I'm wondering if this is an injury. You mentioned he was wild caught? I don't know how they catch chams in the wild, but I'd take a guess they don't always keep them separated. It almost looks like a bite mark, maybe from another male? The upper pictures made me think it could be a burn as well, like he got too close to a heat source. Either way, vet. Just to be safe. Have a great day!

He could have been bit or burned for all I know, it does seem more like a burn though, although the way it shed was very bizarre so I'm not sure. I was told it was a birth mark, but since the shed very thickly in that area it makes me think he has something there that was wrong with his skin

 

[jamest0o0]

I don't know a whole lot with this, just learning, but the yellowish part seems alarming.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Everybody stop panicking.

That is not CANV. It's a wound that is healing based on the second picture. Put a little neosporin on it a few times a week and I'd hazard a guess he'll be fine.I've used Purell too on a fresh injury or one where a scab got removed like yours. Chams skin is hydrophobic so unless there is a break in it ( a fresh wound or a removed scab ) some topicals don't penetrate.

Now if you can, take it to a vet for the official verdict. But DO take the before and after photos with you so you don't get prescribed something you don't need. Photos are very helpful to vets along with timelines.

P.S. looks like a burn or a gouge (like he got scratched or impaled by a branch when being removed) that is healing. Position of the injury seems odd for a burn though.

 

[jamest0o0]

Not trying to argue I don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but the op said it was an offcolor mark that over time scabbed and fell off, that seems strange doesn't it?

 

[ponders]

I think it is a healing burn. I've noticed that when panthers burn, their colors in that location reverse into their "pajama colors". When I see that I immediately start treating with a Silvadene.

 

[alexander_the_great]

Not trying to argue I don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but the op said it was an offcolor mark that over time scabbed and fell off, that seems strange doesn't it?

to be honest I don't understand it myself. the whole thing seems pretty strange to me and all I'm trying to do is understand it, which is why I took my chances for a bit of help on these forums