Help!! Back Legs Not Moving

[Red Bishop]

Yes, he is paralyzed. The vet wanted to put him down, but I haven't yet. Is there anyway to keep him or should I put him down. He was active, climbing with his two good arms, but today seems lethargic. This sucks!!

 

[Chase]

I think I would put him down. I don't know how you would be able to take care of the Chameleon at this state of time.

 

[dodolah]

Yes, he is paralyzed. The vet wanted to put him down, but I haven't yet. Is there anyway to keep him or should I put him down. He was active, climbing with his two good arms, but today seems lethargic. This sucks!!

OMG
Does the vet tell you what cause it?

 

[Chuck G]

Sorry to hear the news.
The humane thing to do is put him down.
Crawling around his environment paralyzed will leave him open to new problems.
Again sorry to hear the sad news.

 

[Brandy]

over supplementation can casue MBD as well as under supplementing. Id look at your supplemntation.

 

[Zoey]

Up to you what you would like to do with him. Sorry about the news.

 

[Red Bishop]

I supplement with Calcium every other day and vitamins once a week. I was resigned to take him back in tomorrow to put him down, but he I have seen his back legs move slightly. Also if I straighten his tail out, he will curl it back up. Not like he used to, but it seems to move. Will this happen if he is paralyzed? I am going to set up a visit with another vet that a friend recommended that has reptiles. It may be a waste of money, but I would rather spend the cash and confirm then put him down. If She agrees with the other guy I will have her put him down.

 

[Nicodemayo]

If it were my cham i would stick it out, especially if youve been seeing small movements and improvements of the tail. Hard to say whether or not he is controlling the curl because if he did have control of his tail he would be looking for something to grab onto with it. I know when i hold mine, if his tail isn't secure he'll whip it around until he grabs hold of something. I wouldn't loose hope. Post back tomorrow i'd like to hear how hes doing. Good luck

 

[Trace]

... but he I have seen his back legs move slightly. Also if I straighten his tail out, he will curl it back up. Not like he used to, but it seems to move. Will this happen if he is paralyzed?

That's interesting news isn't it!

Did the first doctor give you any "at home" care instructions at all? Is your chameleon still in his big cage? If so, perhaps keeping him in a low tank or rubbermaid, thus restricting his movement might speed up healing. I know that's really helped any injured or post-op reptiles I've dealt with in the past.

I hope for good news tomorrow!
t

 

[Red Bishop]

He didn't really give anything. When I called he said he worked with exotics and was familiar with chams. He didn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling though. We'll see. Should I put him in something else? Right now he is still in his 2x2x3 screened enclosure. I haven't found him on the ground and he still has the ability to take off when the mister comes on. He is also still as pissy as ever.

 

[dodolah]

for now, changing his enclosure will stress him even further.
I say keep him there.
I totally agree with getting a 2nd opinion.
The tail is moving, he is still able to climb, and he still has an attitude.
I would not give up on him so fast, at least until i'm sure.

 

[Trace]

Considering your location and the time of day, your little guy is probably sleeping now so I wouldn't move him tonight.

If, by chance, you get a good prognosis tomorrow, ask the doctor how to house your chameleon while he is healing up. They may have some better suggestions than myself. You say he runs off when the mister comes on; I'd be concerned he could fall the 3 feet in his already compromised state and perhaps injure himself further. Keeping him confined lessens this possibility.

I have my fingers crossed for you. Let us know how it goes tomorrow.
Cheers,
t

 

[Red Bishop]

OK. The good news is that the new vet said she sees no sign of a broken back. Of course this means something else is wrong, which she could not determine. She says she see no signs of MBD, but his bones are small so it is hard to tell. I will be giving liquid calcium two times a day, cod liver oil (for vitamin A) two times a day, using a syringe for hydration. Finally, my wife and I will be manually feeding him every other hour. Luckily he is so pissy that when I stick a syringe or cricket near his face he opens his mouth to bite me. She also mentioned to put him in a small enclosure so he can't fall and he can get near the heat lamp.

Of course this is still no guarantee he's going to make it, but there is still some hope. I guess the question would be to get a refresher on supplementation. I use a calcium supplement every other day and a vitamin once a week. It sounds like he may be deficient in one of these areas, so what do you all do?

 

[nateboston78]

My recommendation is to stick it out. If condition degrades to the point where it inhibits eating and actually climbing (he still has the will to move using arms in pic) then you may consider putting him down. I think you will be surprised by how sometimes animals bounce back.

One thing you can do is to try lightly pressing his legs with slight pressure, and see if he reacts to it. You can also try drawing your fingers on the tail and see if he tries to grasp it. Look for any swelling, or discoloration (as in bruises) if he did fall.

Chameleons are pretty good at catching a fall or spreading the force of impact being arboreal and all. Many people have had chameleons fall or simply drop from their hands trying to get away and still thrive. Keep us posted?

 

[m1ndless]

I hope your cham gets through!

 

[Red Bishop]

Just to let everyone know, He didn't make it. I figured it was too late, but it was worth a try to load him up. He past away last night. I will probably take a break on chameleons for now. My son didn't take it well.

What other animals can be placed in an arboreal screened cage? I want to get my son something else, but I don't want to get another cham until I review my husbandry. I followed all the recommendations on this site as far as temps, cage type, food, plants, misting requirements. Still didn't work out.

Thanks again for all the responses.

 

[Justin Carl]

Was he impacted?

 

[Red Bishop]

No, nothing showed up on the xrays and he was relieving himself.