HELP, CHAMELEON HAS FALLEN....swollen leg

[JackAttack]

ok, i have both medicines in.......i mentioned to her that i feared it was MBD, and she said that muscle weakness can be a sign of it, but that the xray didnt show any signs of it.....so she didnt say for sure that it wasnt the beginning stages of it, but she did say she didnt see any weak bones. the other problem with the xray was that he wouldnt keep the top half of his body still enough to get a proper picture.....so the xray is of the bottom half of his body.

 

[JackAttack]

also, has anybody had any experience with Metacam? its the anti inflamitory she gave me to give jack.........just wondered what the side effects were if anybody else had used it. thanks!

 

[JackAttack]

and also, i read on another forum about chams drinking......jack gets misted a few times a day, but he doesnt like it, so i have been avoiding doing it to further stress him out. any suggestions on how to get more water into him without upping the stress? he sometimes uses a dropper, but he doesnt really like that either.........

 

[blackbetty]

Regardless of what he LIKES, its what he needs. He HAS to have water.. Use a dripper and warm water. Also mist 3-4 times a day for a few minutes each. DO NOT DIRECTLY MIST HIM.. just mist heavily on leaves so it will trigger his need to drink. I use hot tap that comes out as warm spray. I know they are interested when they start licking their lips (not really but it resembles that). You can also try a lukewarm shower once a week. Put him on a plant and have the shower hit the shower wall. Never directly downpour on him.

 

[JackAttack]

ok, thank you, is there a reason not to directly spray chams?

 

[Murrdox]

If you directly spray your chameleon he'll generally just get pissed off. My Panther will avoid the spray for a minute, but then he'll start walking over to the leaves and licking them, and he won't mind the spray too much. This is why you mist for 3-5 minutes. It takes a minute or two of spraying for the drinking response to begin.

However, I have to tell you my Veileds never acted like that. Usually my Veiled would sit there, and eventually he'd start licking his lips as the water ran down his face. Otherwise however, my Veiled was very shy about drinking. He'd never do it in front of anyone. My Veiled also didn't like showers at all, and I never saw him drink when I gave him one.

 

[JackAttack]

that sounds like jack, my veiled......he must be drinking when i leave the room, or he'd be dead right? sometimes i get the water in with a dropper, other times i spray and leave the room

 

[JackAttack]

hey everyone, jack has been on medicine now for about 4 days, and i still see no improvement in his legs if anything, his front legs are now weaker..........he is eating if i put the crickets and worms in front of him, but is still being picky. today he took his medicine without a fight, which isnt like him could this be MBD?? in the early stages? what are the first signs of this disease??? please help, i dont want to lose my jack.....ive called the vet and she is calling me back this afternoon.....

 

[blackbetty]

Is your vet an actually reptile/exotics? Like I said, I dont think many vets look for or know what to look unless they are knowledgeable about it.

If it is, It can be turned around if caught. DO a search at the top next to New Posts and search MBD. You will come up with a great variety of info, symptoms, pictures, and help. I have always corresponded MBD with not using limbs.. falling, dragging them, weak grip, and then of course, the physical look of it..

Im praying for the best for ya and your cham. Do a search though and see if YOU think it is..You see it better than we can understand from some words or even pictures. If you post pics of each limb, someone here might be able to tell you if they "think" it is..but then again, it could be the onset and not be visible quite yet... Good luck..

 

[Docility]

well. is his inflammation going down? also a infection may take weeks to get ride of you dont cure a cold in a day either. So just take a deep breath, and continue to take good care of him.

Also on note of spiral bulbs. im not taking a run in the middle none credited website to base 100% of my basis for why this is this way. thats just ignorant. Now something i have notice, which isnt the bulbs fault is the housing conditions you need to give them cover to get away from the bulb, and lack of ability to focus on food could be a Vitamin A deficiency, and also a compact light normally is put in a dome right? this focuses all the areas of the bulb down on your guy they are meant to just be open, because yes you will be focusing all of it on him/her. So do your own research, take UV ratings, and get back to me. NEVER base your opinion off of uncredited websites! And also to get an idea on some of our animals that wont open their eyes for the sr. forum users. what were their cage conditions like? did they have the ability to completely photo regulate them selves like in the wild? (end rant)

also something you may want to try is feeding him horn worms since they have a lot more protein in them, and that will help with the muscle regeneration, but all this takes time. i had a shoulder sprain that took 8 months to heal =( dont give up on him he may just have a really bad sprain. Best of luck to you!

if you have any questions, or want more advice to help him out please direct PM me on the forums, because as you have seen i dont always go back and re read threads

 

[JackAttack]

this is a pic of what jack was doing earlier.........he doesnt gape all the time, not even now when he is sick, but he is laying on the branches, resting all of his limbs now..........the vet suggested that i bring him in again, and up the antibiotic strength.....she doesnt want to do blood work, but does want another xray, she said it could be a circulatory problem with his heart, or he's gone septic, and the infection is in his blood, hence the spreading.....geesh does anybody have any experience with this?

 

[blackbetty]

Wow.. I am So sorry for Jack, and you.

What about a URI or possible Kidney failure?

Bless you. What a hard experience to endure.

 

[JackAttack]

also, here is a link to a youtube video i posted, to give you all a better idea of how he is moving about..... it was the only way i could figure out how to post videos...........


"Jack moving around" is the search on YouTube.......

 

[JackAttack]

blackbetty.......what is a URI?

 

[JackAttack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNf5sRNgsX0&feature=channel_page

 

[Docility]

hes using all of his feet so thats a good thing, but hes gaping, because hes purposefully over heating himself. now since these are cold blooded creates he may be trying to combat that infection by raising his body temp to kill it. like how we get a fever hes giving himself a fever to help fight it off. thats my theory anyway.

 

[blackbetty]

blackbetty.......what is a URI?

Upper Respiratory Infection.

yea, the link you sent me in PM didnt work.

Doc: Thats a very awesome observation/Theory. Im hoping its as simple s that and this little guy will pull through!

 

[Docility]

Upper Respiratory Infection.

yea, the link you sent me in PM didnt work.

Doc: Thats a very awesome observation/Theory. Im hoping its as simple s that and this little guy will pull through!

i hope! =)

 

[jannb]

Where do you live? Is your vet experienced with chameleons?

 

[JackAttack]

i live in alberta canada, and this vet says she is experienced in exotic pets, including reptiles. there are no vets that are specifically trained in just reptiles where i live, they all just have a special interest.