Help! Colonic Prolapse

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Hi All,

Yesterday, my 11 month old male panther chameleon was "pooping/peeing" and noticed after something red still hanging out. After a quick search on the forms and some investigation I was highly certain it was a rectal prolapse and immediately took him to ER vet. It was confirmed he indeed had a Colonic Prolapse. They gave me 3 options:
1. They could sedate him, serialize it, reduce it, gently try to put it back in and put sutures in place so it does fall back out.
2. Drive an hour away for abdominal surgery but the success rate for this surgery wasn't high.
3. Euthanize him.

I decided to go with the first option. He seems to be doing okay now, alert but basking a lot. He even produced a small amount of watery urates. They gave me Lactulose to take every 24 hours for the next five days. Metacam every day for the next 7 days. Carnivore Care for food 1/2 table spoon 3 times daily. He is overall very healthy. He had an x-ray that showed no signs of MBD and tested negative for parasites. The poop he produced after this happened was definitely fairly large and urates looked great. I did notice before all this happened he last poop seemed like a week or more ago. So I thought he might have been dehydrated (not sure how because I have a mister and dripping system) but I was feeding him horn worms regularly because they are full of moister to see if this would help. He's never had an issue with regular bowel movements before.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of issue? If so, what can I do to be sure he has a quick a healthy recovery? Are the Vet's recommendations for meds/food correct? What can I do so that this doesn't happen again? Any all all suggestions/advise needed as I couldn't find much on Colonic Prolapses.

** I attached a photo of the prolapse.**

Many thanks!
Keanu & Janell

 

[Beman]

I do not like the idea of ever force feeding a chameleon. This can be extremely stressful for them. Is he not eating now?

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

I do not like the idea of ever force feeding a chameleon. This can be extremely stressful for them. Is he not eating now?

He doesn't seem interested in eating. It worries me for how many things they are wanting me to force on him. 3 of the feeding, 1 of the Lactulose and 1 of Metacam. Today I have only given him 1 feeding so far. He's a very tame lil dude never once gapped or hissed at me. So getting him to open his mouth ever is a rarity.

 

[bbyoda]

Sorry you and your cham are going through this. What feeders are you using at the moment? Maybe if he's feeling tired and healing from the suture procedure he'll need something very enticing to get back in the swing of things. Hornworms are great treats but don't have much nutrition.

Do you have any black soldier or blue bottle flies? Silkworms?

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Sorry you and your cham are going through this. What feeders are you using at the moment? Maybe if he's feeling tired and healing from the suture procedure he'll need something very enticing to get back in the swing of things. Hornworms are great treats but don't have much nutrition.

Do you have any black soldier or blue bottle flies? Silkworms?

It's been hard that's for sure. He doesn't really like going for the flies but loves the BSF larva. I tried those first, no luck. I've tried everything I have. Crickets, dubias, wax worms and hornworms. Nothing. I did see him drinking though so that's a plus...

 

[bbyoda]

It's been hard that's for sure. He doesn't really like going for the flies but loves the BSF larva. I tried those first, no luck. I've tried everything I have. Crickets, dubias, wax worms and hornworms. Nothing. I did see him drinking though so that's a plus...

Drinking is good. Maybe you can sneak in a cricket or BSFL while his mouth is open while drinking.

 

[Beman]

I believe metacam can upset their stomach. So that may be contributing to him not wanting to eat. Also he just had the surgery so that is not going to help either. I would continue to try insects but know that it may take him a few days to want to eat them. While your supplementing with the carnivore care he is not going to want to eat though.

 

[Lindasjackson]

Sorry this happened to him and you. It has to be so frustrating. I hope your little guy heals well and starts eating and pooping again.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

I believe metacam can upset their stomach. So that may be contributing to him not wanting to eat. Also he just had the surgery so that is not going to help either. I would continue to try insects but know that it may take him a few days to want to eat them. While your supplementing with the carnivore care he is not going to want to eat though.

Thank you. He’s been drinking good so I’m thinking that’s what it is too. Guess it’s just a waiting game now.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Sorry this happened to him and you. It has to be so frustrating. I hope your little guy heals well and starts eating and pooping again.

It’s super frustrating because I can’t find any information of this type of issue. How it’s caused and how I can prevent it. He seems to be doing okay eyes look good, acting normal, drinking. Just not hungry or pooping.

 

[kinyonga]

Did the vet do a purse string suture in the vent area or just regular stitching?

What color have up his urates been lately?

 

[Beman]

It’s super frustrating because I can’t find any information of this type of issue. How it’s caused and how I can prevent it. He seems to be doing okay eyes look good, acting normal, drinking. Just not hungry or pooping.

Prolapses can be linked to husbandry issues. Humidity, hydration, types of feeders.... If one is off this can cause them to strain when passing fecal or urate. In males you also have to ensure proper husbandry due to the sloughing of sperm plugs. Again if husbandry is not right then these become impacted rather then normal shedding of them.

Can also just be an unlucky event due to a genetic issue.

Also can be a fluke that it happens when everything else is perfect.

 

[DonKeesh]

Did the vet confirm a intestinal prolapse? The picture looks like a hemipenal prolapse imo...

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Did the vet do a purse string suture in the vent area or just regular stitching?

What color have up his urates been lately?

Here are the exact notes of the treatment. I am unsure if he a purse string suture. “In the clinic, Keanu was sedated and the colonic prolapse was first flushed with sterile saline and then reduced using a mixture of 50% dextrose, sterile lubricant, and gentle manipulation via cotton tip applicators. Two stay sutures were placed at either end of the cloaca. Keanu was then give him a dose of warmed subcutaneous fluids with calcium gluconate.”

Urates are watery but white. He was able to eat a cricket and two wax worms today. Also, saw him drinking a lot on the leaves today. So hoping those are good signs. He’s acting normal as well.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Prolapses can be linked to husbandry issues. Humidity, hydration, types of feeders.... If one is off this can cause them to strain when passing fecal or urate. In males you also have to ensure proper husbandry due to the sloughing of sperm plugs. Again if husbandry is not right then these become impacted rather then normal shedding of them.

Can also just be an unlucky event due to a genetic issue.

Also can be a fluke that it happens when everything else is perfect.

This is very helpful thank you! Humidity did drop for a day to 39% once the heat started kickin on in the house. When I noticed this I immediately turned on the humidifier and now runs constantly to keep the humidity up. He has a mister and a big dripper (doesn’t ever seem interested in it though) to help with Hydration. As for feeders I rotate between crickets, Dubia roaches, black soldier fly larva, hornworms and wax worms for treats. He’s your urates are always white so I never thought hydration was an issue. I also make my own gutloads for the feeders using a little bit of water, mustard greens, collard greens or a dandelion leaves (switching these 3 every time I make a batch), A little bit a mango and butternut squash and sometimes carrots With a dash of bee pollen. I use Arcadia Pro for supplements and rotate the Arcadia magnesium and D3 weekly.

I’m thinking it was a fluke but if it could of been on my end I’d want to correct it.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

Did the vet confirm a intestinal prolapse? The picture looks like a hemipenal prolapse imo...

The vet did confirm this. I’ve seen his hemipenis come out before and easily was able to get it back in. It definitely did not look like that. Also I seen it happen while he was straining to poop just couldn’t get it back in.

 

[Beman]

This is very helpful thank you! Humidity did drop for a day to 39% once the heat started kickin on in the house. When I noticed this I immediately turned on the humidifier and now runs constantly to keep the humidity up. He has a mister and a big dripper (doesn’t ever seem interested in it though) to help with Hydration. As for feeders I rotate between crickets, Dubia roaches, black soldier fly larva, hornworms and wax worms for treats. He’s your urates are always white so I never thought hydration was an issue. I also make my own gutloads for the feeders using a little bit of water, mustard greens, collard greens or a dandelion leaves (switching these 3 every time I make a batch), A little bit a mango and butternut squash and sometimes carrots With a dash of bee pollen. I use Arcadia Pro for supplements and rotate the Arcadia magnesium and D3 weekly.

I’m thinking it was a fluke but if it could of been on my end I’d want to correct it.

You do not run the humidifier into the cage all day though right, just the room?

Are you not using the Earthpro A in your supplement rotation?

 

[CasqueAbove]

For my two cents, force feeding 3 three times a day makes no sense. This would create a great deal of stress. Assuming healthy to start I would not feed for a week and then only 2 or three times a week. They don’t need to eat 3 times a day. It makes no sense.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

You do not run the humidifier into the cage all day though right, just the room?

Are you not using the Earthpro A in your supplement rotation?

Nope never into the cage. Always the room.

Yeah earth pro A is the main supplement I use for every feeding besides the when it’s time for the D3 and Mg.

 

[KeanuTheChameleon]

For my two cents, force feeding 3 three times a day makes no sense. This would create a great deal of stress. Assuming healthy to start I would not feed for a week and then only 2 or three times a week. They don’t need to eat 3 times a day. It makes no sense.

Agreed. I only forced feed twice on the first day but it was stressing him out so bad. So I stopped. The next day (yesterday) I tried feeds. He ate one cricket and two wax worms. Today he ate a hornworm only. He’s been drinking good too. Im concerned becauSe he is indeed “pooping” mostly just watery and white but it’s still has blood in it….I messaged the vet and sent a picture and they said that should be okay for now as long as his prolapse hasn’t happened again but the blood still has me worried.