Hurt Arm

[MissSkittles]

Have you tried some small hornworms? A visit to a good vet is really what is needed, especially if he’s declining. He needs some lab work to determine his kidney function, if he has gout and anything else that may be going on. Chameleons can go very downhill very fast.

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO, you really need to get him to a good chameleon vet asap.

 

[Beman]

So a real reptile vet is needed here and blood work to see what is actually going on. While gout is the most common there are other possibilities as well but only blood work will show what is going on with him. In the mean time add more branches so he has less distance to reach and more pathways to take. Unless the urate is showing dehydration then he may not be at all, most chams are very shy drinkers.

 

[chemeleonboi1]

I hope for the best and a quick recovery

 

[b.dvis15]

I went to the vet today. We took a 5 hour round trip ride together and although bloodwork was not done the vet poked the spot on his arm with a needle and determined he did in fact have gout.

He proscribed Tramadol and critical care carnivore since he is not eating. Blood work was going to be $300 and the results would not come back for 2-3 weeks and since the gout was already found it seemed kinda pointless.

We will hand feed him the medicine and the critical care until he starts to eat on his own then just the medicine until that runs out.

He said I can add my calcium to the critical care if I would like. Anyone have any experience with this stuff? Worried about the D3.

Who knows I’m optimistic. Maybe after the meds he will be okay for a while. When he got home he went stright to his dripper and looks to be functioning a lot better.

I really don’t know how he got gout. He’s only been eating crickets for about a month now and hasn’t had a roach in close to 4 months if not longer. I’m sure bad supplements on my end is a good factor.

Any advice is still appreciated.

 

[Gloriawood]

So glad you got him in! I’m curious…. Did he determine it was gout because when he poked it it didn’t seem to be an abscess?

 

[b.dvis15]

When he poked it with the needle he saw the uric acid crystals under the microscope then showed me it on the little piece of glass.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ve unfortunately had to use critical care before. Follow the instructions for mixing and I only made small batches at a time. I didn’t add calcium or anything else to it. I would only give it after making attempts to offer regular feeders. The hard part is getting their mouth open. Veileds, with their sass will gape and we can take advantage of that and the built in handle of their casque, but panthers are tough. I had the best success with using a guitar pick to gently open the mouth enough to get the tip of the syringe in. Aim for the back of the throat as the airway is in the front. I usually gave extra water too while I was there…about 0.5ml.
I am a bit surprised about the choice of medication. Usually metacam is given for inflammation pain and I forget which gout med is prescribed (allopurinol or colchicine), but without a med to reduce the uric acid, the gout will remain. Usually it’s a lifetime treatment to prevent recurrence, at least for humans. The Tramadol is a pretty potent pain med, so at least he should be more comfortable.

 

[Beman]

I would recommend not using it... For short term it is fine like a week or so. But the level of fat soluble vitamins in it can be dangerous for any extended use. This would include the D3 but also the vitamin A. Take a look at this post about bug juice. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/jackson-with-infections-and-not-eating.191406/#post-1783691
I would go this route instead. But I would keep trying to give insects. Hand feed, cup feed, put in a feeder run. Try it all each day with him. Because force feeding has its own risks. You can easily aspirate them or even cause a cut to the mouth which could lead to mouth rot.

The issue with gout is that he may be more predisposed to have a problem. For example if his renal system is not working quite as well as it should in a cham of his age. Hydration is key with gout. So just provide opportunities for him to drink.