I don't think my cham is going to make it through the night

[jmmitchell]

This morning I noticed that my 2 year old veiled cham was on the floor of the cage. I slept a little later than normal, and by the time I had noticed, his lights came on and the mister already went through its first cycle. I'm not sure if he fell or how long he had been on the ground through the night, but he was very dark and very cold to touch. Trying to pick him up i noticed he was very weak and his eyes were closed and only opened them when he was touched. I put him up towards the top of his cage on his basking spot to heat up, but he could not keep his balance on the top limb. I rearranged the cage and put a "hammock" beneath the top branch and put him there to heat up a bit. Fast forward a couple of hours and he was not moving much, so used some repti aid high AMP boost hoping that it'll help him out. In all, he was given about 2 ccs but it looks like that isnt helping. Ive taken him outside some to get some sun since it is high 90s here, but he is still acting the same but his color is back. He's currently under his basking bulb with his eyes closed and not moving. I rushed to petsmart to try to find waxworms to coax him into eating but sadly they were out of stock. I'm not sure what to do with it being the weekend and all, but any advice will help. I'm trying to tell myself he is just weak and just needs rest, but its not looking good

Cage-24x24x48 Heat lamp 100 watt 10.0 uvb bulb Aquazamp misting system Diet- almost exclusively gut loaded dubia roaches dusted with calcium w/o D3 and w/ D3 every fourth feeding. Multivitamin twice a month also

 

[jpowell86]

Do you know what the issue is with the front left leg?

If this is new, it looks like he may have taken a tumble. That looks like a build up of fluid and swelling. Feeding him isn't going to do anything and constant coaxing will just stress him at this point. I am glad that you set up the hammock, that was the right approach. But, after seeing the arm, I would put him in a large container with towels on the bottom for support.

A vet visit is a must at this point. There is nothing you can do at home for his leg.

You have the Animal Emergency and Referral Clinic in your area that is 24hrs. I'm sure you knew that, just thought I would add that in.

 

[Andee]

His leg definitely looks bad. He also looks either severely dehydrated or thin. His hips should not be that noticeable.

 

[jmmitchell]

The front leg issue was there prior to the fall, It's not soft or filled with fluid, but rather firm. It seems to be a build of minerals from using too much calcium w/ d3, so i decreased the intervals of them. It has actually gone down a bit since it noticed the lump. His movement is not affected from it and he didnt seem to mind me touching it prior to the episode.

 

[Randall-the-Chameleon]

His leg definitely looks bad. He also looks either severely dehydrated or thin. His hips should not be that noticeable.

I agree with Andee, he looks very dehydrated and/or thin. How often do you mist him and how often do you feed him+ how much? This could have been the cause of his, ordeal.

 

[JGuinan007]

He looks really thin to me how often do you feed him?

 

[brownie64]

He looks dehydrated too me as well you should try to get some fluids in him, and like Joel said get him to a vet for the issues with the legs if nothing else. It looks like he has a bump at his rear as well. There was a medical condition that looked familiar to this I believe it was @xraygirl who started the thread.

 

[jmmitchell]

He made it through the night and he is looking a little better but still weak. He was able to eat some super worms and giant mealworms. He climbed up to the top of the cage and during misting and he got a good soak. He has currently not moved since though

 

[jmmitchell]

There was a medical condition that looked familiar to this I believe it was @xraygirl who started the thread.

That was actually the thread i looked at when i noticed the bumps. I'm almost positive it is the same thing that was happening to that cham.

Edit: it was actually this thread https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...d-lumps-on-body-and-tail.147106/#post-1247383

 

[jajeanpierre]

He made it through the night and he is looking a little better but still weak. He was able to eat some super worms and giant mealworms. He climbed up to the top of the cage and during misting and he got a good soak. He has currently not moved since though

I'm not veterinarian, but your pictures suggest gout to me. I believe gout in reptiles is usually caused by renal (kidney) failure/disease. His body condition is what I would expect of an animal with advanced renal failure/disease. Gout is very very painful with a very poor prognosis. It has not been studied in veterinary medicine so vets rely on human studies to treat it.

I really think you need to take him to a reptile vet asap. If he were mine, in the condition he is in, I would choose euthanasia.

If it is gout, it has a very, very poor prognosis and is very painful. Aside from the gout itself, there is the underlying cause of it to deal with.

 

[lainezor]

Hello, Eugene's mom here, its been 7 months of tests on his lumps and so far we know its not cancer, its not gout, its not bacterial or viral. Eugene has lumps on the same spots as your guy and we are working right now on trying to get him as much natural sunlight and keep him hydrated. So many questions unanswered but the biopsy confirmed that the lump is called a granuloma and does not contain any uric acid or stones. It could be over supplementation, kidney or liver problems. The good news is he is still alive and eating well, and its been almost 8 months since I first noticed the lumps, his have not gone down though.

 

[Andee]

Well if the OP''s chameleons lump went down when you reduced the d3 intake, you should decrease it more. They are only supposed to get it twice a month.

 

[lainezor]

If you can, get him outside for around 15-30 mins a day in natural sunlight and avoid synthetic d3 and watch the lumps. Its hard to tell with Eugene because I see him every day. Please let me know what your vet has to say, it might be the next step in healing for Eugene's mystery lumps. I will admit my vet isnt the best with chameleons but he is the only vet within a 3 hour drive radius, I have spent close to 2 grand on all these tests so if you have another vets opinion that would be really helpful and my vet might be able to try other things. I hope your guy feels better soon.

 

[Bush baby]

He made it through the night and he is looking a little better but still weak. He was able to eat some super worms and giant mealworms. He climbed up to the top of the cage and during misting and he got a good soak. He has currently not moved since though

The sucken eyes are not a good sign. I'm actual surprised he has the strength to climb and hold on. Ontop of hydrating him with water trying feeding him slices of bell pepper, greens, or some other fruits/veggies; not only will this help hydrate him but it will give him an energy boost as well.

 

[xraygirl]

I'm not sure what lumps look similar to what my Chief has, but from what I see, it doesn't look like that. My mind is thinking gout when it comes to the enlarged joints. My Chief has papilloma which involves growing horn like growths all over his body that are removed by a biopsy punch and then cauterized.