I'm sure I'm just being paranoid...

[Amanda1801]

As the title says - I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, but I've never had a healthy chameleon to know what "normal" is!

Colin is doing well, not growing all that much, but gaining weight and condition nicely. I'm wondering whether his legs look a bit odema-ey? Like i said, he's gaining weight nicely, and has a good diet, and I think his legs were probably just incredibly skinny when I got him and he's filling out a bit - am I just being paranoid lol His legs are also pretty deformed, so it's difficult to tell (I've also included a photo of one of his x-rays so you can kinda see where the deformities are - he has breaks on all of his legs, but in the left hind the angle is such that you cant really see)

About 2 months ago:


Today:


X-ray
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...02872069_100000150017800_638642_4903911_n.jpg

Cheers!

Amanda & Colin

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

two months ago, and in the x-rays looks like your boy was getting a bad case of MBD, how are his front legs? the pic "today" he looks a hell of a lot better, and the conditioned seemed to be stopped. just my 2 cents on that, but im interested to know how his front legs are since those looked like they were affected the most

 

[Hoj]

id think it does look like his legs may just be filling out abit. my cham recently lost his tounge and i think the shock stopped his growth as well as the lack of eating. he is now eating alot better and i have noticed his legs are staring to fill out a bit. i see alot of chams on here with pretty fat legs. LoL

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

i must add that it does look like gout or edema as well

 

[Amanda1801]

I took him on from someone who had no idea - he has pretty bad MBD but hes having treatment for it.

Heres some photos of his front legs (they are pretty damn awful) They are all quite recent



What causes gout and odema? How are they diagnosed and what is the treatment?

 

[Amanda1801]

Any further ideas?

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

wow, that is a popeye arm if i ever did seen one. i dont think there is anything further we can say, im sorry if i missed a bunch, but have you brought him to the vet?, i still say it is still MBD and possibly gout.

 

[Amanda1801]

wow, that is a popeye arm if i ever did seen one. i dont think there is anything further we can say, im sorry if i missed a bunch, but have you brought him to the vet?, i still say it is still MBD and possibly gout.

Hes being treated for MBD with liquid calcium with and without D3, hes got a good UV light source etc. and having regular x-rays to monitor it - his MBD treatment is going very well.

Gout is uric acid crystals? What causes that - obviously diet, but too much protein? Any idea how its diagnosed and treated in reptiles? the guy I work with is only in on tuesday and I have an exam then so I'll have to see if I can get him down there afterwards

its always something with this damn chameleon, thanks to his previous retarded owner *sigh*

 

[kinyonga]

I think the legs are fine (aside from the obvious deformities due to the MBD, of course).
Gout will normally show like this....
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/health-section-f-gout_28.html

IMHO he seems to be recovering nicely from the MBD...good trunkal lifting, better look overall! Keep up the good work! He's lucky to have found you!

 

[Amanda1801]

I think the legs are fine (aside from the obvious deformities due to the MBD, of course).
Gout will normally show like this....
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/health-section-f-gout_28.html

IMHO he seems to be recovering nicely from the MBD...good trunkal lifting, better look overall! Keep up the good work! He's lucky to have found you!

Thanks for that link - the x-rays on there have made it clear that he doesnt have gout (well, certainly didnt 6 weeks ago when he had his last lot of x-rays - he's having another lot soon so will confirm that) - I have had another feel of his legs and there is just skin and bone, theres no oedema or anything, I think it is just deformities - thankfully!

And thanks for the encouragement I often think that I could have bought 3 healthy chams for the price Ive paid for him so far (which is still increasing as his treatment continues!) but they'd be no where near as rewarding