it started with the sleepiness...

[Lymorg and Friend]

does anyone know what could be happening to my poor little guy? this weekend he started acting fairly lethargic and then yesterday i noticed his eye was not as clear as it should be so we went straight to the vet. the vet gave us eye drops and said he may just be in pain from his eye but to call back every day and let him know how Lymorg is doing. today he was a little perkier and opened his eyes more (and he does it when asked, he's kinda odd) but he still seems rather lethargic and has not eaten in two days now?!? any thoughts on what to do?
he did have a stressful weekend so could it be that he is just re-adjusting and just needs time to relax???

 

[Jordan]

Could you give a little more information about his set-up? What kind of lights you are using, what kind of cage is it (and size), what kind of plants are in there, what have you been feeding him, do you use supplements (if so what kind), what are your watering habits (mistings times, drippers), and what species is your chameleon and age?

 

[Jam]

When Hermie wouldn't open his eyes it was because he had a kidney infection .... he was probably keeping them closed from the pain. Once we got him on antibiotics and fluids for a few days his eyes opened and he perked up!

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

kidneys?

did hermie have that and an eye infection? when we went to the vet, we got some eyedrops because his eyes are kind of milky (right side more so) and we were told to make him drink lots of water. how did they know it was his kidneys? lymorg has been on alot of antibiotics before (respritory infection when i first bought him and lately, he broke a toenail and it got infected so the doc was leary of giving him more, we were afraid too many antibiotics could affect his immune system?!? what was the timeline like for hermie to get diagnosed and to recover??? and he's ok now?

 

[Jam]

We ran some blood work on Hermie. He had high white blood cell count (22,000 when it should be 11-12,000) indicating infection/inflammation and then he also had high phosphorus levels which indicate that the kidney's weren't doing their job. The vet also said that kidney infections are pretty common in these guys.

We put him on injectable antibiotics because there is (acc. to the vet) some thought that the chams can't metabolically process the drugs as well as mammals, so this is a more effective route. He is also on 3 cc of fluids given subq (under his skin) 2x daily to force his kidney's to really do their job and start filtering. I like it because I don't have to worry about his hydration status.

He started with just one eye closed, then it was two and he wouldn't move or acknowledge me really. Almost like he was in a coma. I think it was 48-72 hours before he showed a big change and started really returning to himself. For those first couple days he just sat there with his eyes closed, looking like he was sleeping. He's doing GREAT now though ... even managed to escape yesterday. He goes back into the vet tomorrow for a recheck. Vet didn't think that his eyes had any real problems even though he was bulging them out and things like that. The vet said that they often times do that, but he doesn' tknow why.

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

so glad to hear things tunrning out well!!!

thats good to hear! lymorg has an appointment thursday but that didnt stop us from going today! we will go tomorrow morning armed with new knowledge! lymorg does seem to have an eye issue but the eyedrops are clearing that up but not the lethargy... now he just lays here and when you call him he looks at you but only with his eyes i hope this new info helps us! thanks so mush! updates will be given! wish good things for lymorg!

 

[Jam]

Best of luck to you!

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

day at the doctors...

ok, so this morninng i dropped big man (lymorg of course! i dont want him to think he's small!) off at his doctors office because they did not have any appointments but the doctor would be in and wanted to observe him too. they are very concerned for lymorg's health, he's a popular guy with a rock star attitude! i really hope they can fix him!

 

[Frank Castle]

Please keep us posted. And what any diagnosis is. Details, Details. I am pulling for you guys.

Frank

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

semi-update

well, i picked up lymorg from his doctors office this afternoon but the doc was not there, (he was not supposed to be in the office today but came in just to check on my big man!) what the girl there said was that they had been hydrating him and gave him some vitamin shots to beef him up because he recently had an infected toe so he had been on antibiotics so they are leary of putting him back on them so soon, especially because he has not been drinking on his own. at least thats what i gathered but i talk to the doc tomorrow because lymorg gets to get dropped off before i go to work again this morning to stay all day again! his color is better today but still lethargic... hoping for the best and soon!

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

semi- update 2!

well, big man is doing a little better but he spent all day at the vet again today and they want him back first thing tomorrow morning too! they've been keeping him hydrated adn full of vitamins but he still will not eat or drink on his own.. sort of. the other day when he had his mouth open, i put a waxworm in it (halfway) to see what he would do, he ate it but then spit the next one out so i tried again later, he ate another... well today we got them back and since it's a bit abnormal for lizards to vomit, we are thinking he has some sort of stomach problem like a blockage or something so as i said, he goes back tomorrow!
*for anyone thinking chameleons are an inexpensive pet, think again!* even though i did my homework and knew it would be a task, ... well, lets just say lymorg may have to get a job to start pulling his own weight here! just kidding, but it is something to seriously consider! i want only the best for this little guy (and you have to!) and so far we have been at the vet every day this week (and they are billing when we are done treatment!?!) the flip side to all that is that he is worth all of it! he's a great little buddy whether or not he ever gets a lizard job!

 

[Frank Castle]

*for anyone thinking chameleons are an inexpensive pet, think again!* even though i did my homework and knew it would be a task, ... well, lets just say lymorg may have to get a job to start pulling his own weight here! just kidding, but it is something to seriously consider! i want only the best for this little guy (and you have to!) and so far we have been at the vet every day this week (and they are billing when we are done treatment!?!) the flip side to all that is that he is worth all of it! he's a great little buddy whether or not he ever gets a lizard job!

From your other posts, Dont let him know you are telling everyone he is little. LOL. You should put his rezume on Monster or something to get him out there. Maybe he can start at a fast food cham place flipping Cricket Burgers, then work his way into managment. You could also get him Head shots, and a agent and get him into a big budget Movie, TV (on his favorite show that he makes you watch), or even modeling.
Just lightening the mood and jesting.

On a serious note though, I agree with you. Chams arnt cheap, I would go broke, take out loans, to make sure he got anything and everything he needed with in my power when it comes to health. I hope everything works out. I love reading the Lymorg personality posts. Good luck and keep us posted.

Frank

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

some relief in sight!

well, the big guy can hold off on getting a job for now! luckily i grossly overestimated the vet bill, still not cheap but looks like lymorg can hold off on flipping those cricket burgers! he is still pretty lethargic but he gets more energy bursts now. he is back at the doctors today but just for observation, not under "hospitalization" anymore. still not sure what his problem is but he takes all his meds like a good guy adn even though he hates it, it's getting easier for both of us! i am quickly becoming a cham emt and he's swallowing his pride and taking it like a champ. he still will not eat but he gets nutriens from his little lizard protien shakes... actually fluker's first aid liquid stuff but its more fun to call them protien shakes and they even smell the same and everything!

 

[Fate X]

how much time passed till the other eye started closing?

We ran some blood work on Hermie. He had high white blood cell count (22,000 when it should be 11-12,000) indicating infection/inflammation and then he also had high phosphorus levels which indicate that the kidney's weren't doing their job. The vet also said that kidney infections are pretty common in these guys.

We put him on injectable antibiotics because there is (acc. to the vet) some thought that the chams can't metabolically process the drugs as well as mammals, so this is a more effective route. He is also on 3 cc of fluids given subq (under his skin) 2x daily to force his kidney's to really do their job and start filtering. I like it because I don't have to worry about his hydration status.

He started with just one eye closed, then it was two and he wouldn't move or acknowledge me really. Almost like he was in a coma. I think it was 48-72 hours before he showed a big change and started really returning to himself. For those first couple days he just sat there with his eyes closed, looking like he was sleeping. He's doing GREAT now though ... even managed to escape yesterday. He goes back into the vet tomorrow for a recheck. Vet didn't think that his eyes had any real problems even though he was bulging them out and things like that. The vet said that they often times do that, but he doesn' tknow why.

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

well, lymorg spent the whole day at the doctors again today but today the doc called to tell me that he thought lymorg should go to the equivalent of what is the intensive care/ emergency room here. he started to take a turn for the worse so we rushed him there... he's being hospitalized overnight and having more tests run on him. poor guy. i really hope he gets better soon! its been almost a week and a half since he last ate they are going to call me in the morning and let me know howhe's doing and what should be done... think good thoughts for lymorg!

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

diagnosis bleak

well, they called me from intensive care and said he's sicker than i thought, they are giving him a 10% chance... i dont know what i would do without my big man...

 

[Prism Chameleons]

I'm so sorry... I'm thinking about you and your big man there. I hope he pulls through .

 

[Fate X]

how much time passed when the eyes went shut and them he stopped eating n drinking , my veiled right eye is shutting today

 

[kinyonga]

When your chameleon had the toe infection, did the vet take a culture of the
"pus" and remove all the "pus" in the toe? Is the toe normal now or did it stay swollen or swell again?

If the toe wasn't cleaned out properly/thoroughly, then its possible that the infection has now gone through the chameleon's body. Chameleon's "pus" is somewhat cottage-cheesy and its questionable if the antibiotics can penetrate it.

You said that they are keeping him full of vitamins and that they gave him vitamin shots....what ones?

Is he pooping? If not, did he stop pooping before he stopped eating? Do you have a substrate in his cage? If so, what?

I'm sorry to hear that your chameleon is in so much trouble. I hope he makes it.

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

still in intensive care... holding on...

when i called the hospital, thye said he is still stable but severly anemic. there is not enough blood in his body to do diagnostic tests...
as far as his toe infection, the nail is still short from being broken but other than that looks normal now. his eye shutting, when it started i noticed a day or two later that he was squinting when he opened it and when i looked really close, it was a bit red on the side and a little milky. the next day is when we started practically living at the vet.
right now he is on fluids and being tube fed and they put him on antibiotics and anti parisitic meds to cover all our bases until he is well enough for blood tests. luckily he's a tough little guy and he's holding on! hopefully he holds on long enough to make a full recovery but they said it doesnt look good but from what i have read, he seems to be the exception to the rule for most chameleon stuff so hopefully this can be added to that list!
thanks for pulling for him! all hope is not yet lost!