Jackson Chameleon has brown skin tag (mass)?

[RBCam]

My Jackson chameleon Carmine had a spot on his neck or Gular crest when I got him in October he is about 8 months old now. Maybe a bit older. I took him to the vet last month and she said he looked great and that she thought he may not be shedding properly due to poor breading and that is a bad spot and old skin may just be accumulating there. She gave me instructions to start soaking him regularly and see if we could remove some of the dead skin that had accumulated by soaking and very gently rubbing it with a Q-tip or soft bristled brush. Needless to say Carmine hates this. He hates it a lot he was super friendly when we got him and he is much more suspect now. The real problem the spot seems to be getting larger each shed and he sheds all of the time. Please let me know if you have any ideas on what to do would be of great help. He is doing great otherwise eats, drinks and poops are all good.

 

[jpowell86]

It does look like retained shed. But my first thought was a fungal issue.

Was the vet not willing to remove it in office?

What is the humidity in your enclosure..also have you tried showering him?

I would PM @ferretinmyshoes. She could give you some solid advice on what approach to take.

 

[brownie64]

I'm leaning towards a fungal infection too your vet didn't want to take a biopsy, or culture or what ever they do to see for sure what it was? I'm no vet , but that doesn't look like a normal shed issue to me. Maybe @ferretinmyshoes will help you figure it out like jpowell86 said PM her and see what she thinks.

 

[Dave Bolamperti]

You can try some non pain relief neosporin, that may help loosen a deep hard shed and help kill some bacterial issues he has just as a start till you find a different Vet. I had Jacksons for years their great Chams
Good luck Dave

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Hi there, welcome to the forums! That is not retained shed unfortunately. See how the edges around the spot are a little swollen or flared up and the color changes? (Nice picture!) That indicates inflammation or a reaction to the spot. It could be bacterial or fungal. If he's been shedding regularly then a little retained shed should have come off with a regular shed. It needs some more investigation to figure out what it is.

 

[RBCam]

Thanks Everyone for your help!
@jpowell86 I hand spray the cages 2 to 3 times a day with distilled water. On dry days or when they shed I have a fogger I use as well. The humidity stays between 50% and 80%. I have a Mist King system I am installing in my cages just trying to find time to finish that install.
The vet did not like showering she preferred I soak my little guys instead. I have a shower tree ready to go if you think that would be better.
Just to give your more info on the spot it's self. He has had it for as long as I have had him athtthough it was smaller and looked more like a skin tag type thing at first. Now it is larger is more like a scab. The whole thing moves in one piece (the edges too). Much like a scab we would have after an abrasion or road rash. It does have a bit that sticks out in the center like a wart. After a soak it seams like the edges could almost rub off but the center part seems rather deep. Like it is not just covering healthy tissue underneath. He eats and moves just fine so it does not seam to bother him much on its own. But I think it does cause some pain when touched because he will try and protect that area when I try to treat it and not protect other areas.
I will call the vet today and see about an appointment. When I was at the vet last last she did say she could biopsy the spot after I tried soaking for a while. I will take the blame for not soaking more but we have had a few soaks and honestly I thought that I hand spray pretty thoroughly.
@ferretinmyshoes. Should I let her cut on my him and remove the spot for a biopsy? Or should I see about treating it topically with a anti fungal or antibiotic first? I like the Neosporin idea or some other topical I could order. I would rather try a gentle approach first if you think that is appropriate but if the group thinks it is better to just get rid of it I am prepared for that too.
Let me know if you have any questions I can answer that will help. Thanks again everyone!

 

[brownie64]

Again I'm no vet, but for hydration issues weather it be dehydration, or shed issues I would definitely choose shower over soaking. To me soaking would be way too stressful. But I don't think this is a hydration issue IMHO.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I don't soak chameleons like I would other terrestrial lizards. They don't like it so it causes stress.

It's hard for me to say just based on the picture. It might be something a topical could cure if it's superficial. Wouldn't be wrong to try that first but be prepared for a biopsy of the vet thinks differently seeing it in person or if the topical doesn't work.

 

[Carlton]

IMHO I agree with ferret...this needs to be biopsied to figure out what it is. Doesn't look as if the body has isolated it, but continues to react to it. Could be viral, fungal, or bacterial.

 

[RBCam]

Hello all. Thanks for all of the tips. Since last I checked in I have been showering Carmine and treating his spot with Neosporin. I have uploaded some photos I took today. The spot has changed, not sure if it is for the better or worse. In someways it looks better it is not the hard crusty mass it was. It looks larger but before it was the same amount of area and it would move as a solid pice when you touched it just not puffy. So the size and puffiness had me concerned but it is softer more playable and thinner, It looks like it could be healing underneath just not 100% sure at this point.
Today we went to the vet to check on it. The vet was really unsure what it is but leaning toward squamous cells. I asked about a biopsy and was given an estimate between $420 - $900. They could not do the biopsy today so I took him home and said I would think about it.
Okay I like the little guy, he is cool I was prepared to spend around $300 today on him. But up to $900, I just don't know, That is just for the punch biopsy and pathology not treatment. So I have to decided is the $130 lizard worth it and is it worth putting him through the surgery. If it is Squamous cell she said there is not much of a treatment. I may see about seeking out a second opinion. Do you think that sounds inline for a biopsy?
Otherwise he is in great health eating, drinking, pooping and activity are just fine.
Thanks for any help.

 

[RBCam]

@ferretinmyshoes Just wondering if you were able to look at my prior post and see if you think Carmines spot is better. It has changed dramatically since I started treating it. For months with it looking pretty much the same you can see the change. But I am not sure if it looks better or worse. I forgot to tag you in the above post so I was not sure if you saw it. Currently treating with Neosporin and over the counter anti fungal and looking for another vet for a second opinion on the biopsy. Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[RBCam]

Side by Side to make it easier.