My cham has a mouth injury, How to know if he is suffering?

[Perla Adams]

Hello:

Few hours ago, I arrived home after one month vacation. The first thing we did was go to see the Chameleon. What we found is that he has a horrible injury in his mouth and his crest was broken.

I leave the chameleon with an employee. Apparently, he force feeding the chameleon with excessive violence to the level that the skin if his lower lip is very damage. As soon I see his condition, I wash his lip in warm water, with many care, I reposition the crest, and then feed him. He catches a cockroach and eats the leg of a chicken. He tries to catch the whole cricket but he has difficult with his tongue (I cut the leg). He missed several times, but finally catches the cockroach and then he ate the cricket’s leg..

In the first two pictures, you can see the horrible injury (Believe it or not, his mouth is closed). I think that the skin of his lower lip is detached from the flesh; the exposed flesh formed some tissue. In the third picture, you can see him stating opening his mouth.

I am very sad. I don’t know if he is in pain. My local vet doesn’t know about reptiles but I guess he can put him to seep, if necessary.
During the vacation, I went to several pet store and bring him crickets in cans and some other items to decorate his cage, all I did with many illusion, now, I don’t know what to do.

Can chameleon recover from this kind of injuries? How to know if he is suffering?

Thank you for the advice.

Bye for now

 

[teejayteej]

You need to find a vet that knows about Chams. in your area. I am not sure who they are but I have see several people refer to some member on here as Vets. maybe they can help you find someone in your area that can help you. In Pain or not the Poor thing needs a Vet. Your employee needs to be advised of his poor care and treatment. (puting it nicely)

 

[kinyonga]

I would get it to a vet ASAP. Wow! Can't understand why someone would do this to a chameleon.

 

[Lathis]

I'm so sorry, Perla. Especially after all the work and care you have put into taking care of this chameleon with none of the resources that we take for granted.

He really does look bad. His tongue looks severely injured, and his crest looks like it was smashed or burned. He may have something wrong with his eye too. Keep him warm, make sure he is getting plenty of water, and feed him what you can. He's probably not going to make it without experienced vet care, which I know is hard for you to get where you are.

Send a private message to ferretinmyshoes, a member on the forum here. She is a chameleon vet and may be able to help you make him comfortable.

We're all cheering for him to recover, but you should prepare yourself that he might not survive. Poor little thing.

 

[little leaf]

aww, thats so sad you leave him for someone to care for, and they do this to your little one- I know you have done many things to keep him happy, so sorry you had to come home to this
do your best to keep him comfy until you can reach the vet - best of luck

 

[Perla Adams]

Hello:

Thank you everyone,

Lathis, it is not his tongue. I also, thought that when I saw him, but then, after observation, I saw him while open his mouth to drink. So, I realized that the problem is a kind of “tumor” in his lower lip. I presume the skin of his lower lip was pulled from the flesh and what it shows now is the cicatrize. I placed his mouth in warn water to watch it then even try to pull the skin back in place but I can’t. I am afraid to hurt him more. It breaks my heart to see him in that condition.

Today, I will take him to the local vet, that vet clinic is from the same company of the pet store that sold me the chameleon. That vet also told me about “force feeding”, so I do not have many hope with him.

 

[teejayteej]

I thought it looked like the skin was just pulled loose from the jaw. a bad injury for sure. I know that in some cases with humans they can reattach the skin if it is not dead using a hospital glue. I am not sure if this can be done with Chams. I wish that one of the vets on here would log on and could advise you on what to do.
so sorry you came home to this.

 

[Lathis]

Poor little guy. Maybe he can pull through if it does not get infected. Keep us updated.

 

[little leaf]

if the vet that told you to force feed him is the only vet you can go to- I would have him put down, even you know better than that vet to force feed him was wrong- and I do not see "that vet" being able to help your poor little guy as he seems to know nothing about chams from what you have stated - I feel so bad for you and your little one, you did a good job of getting weight on him tough from the first pic you ever posted of him , to now- you have done a good job - so unfair for this to happen to you two

 

[lnsomnia]

Oh my gosh, that poor thing. I just wanted to wish you best of luck and hopefully he will be ok. It does look his basking bulb was probably too close to the cage and it burned the top of his casque. (That's just what it looks like to me.)

 

[laurie]

I am so sorry you came home to find your poor chameleon has been mistreated. I am sorry to say this but I would get him to your local vet as soon as possible and have him put down. The chan has to be in bad pain. It would take a very, very good reptile vet to help you save him. I am not sure there is anyway to save him, so the best you can do is stop his pain.

 

[Deevo]

Aw poor little guy. I'm sorry this happened to you, I hope you find a vet in your area that deals with reptiles soon!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Poor little thing. It looks like it is either the skin has been ripped away from the jaw and it's having a hard time healing or a tumor. Although tumor at a young age like that would be unusual. The injury is severe and even though it's hard to tell when a reptile is in pain I would bet that is painful. Holding the eye closed might be an indication that that whole area of the face hurts. If you were to treat it he would need a combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for pain and see how much it improves. The tissue is very abnormal in that area so I'd be worried about infection. It will probably never be normal again due to scar tissue. If your vet is not comfortable treating it then unfortunately putting to sleep might be a better option.

 

[Perla Adams]

Thank you:

In a couple of hours, Champs has appointment in a new vet clinic. This new vet clinic belongs to a new pet shop that is bringing many exotic animals.

If the vet give me a windows to treat the area, I will give it a try.

Thank you very much

I will inform as soon I come back from the vet.

Bye for now

 

[little leaf]

Thank you:

In a couple of hours, Champs has appointment in a new vet clinic. This new vet clinic belongs to a new pet shop that is bringing many exotic animals.

If the vet give me a windows to treat the area, I will give it a try.

Thank you very much

I will inform as soon I come back from the vet.

Bye for now

great !! praying for you !!! hopefully this new vet will provide the care needed, so happy you have a new vet in town - please let us know how it goes -

 

[Lathis]

Good luck!



This story just breaks my heart. Perla is trying so hard.

 

[MelissaB]

I hope it goes well at the vet. I'm so sorry that this happened. Poor baby.

 

[teejayteej]

great...let us know how it goes...?

 

[Perla Adams]

Hello Friends:

I just came from the vet.

The good news is that he did not see an infection and give me treatment for the injury.

He told me that the skin is too dry in the area of the injury, so if we keep it moist, the death tissue (scar) could eventually fall by itself. He gives me some sterile solution to clean the area and a reptile wound healing serum (I need apply the medicine twice at day). I need to come back in a week to see how the chameleon is doing.

The vet told me that, right now, is too hard for the chameleon to eat by itself, so he ask me to feed him with Cerelac Baby Food ( 1 to 3 cc. tree times daily). He told me to seat with the chameleon and be patience until he open the mouth and accept small portion of the baby food (diluted in water) , I must be patience .

This Vet is not a reptile specialist, but at least he knows something about reptiles, he asked me if I was spraying the cage enough and about the warm-nesting areas.

I will do my best; I hope he can recover,

Again, thank you for the advice and support.

 

[little leaf]

YAY so happy you were able to bring him home- this vet sounds MUCH better ! hang in there, you can do this I was wondering all day how it went, thanks for letting us all know- and we know this was not your fault at all, we are all here to lend support for you -