Need a bit of advice about abscess/ "pimple"

[JeneenDeAnne]

Hello I need a little advice for my lil'guy Igor. He is a young juvenile that came to me from my young son. About 13 days ago I took him to the exotic vet for a bump on his face just slightly below his left eye and above nostril. She said it was a "pimple", abscess possibly from a cricket bite. (I did find out my son had at one point put 25 crickets in his enclosure, part of the reason he is in my care now) So the Dr lanced, drained, flushed & placed him on a 5mL Tobramycin Opthhalmic solution for 10 days (dropped in nostril once/day) & I would place a dab of honey on open wound as a band aid. He is drinking well but his appetite is not what it used to be & I've noticed the bump has not gone down & when I look under magnification it appears to still be open. I have attached photos of Igor's wound status as of this morning.
My question is this: Is this normal healing progress for a veiled or should we go back to the Dr tomorrow?

 

[Beman]

Hi There I would go back to the vet... If they drained it then it should have gone down. Did they biopsy the spot to see what exactly was going on? Looks like your boy has quite the casque girth can you post some more pics of him for me please? Do you know exactly how old he is?

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Hi There I would go back to the vet... If they drained it then it should have gone down. Did they biopsy the spot to see what exactly was going on? Looks like your boy has quite the casque girth can you post some more pics of him for me please? Do you know exactly how old he is?

Hi Beman I purchased Igor about 5 months from a local pet shop (felt more like a rescue honestly). He was incredibly small & they told me he was about 4 mo old, though I doubt that info is too reliable because they also told me he was a female. When I took him to the vet she placed him around 9 months. She did not do a biopsy, I believe because it was pus filled & all in all he has not lost his appetite or hydration routine & has Very routine healthy feces & nice color uric.
I will also post more pics for you. He had yet Another growth spurt the day after out Dr visit so he still has a few little patches
Thanks for the advice too...Much Appreciated!!!

 

[Morpheo's Mom]

Hello,

In looking at the fourth and fifth pics you provided, it is hard to tell but I don't think I see a tarsal spur. Was it the vet who sexed him as male? Here is a link to veiled chameleons. If you scroll down to the photo that says "Tarsal Spur" you can see what it looks like.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[kinyonga]

Hello,

In looking at the fourth and fifth pics you provided, it is hard to tell but I don't think I see a tarsal spur. Was it the vet who sexed him as male? Here is a link to veiled chameleons. If you scroll down to the photo that says "Tarsal Spur" you can see what it looks like.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Good catch...it looks female to me too!

Time to get an egglaying bin in the cage soon. You should also be careful not to overfed her and to control her temperatures (80F is recommended) to prevent her from producing large clutches and developing reproductive issues.

Please be aware, I'm not a vet and only speak from what I've learned in 30+ years of keeping chameleons and a lot of other reptiles.

As for the bump...you said..."So the Dr lanced, drained, flushed & placed him on a 5mL Tobramycin Opthhalmic solution for 10 days (dropped in nostril once/day)"...I don't understand why the vet would recommend an eye antibiotic to be put in the nostril.

Dr. Did well to lance, drain, flush the bacteria/pus!

Although the usual bacteria involved in these types of abscesses is pseudomonas and tobrymycin is, I believe, one of the meds that can kill it, I have never heard of putting an antibiotic in the nostril. Tobrymycin is an aminoglycoside . If it is pseudomonas, it's hard to get rid of because it's opportunistic and tends to come back.

Was the pus greenish? Did it smell somewhat like rotten grapes?

 

[Decadancin]

Beat me to it! Looks to be a female. I don’t see the usual barring that males develop either. I would say about 8 months, but tough to know for sure.

 

[Decadancin]

Also, as for the bump, it looks like it filled up again, meaning that perhaps the infection is deeper than it looks. I would go back to get it drained again.

 

[kinyonga]

Also, as for the bump, it looks like it filled up again, meaning that perhaps the infection is deeper than it looks. I would go back to get it drained again.

I agree completely. I don't know if the tobrymycin would be absorbed from the nostil or if it would run down the throat and be absorbed or just not do anything sitting there as well.

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Good catch...it looks female to me too!

Time to get an egglaying bin in the cage soon. You should also be careful not to overfed her and to control her temperatures (80F is recommended) to prevent her from producing large clutches and developing reproductive issues.

Please be aware, I'm not a vet and only speak from what I've learned in 30+ years of keeping chameleons and a lot of other reptiles.

As for the bump...you said..."So the Dr lanced, drained, flushed & placed him on a 5mL Tobramycin Opthhalmic solution for 10 days (dropped in nostril once/day)"...I don't understand why the vet would recommend an eye antibiotic to be put in the nostril.

Dr. Did well to lance, drain, flush the bacteria/pus!

Although the usual bacteria involved in these types of abscesses is pseudomonas and tobrymycin is, I believe, one of the meds that can kill it, I have never heard of putting an antibiotic in the nostril. Tobrymycin is an aminoglycoside . If it is pseudomonas, it's hard to get rid of because it's opportunistic and tends to come back.

Was the pus greenish? Did it smell somewhat like rotten grapes?

The pus was a dark green but as for smell I could not catch that. As for the medication I was quite bewildered myself. I will post another pic where the pattern is popped out but I thought female for sure, the Dr had another idea when she seen Ivy/Igor agitated: his pattern came out as he "tried to make himself smaller" (vet wording LoL) as well as revealed the Ohh so small hemipenis. IMO...this name Could stay Igor or quickly go back to Ivy

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Also, as for the bump, it looks like it filled up again, meaning that perhaps the infection is deeper than it looks. I would go back to get it drained again.

Oh I'm Definitely calling the vet in the morning. I'm a retired veterinary nurse but unfortunately I specialized in exotics & wildlife...chams were not a routine or even regular patients for me....that bump is unacceptable

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Beat me to it! Looks to be a female. I don’t see the usual barring that males develop either. I would say about 8 months, but tough to know for sure.

I posted another pic w/the pattern. Still young however & these guys she quite difficult to sex when such juveniles

 

[kinyonga]

Veiled chameleons can be sexed the day they hatch as a rule.
Makes have tarsal spurs and females don't.

You might like to read this...
https://wickhamlabs.co.uk/technical-resource-centre/fact-sheet-pseudomonas-aeruginosa/

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Veiled chameleons can be sexed the day they hatch as a rule.
Makes have tarsal spurs and females don't.

You might like to read this...
https://wickhamlabs.co.uk/technical-resource-centre/fact-sheet-pseudomonas-aeruginosa/

Thank you. I did read the article & I am familiar. I'm heading back to the vet tomorrow.

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

I tried to get a pic of his/her () foot, spur area. You guys are Way better at this than me!!
And I am very Very appreciative!

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Hello,

In looking at the fourth and fifth pics you provided, it is hard to tell but I don't think I see a tarsal spur. Was it the vet who sexed him as male? Here is a link to veiled chameleons. If you scroll down to the photo that says "Tarsal Spur" you can see what it looks like.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

I tried to get a pic but he/she is Not having it at the moment LoL

 

[kinyonga]

Female colors and patterns...
https://preview.redd.it/1rc15ofujvy41.jpg?auto=webp&s=9e8e998aed3b0bfe0ed83a8eacc22f3c97ecc55d

 

[kinyonga]

Receptive female veiled colors...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachments/0203201127-jpg.257771/

Female veiled gravid/non receptive colors...
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/pho...utiful-Colors-reptiles-23880904-2560-1920.jpg

 

[JeneenDeAnne]

Female colors and patterns...
https://preview.redd.it/1rc15ofujvy41.jpg?auto=webp&s=9e8e998aed3b0bfe0ed83a8eacc22f3c97ecc55d

Thank You! I liked "Ivy" much better And the idea of a female & a lil less attitude is quite appealing!

 

[kinyonga]

Just be aware that you will have to have her on the "diet" by the time she reaches sexual maturity/receptive colors and control the temperature to prevent her from laying huge clutches and developing MBD, follicular stasis, dystocia, etc. If you need information about the diet, etc, let us know.

 

[kinyonga]

Just to show you...
Male colors and pattern...note casques are taller in males
Veileds and they have Spurs...
https://mypetchameleon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/adult-male-veiled-chameleon.jpg

https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2013/4-asuresearche.jpg
https://familylifeshare.com/wp-cont...leons-as-Pets-Everything-You-Need-to-Know.jpg