Panther has gout

[Lizardlover1519]

Hey everyone I'm going to give you lots of information all at once so just be prepared.
I have a male panther chameleon, he has a lot of health issues. I have a very good chameleon vet that I have been working with for a very long time . I spare no expense on his health and care. He has an amazing setup and diet etc.. My panther is about a 2 years old and weighs 70 grams. My vet and i have concluded that he was a runt and just has a very small bone structure and always has. He is a healthy weight FOR HIS SIZE. He has extremely poor bone density and always has. I frequently get blood and fecal tests for him ever since he developed a chronic eye issue about a year ago because i just want to do all that i can. Background for his eye: it is sunken and keeps it closed, we have done EVERYTHING and my vet and I have established that he has a chronic condition.

I recently noticed that he has developed swollen joints and has a few hard bumps on his back
I took him back to my home town which is about 3 hours away to go to my trusted vet and we did the works, x-rays, a cytology on the fluid in his joint, a biopsy of one of the bumps etc and we have determined that he has gout despite doing everything I could to prevent it.

He still has a good quality of life, he eats and drinks very well, still climbs onto my hand willingly, he has a very strong grip with his tail as well.
My goal is to keep him comfortable and to prevent the gout from getting worse. He is currently on Meloxicam to help with the inflammation, and get sub q fluids to prevent renal issues (however this is very stressful for him) and finally he is on Allopurinol to try and help.

I guess I'm coming on here because I am not super confident but I want to do EVERYTHING i possibly can to keep him comfortable until he passes or to prolong his life and keep him happy as much as I can. Here are some of my general questions

1. Where is the best place to give Sub q fluids to help him the best and cause him the least amount of pain, right now I am giving it along the sides of his dorsal crest. I just always feel so bad because I can tell he is in so much pain when I do it cause he is such a frail guy

2. He is in a very large tank I have added TONS of branches to help him get around, do you have any ideas of other things I can include to his tank to make it more comfy for him has he has a hard tine grasping his branches.

3. Any diet tricks I could try? He get calcium (without D3) dusted crickets, dubias and baby hissers and then once every two weeks gets repashys LoD plus on the insects. All of the insects are gut loaded with repashys bug burger. He eats a lot, I feed him every week day, he gets around 15 crickets (when he gets crickets) and 10 small roaches ( when he gets roaches) . Should I tweak anything in that to give him the best chance?

I would also like any other tips or advice from anyone that has cared for a chameleon with gout before or knows anything about it

 

[Ghostbirb]

Hey everyone I'm going to give you lots of information all at once so just be prepared.
I have a male panther chameleon, he has a lot of health issues. I have a very good chameleon vet that I have been working with for a very long time . I spare no expense on his health and care. He has an amazing setup and diet etc.. My panther is about a 2 years old and weighs 70 grams. My vet and i have concluded that he was a runt and just has a very small bone structure and always has. He is a healthy weight FOR HIS SIZE. He has extremely poor bone density and always has. I frequently get blood and fecal tests for him ever since he developed a chronic eye issue about a year ago because i just want to do all that i can. Background for his eye: it is sunken and keeps it closed, we have done EVERYTHING and my vet and I have established that he has a chronic condition.

I recently noticed that he has developed swollen joints and has a few hard bumps on his back
I took him back to my home town which is about 3 hours away to go to my trusted vet and we did the works, x-rays, a cytology on the fluid in his joint, a biopsy of one of the bumps etc and we have determined that he has gout despite doing everything I could to prevent it.

He still has a good quality of life, he eats and drinks very well, still climbs onto my hand willingly, he has a very strong grip with his tail as well.
My goal is to keep him comfortable and to prevent the gout from getting worse. He is currently on Meloxicam to help with the inflammation, and get sub q fluids to prevent renal issues (however this is very stressful for him) and finally he is on Allopurinol to try and help.

I guess I'm coming on here because I am not super confident but I want to do EVERYTHING i possibly can to keep him comfortable until he passes or to prolong his life and keep him happy as much as I can. Here are some of my general questions

1. Where is the best place to give Sub q fluids to help him the best and cause him the least amount of pain, right now I am giving it along the sides of his dorsal crest. I just always feel so bad because I can tell he is in so much pain when I do it cause he is such a frail guy

2. He is in a very large tank I have added TONS of branches to help him get around, do you have any ideas of other things I can include to his tank to make it more comfy for him has he has a hard tine grasping his branches.

3. Any diet tricks I could try? He get calcium (without D3) dusted crickets, dubias and baby hissers and then once every two weeks gets repashys LoD plus on the insects. All of the insects are gut loaded with repashys bug burger. He eats a lot, I feed him every week day, he gets around 15 crickets (when he gets crickets) and 10 small roaches ( when he gets roaches) . Should I tweak anything in that to give him the best chance?

I would also like any other tips or advice from anyone that has cared for a chameleon with gout before or knows anything about it

Hello! I’m so sorry to hear your boy is suffering of this. I don’t know much about gout but I do believe that it’s speculated that a diet high with roaches may help cause it.

By any chance could you share some photos of your boy? My girl is actually suffering some very similar symptoms with swollen ankles and bumps along her back, but gout was ruled out for her.

 

[Beman]

So honestly I would want to have a full husbandry review first. There are way too many different things going on with his health current and prior.
If you would like to do a husbandry review please copy and paste the form below into your reply and fill it out with as much detail as possible including pics of your entire enclosure lighting down and the chameleon.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.