PLEASE HELP

[Rationality]

Jackson
Poor drinking habits
About 2 years old
my chameleon likes to take baths normally he is okay
Left him alone this once come back and he is seized up hands taut together and won't use them for anything. I picked up him immediately held him upside down and just panicked. I know kittens come out with the same style liquid so I pushed down his belly to the gullet over and over his lips turned red-ish he discharged organish liquid and mouth was slightly loose. I wasn't about to lose my chameleon so I immediately just blew air into his mouth he coughed up a slight amount of water and bit my upper lip. He is still breathing, very lethargic will only sleep unless I put him to his lamp and get him warm he wakes up tries to get out of the intense heat and then just goes back to lethargy
No use of limbs at all there closed like fist, color is normal.

 

[Rationality]

Please anyone I don't know what to do he is my best friend I love him more than anything this is all my fault i don't want to lose him. Everyone told me not to get a Jackson because he would die just like everyone else's. He's so strong and to die now from my neglect would absolutely kill me. I can't afford a vet, I can't take him anywhere

Please someone help me I can't lose him

 

[Craigwyatt]

He needs to see a vet right now.

 

[Craigwyatt]

When you say bath. So do you mean like he's swimming. Or do you mean shower. Water is constantly going down the drain.

 

[Craigwyatt]

I'm wondering if he was drounding. That's what it sounds like to me. If he was drounding he could have extensive brain damage will altimately lead to his death.

 

[Rationality]

I'm wondering if he was drounding. That's what it sounds like to me. If he was drounding he could have extensive brain damage will altimately lead to his death.

He was drowning. I'm afraid the same. He still isn't able to use his limbs. I'm just letting him rest right now. I can't afford a vet, on top of the the closest vet that caters to exotics is about an hour away.

 

[Rationality]

When you say bath. So do you mean like he's swimming. Or do you mean shower. Water is constantly going down the drain.

He likes both sometimes hell immerse himself entirely in the water so he's covered and leave his head out.
This time there was a constant water flow that was draining but he went over to the deeper end and got sucked into the whirl of the drain I'm guessing

 

[Craigwyatt]

Ewww. Not really sure what to say. Def get that heat off him if it's still on him. That will just compound the problem. If a vet is out of the question its out of your hands pretty much. Just leave him alone and put your hands together and pray.
Hopefully he avoided brain damage and will slowly come back.

 

[Rationality]

Anyone else please help he's back in his car and he slithers on branches but he won't physically grasp the branch. I'm afraid he doesn't know how to use his hands

 

[BabyChamCham]

Anyone else please help he's back in his car and he slithers on branches but he won't physically grasp the branch. I'm afraid he doesn't know how to use his hands

I'm really sorry to hear this.. All I can think of is some sort of vet or just hope for the best. He's in my prayers.

 

[Rationality]

I'm really sorry to hear this.. All I can think of is some sort of vet or just hope for the best. He's in my prayers.

It's astounding to me the lack of professional there is around me. Thank you for your words. I will keep updating as he progresses.
It's been 3 hours and he's still breathing so I'm somewhat hopeful.

 

[BabyChamCham]

It's astounding to me the lack of professional there is around me. Thank you for your words. I will keep updating as he progresses.
It's been 3 hours and he's still breathing so I'm somewhat hopeful.

I don't think anyone (besides you) has experienced a drowned cham before...

 

[Craigwyatt]

It's astounding to me the lack of professional there is around me. Thank you for your words. I will keep updating as he progresses.
It's been 3 hours and he's still breathing so I'm somewhat hopeful.

This comment was uncalled for. Please do a search for people that have accidentally drowned there chameleon. People just don't put there chameleons in bath tubs where they have to swim or go out if there way to keep there head above water to keep from dying. I'm guessing this is your first chameleon and maybe you had an iguana before that liked water but chameleons don't swim usually. Maybe everyone in a while they fall out of tree into the water but they are not natural swimmers. They are tree climbers. You went out if your way to put him in a bad situation then you left him unattended. I know the odds were against what happened but it never would have happened if you didn't put your animal in that situation.
Chameleons naturally come with problems every now and then. And when you own any animal unexpected problems can arise. It is up to there owners to take them to the vets when problems come up. In my opinion there is no excuse for not having the money needed for an emergency vet visit. I left that part out in my above post because you sounded desperate and I didn't want to put you down. And I'm still not putting you down Believe me I understand just not having the money. But when you purchase an animal they rely solely on you. In captivity animals lives can be a crap shoot. Jo blo over here is well off and take any unexpected cost and Jo blo over there just doesn't have it. Just because a person can afford the price of admission doesn't mean much. There are so many other cost that lots of people don't consider. A Jacksons chameleon can be bought for $20 but if you look at the whole picture of his whole life it's prob $2000. The animal price is the cheap part. Taking care of it is what cost the real money.
With that said I really hope your Cham comes back to life and you never make him swim again.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Please anyone I don't know what to do he is my best friend I love him more than anything this is all my fault i don't want to lose him. Everyone told me not to get a Jackson because he would die just like everyone else's. He's so strong and to die now from my neglect would absolutely kill me. I can't afford a vet, I can't take him anywhere

Today doesn't seem like a good day for chameleons.

I had a lot of trouble understanding what you wrote. I understand you were in a panic. Here is what I think happened. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You left your chameleon unattended in a bathtub full of deep water with the drain open. Your chameleon ended up at the bottom of the water, pulled under by the draining water.

You found your chameleon almost dead and then compressed his chest, trying to expel water from his lungs and then blew air into his lungs at which point, he coughed and bit you.

Is that all that happened?

If he has water in his lungs, there is a possibility that his lungs will have an immune response to the water and basically fill up with fluids. I believe the treatment is a diuretic (Lasix) but you say you don't have the money for a vet visit. (I know this because when I was giving medication to a favorite hen, she vomited and aspirated. She was in severe respiratory distress about 8 hours after the incident. Yes, I saved her to the tune of $200)

There might be brain damage. He might have respiratory failure/infection later. I suggest you keep him as cold as possible, so no heat lamp. Some of the latest research is finding cold preserves the brain longer when it has been deprived of oxygen. I can't imagine it would hurt.

Brain damage takes time to recover from and how he is immediately after the assault to the brain may not be how he is in a month or six months. Most animals, people included, need very little of their brain to function.

Good luck.

 

[Millz&Jukka]

I'm not sure, i'd see if any local reptile centers or shops near you will help out. I'm thinking of him<3

 

[Rationality]

Today doesn't seem like a good day for chameleons.

I had a lot of trouble understanding what you wrote. I understand you were in a panic. Here is what I think happened. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You left your chameleon unattended in a bathtub full of deep water with the drain open. Your chameleon ended up at the bottom of the water, pulled under by the draining water.

You found your chameleon almost dead and then compressed his chest, trying to expel water from his lungs and then blew air into his lungs at which point, he coughed and bit you.

Is that all that happened?

If he has water in his lungs, there is a possibility that his lungs will have an immune response to the water and basically fill up with fluids. I believe the treatment is a diuretic (Lasix) but you say you don't have the money for a vet visit. (I know this because when I was giving medication to a favorite hen, she vomited and aspirated. She was in severe respiratory distress about 8 hours after the incident. Yes, I saved her to the tune of $200)

There might be brain damage. He might have respiratory failure/infection later. I suggest you keep him as cold as possible, so no heat lamp. Some of the latest research is finding cold preserves the brain longer when it has been deprived of oxygen. I can't imagine it would hurt.

Brain damage takes time to recover from and how he is immediately after the assault to the brain may not be how he is in a month or six months. Most animals, people included, need very little of their brain to function.

Good luck.

Part of me is thinking the water may have been to hot causing him to seize up then swallowing the water.
I really hope so. I'm keeping him on the bottom levels of his cage because he can't physically hold the vines. I turned my light off thank you. His color seems normal. I hand fed him two crickets he ate them but no tongue lash at all, just had to shove it in his mouth.
He starting to use his front right claw to grasp but refuses to use other limbs. Thank you for your help. Nothing can relieve me at this point but seeing him back to normal.

 

[Millz&Jukka]

Best wishes

 

[JaniP]

I think you are going to do more damage than good by forcing bugs in to his mouth right now. Getting him to eat is not the first priority here.

Honestly an hour away is not far enough to be an excuse IMO... could you perhaps contact that vet, maybe they would allow a payment plan? He needs to see one.

 

[wavingsnail]

Part of me is thinking the water may have been to hot causing him to seize up then swallowing the water.

Have any of the mods run an IP check on some of these more dramatic recent health clinic posts? They all share similar posting styles. It would actually be a relief if this was just a trolling attempt.

As far as the message I've quoted, I'm absolutely dumb founded at the idea of leaving a chameleon unattended in such a situation, let alone one where the water is so hot it could potentially damage the animal.

I'm sorry about what happened, but considering how bizarre and preventable the whole ordeal was, I'm also fairly frustrated.

 

[JaniP]

Have any of the mods run an IP check on some of these more dramatic recent health clinic posts? They all share similar posting styles. It would actually be a relief if this was just a trolling attempt.

As far as the message I've quoted, I'm absolutely dumb founded at the idea of leaving a chameleon unattended in such a situation, let alone one where the water is so hot it could potentially damage the animal.

I'm sorry about what happened, but considering how bizarre and preventable the whole ordeal was, I'm also fairly frustrated.

Excellent point... a troll party would make sense here.