Pokey- Temporal Gland Infection? (pic. heavy)

[LBonawitz]

i zoomed in on one picture and colored all of the swollen/inflamed area red

his normal vet has only one opening for 4 PM, or i can go sit in there and wait for something to open maybe sooner. but Annie's vet opens at 9, i'm going to call her and see whats available there. i know the two offices ARE willing to fax/share information. (Update: Annie's vet not available until Friday)


UPDATE: he just ate a cricket thismorning as if nothing was wrong. no hesitation when chewing.

and him trying to sleep last night

 

[toddmkeller]

Are you sure it is infected? It looks more to me like it is a buildup of the waxy residue that the gland excretes. You can try to get him to hold his mouth open and work the residue out with a q-tip. Its worth a try...

Good Luck,

Todd

 

[LBonawitz]

like warm, wet Q-Tip? try to loosen some debris?

shoot, i'll give anything a try.

 

[Jonas]

Is the forearm shown in the picture swollen too, or is it just the picture?

 

[AJA]

Laura, what makes you think it is a temporal gland infection?

I had a Uromastyx with that 'gunk' in his mouth and I just applied neosporin to it, and after a bit it went away. Perhaps Pokey just got a piece of bug caught in his mouth and it has festered.

Would be interested in hearing what the vet has to say. I hope he gets better soon, Gumby still wants him!

 

[LBonawitz]

Is the forearm shown in the picture swollen too, or is it just the picture?

his arms aren't swollen, hes just a tough man. his has "big strong arms" i always tell him

 

[LBonawitz]

Laura, what makes you think it is a temporal gland infection?

I had a Uromastyx with that 'gunk' in his mouth and I just applied neosporin to it, and after a bit it went away. Perhaps Pokey just got a piece of bug caught in his mouth and it has festered.

Would be interested in hearing what the vet has to say. I hope he gets better soon, Gumby still wants him!

i think it is so cute you named her gumby!

Chris Anderson thinks very strongly it is a temporal gland infection. the emergency vet i took him to yesterday (Sunday) said it was an abcess. i honestly have no idea. i'm going with whatever anybody else thinks. Chris really seems to know his stuff, and the vet i took him to admitted she never sees chameleons, but she knows a little bit about them. so at this point, i'm listening to Anderson. The vet gave me some oral Baytril to give him. i really hope its not as serious as a temporal gland infection. (thats me looking up in prayer, not rolling my eyes)

 

[LBonawitz]

Are you sure it is infected? It looks more to me like it is a buildup of the waxy residue that the gland excretes. You can try to get him to hold his mouth open and work the residue out with a q-tip. Its worth a try...

Good Luck,

Todd

AFTER:

hims is mad at meee.....

the inside is still very swollen, and there is a chunk that looks like chicken fat, i tried to get it off as well but i wouldn't move.

the biggest chunk that came off. there was a 2nd about half this size.

 

[toddmkeller]

I hope that will clear it all up!

See ya,

Todd

 

[TeknoTwinky]

jeeesh thats nasty! Hope he comes too! BTW Is it common to have a wobbley horn formation or where they always like that?

 

[LBonawitz]

jeeesh thats nasty! Hope he comes too! BTW Is it common to have a wobbley horn formation or where they always like that?

i was told that stress causes their horns to grow different. you can see at the tips of his horns there is a curve. thats about the time i got him. it was probably the stress of moving caused them to grow funny for a while, now their okay. Although he'll probably get another kink in his horns from all of this attention.

 

[luevelvet]

I see how people could think of it being the typical waxy shed that occurs in most chameleons but the swelling was a sign of it swinging the other way. Now that the abscess has been removed be sure to keep an eye on it. I've seen temporal gland infections quickly reach into their throats and prevent them from eating. If he continues to show signs of of swelling (in the same region or the throat) or begins to loose interest in any food, I would make another vet appointment.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Luis

 

[AJA]

Luis
What causes a temporal gland infection? Isn't Pokey washing behind his lobes?

 

[luevelvet]

Well, there a few things really. Any little abrasion in the mouth can lead to an infection that can spread. Excessively wet conditions in the enclosure can present a greater population of bacteria than would normally be present. The list goes on...

Luis

 

[LBonawitz]

just got back from his normal vet. she said abcess. its too small to lance and drain but watch for any more to pop up anywhere in his body. the culture/sensitivity test will be back in a week. finish out the Baytril the emergency vet gave me. its won't clear the whole infection up but it might help a little. she wants to find out what bacteria we are fighting before she perscribes any meds.


i'm off to catch my last class of the day. i hope the freeway isn't too backed up. 405 is always a nightmare...

 

[Chigimonky]

This is definately an infection. My Rudis got an upper respiratory infection after I went out of town for 6 days and left him with a friend to take care of. He was doing his best but didnt know he sprayed way too much and made it way too moist and warm. Sure enough I get back and hes weezing and his bottom lip was sticking out just like yours. It looked like somebody punched him and he had a fat lip. Whenever he would open his mouth, you could see the yellow abcess and a little red dot in the middle. After a few days the abcess was so big, but then one morning I went in and it was gone. Maybe he swallowed it? But it spread to his eye and it looked exactly like your guys. Anyways, a month later he has no sign of a swollen mouth but the eye is still swollen. His respiratoy infection is gone without any medicine, just tlc. Hes just too young (3 months) to give him strong antibiotics. If mine was as big as yours I would definately get some antibiotics

 

[slowfoot]

I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted to say that I'm thinking good thoughts for Pokey. He's one of the cutest chams I've seen and I really hope he gets better soon.

 

[Jonas]

Is it possible you guys have a totally different bacterial flora in America? All these infections ore totally alien to me, I have never seen so much problems. In 15 years I have never had any reptile with these types of infections and rarely seen it at all in general.

I hate to think I have been lucky and you have been unlucky (its too random for my taste), so I am seriously starting to wonder if there is something in the water, or what?

 

[LBonawitz]

Is it possible you guys have a totally different bacterial flora in America? All these infections ore totally alien to me, I have never seen so much problems. In 15 years I have never had any reptile with these types of infections and rarely seen it at all in general.

I hate to think I have been lucky and you have been unlucky (its too random for my taste), so I am seriously starting to wonder if there is something in the water, or what?

hahaha! ya fluoride

"The US Public Health Service has stated that fluoride makes the bones more brittle and the dental enamel more porous."

"fluoride is more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It is a cumulative poison that accumulates in bone over the years. According to the Physicians Desk Reference, "in hypersensitive individuals, fluorides occasionally cause skin eruptions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, or urticaria. Gastric distress, headache, and weakness have also been reported. "

 

[Jonas]

Fluoride?

Who talked about that? I know I didn't, so now im confused.

EDIT: Aha, "in the water"... Now I get it... Well We get it here too then I guess.