Process of Healing Thermal Burn?

koomer

New Member
Hello! Around a week or so ago, my female chameleon got a thermal burn along her casque and back. I was able to take her to the vet and was prescribed Silvadene ointment for the injury. Unfortunately, there any veterinarians in my town that know much about the care of exotic animals. And so, the vet didn't tell me how long it would take to heal, what the ointment actually did, what to expect, etc. I was wondering if there was anyone here who has cared for a thermal burn before and inform me on how long this process will take and what to expect. I'm also wondering if I should continue to apply the ointment to her daily. I will attach some photos of her. Thanks!

IMG_9989.jpg This is what the burn looked like the day it appeared.
IMG_9966.JPG This is what the burn looks like as of now (Apologies; I'm not great at taking pictures. The burns are a greyish color, and it looks like the grey might be peeling on her back?)
 
the tissue is still there once the tissue peels then apply the Silvadene, the grey area is basically dead tissue and will fall off
 
Basically, the Silvadene will protect the raw tissue from secondary infections, keep it protected from heat and drying (and, BTW, misting water) while it heals. Depending on how deep the damage goes, the dead tissue will start to slough away. Let it. If there's a lot of it and it starts hanging and annoying your cham you can carefully trim it away. A vet can do this for you (called debridement). Again, hard to tell how long healing will take, but it won't be quick. Chams heal slowly. The main thing is to watch for secondary infection and relieve pain. If the area starts swelling, oozing, and looking inflamed, there's an infection. I had a rescue melleri with a huge burn all the way down its back and tail. It did heal, but took months. Hard to say how much scarring will remain.
 
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