If u have a regular straw at home,u can start using it instead of a dripper,liquidify food will be the choice as long he can start drinking,other than that,the basking spot light will only put him in more dehydrated state,time is now to let him taste the water drips,as every hour or as often you can give him,once he start drinking,then you can diluted the liquid food into his mouth drops by drops....may God be with him n your side!!
Rescued Veiled Dehydrated and Barely Hanging On - See Pictures
- Thread starter Zeus85
- Start date
Thank you for your reply. I agree, people can be so willfully ignorant and irresponsible beyond belief. Who thinks a cham is a good pet for a 9 and 5 year old? I'm an adult and was apprehensive of taking on such a delicate animal, but just leaving him there was NOT an option for us. They don't care what happens to him and they had him for three months. WE have had him for three days and can barely sleep because we are so worried about him; he is already part of the family. Losing him would devastate us; we are emotionally invested in him at this point.
We thought of taking him outside, even picked up an exo terra hanging mesh cage, just wasn't sure if he would tolerate the stress since he has never been outside. If we can get some water in him tomorrow, I'll definitely walk him around the yard for a few minutes. Thank you for the well wishes.
So sorry for your loss, losing a member of the family is never easy. It is so easy to grow attached to them, even if a short period of time. Thank you for the support, it is much appreciated.
Never thought of it that way, thanks for the info. Will definitely aim for luke warm.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
I hope he makes it! Where do you guys live???
brittbritt
Member
I wanted to thank you and your family for taking in this neglected little soul. I have a great respect for those who help the creatures who have no voice of their own.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would be looking for a new vet if I were you. To treat such a severely compromised chameleon for pin worms shows very very poor judgement. You should never treat a chameleon with drugs that is dehydrated--they need to be stabilized first. His biggest problem is not pin worms, it is dehydration.
Didn't the vet give subcutaneous fluids? That is the first issue to deal with. An animal as dehydrated as this one will have a lot of trouble getting fluid from his digestive tract. Do not feed him until he is hydrated.
I cannot imagine how a vet could diagnose neurological symptoms of anything with an animal on death's doorstep. Find a new vet.
I do not see a good outcome for this animal, even if he survives this initial crisis as he probably has irreparable kidney damage, a leading cause of death of captive chameleons.
Unfortunately this world is full of people who view animals as disposable, and your family seems to have a few in their midst.
I thought it was strange that the vet treated the pin worms, but I defered to his professional judgment as I'm not experienced with chams. He didn't give any subcutaneous fluids. I had to ask for the nutrition supplement. I am almost certain I found his name on one of these forums, Dr. Bruce Bogoslavsky.Guess I'll need to look for another vet.
Gonna call around and see who else I can find, but I think at this point another trip to the vet would do more harm than good. I really appreciate your honesty. I lost all respect for the family members in question. I value animals more than humans most times, so I share your sentiment.
KLowery88
Avid Member
The name does sound familiar. I'm not sure if he's on the forums but he is part of a chameleon Facebook group. Very strange that he didn't give fluids to the poor little guy. Are you in the Central Florida area? @jannb might have a vet recommendation since I believe she's in the same area.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Dr. Bruce is one of the vets that I often recommend for chameleons. Most have been pleased with him. Another vet that sees chameleons in the Orlando area is Dr. Diaz.
http://lakehowellanimalclinic.com/about-us/meet-your-veterinarians/dr.-orlando-diaz-figueroa.html
http://lakehowellanimalclinic.com/about-us/meet-your-veterinarians/dr.-orlando-diaz-figueroa.html
No matter what Vet u bring him to see,he will still need water in his system as soon you brought him home,Vet is not a magician,for him to become like this , he must suffer lots loss of drinking time,if not weeks..months,and it will take as much as long time to be back into his normal healthy body or that may never happen,and I will hate to say this,if he is not start drinking on his own or have water hour by hour by assistance,it wont do him any good....he is just too far gone by all means.
Tried to contact Diaz, but never got back to us. Taking him to a vet on the other side of town in the next few minutes. He drank some water today, but came home after work and found him on the floor of cage pretty much lifeless. This is what I came home to.
I'm hoping they give him fluids and they said one of the vet techs can take him home if hospitalization is necessary. I don't want him to suffer and he just seems so miserable. Hate the idea of putting him to sleep, but lets see what the Dr. at Underhill Animal Hospital says.
Me too, he seems to have some fight left in him, he is climbing the side of the cage as we drove to the vets office. Afraid he might fall, but on the highway in rush hour traffic and can't pull over.
xraygirl
Established Member
Oh my goodness I hope this little soul pulls through! This stuff absolutely breaks my heart.... I just don't understand how people can look at a animal like that and think that it's healthy!! Please keep us updated. Poor little guy. 
It might be better to transport him in a small box with tall sides, with a thick towel at the bottom with a branch stuck down into it for him to (possibly) grip to. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him!!!!
It might be better to transport him in a small box with tall sides, with a thick towel at the bottom with a branch stuck down into it for him to (possibly) grip to. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him!!!!I want to thank everyone for their outpouring of support and well wishes. Unfortunately, he didn't make the trip to the vet
. A mile from the office he went on his side and stopped breathing. My girl and I are absolutely devastated; we cried all the way home. I have lost any bit of respect I had for my step son and his wife. My heart physically aches and we only had him for 4 days; they had him for three damn months and couldn't care less. What pisses me off the most is that these people won't lose a wink of sleep while I can't even bare the thought of having to bury him. People really suck sometimes. I've never felt so angry and sad at the same time in my entire life; this creature's suffering was completely unnecessary. To any potential Cham owners reading this forum, I implore you to do your research and be aware that these are not easy to care for pets. Do your research and be prepared to invest the time and resources necessary to provide the proper care. If you want a reptile, start off with a bearded dragon instead or steer clear or reptiles all together if you cannot provide the proper care.
