Stanley's trip to the vet with a dangling leg..

[lisagr07]

After 6ish weeks of basking and dangling his left front leg I decided it was time for some medical intervention. He has no trouble using it to climb, there may be a bit of weakness with the grip in it though...
Here he is dangling it..

The vet did a hands on exam of him and decided nothing was broken, maybe just had been torqued causing muscle trama...
They drew blood and did a fecal on him.
The fecal came back positive for pinworms.. He said to give him Panacur for 3 days, then repeat in 2 weeks. Since I have 2 other chams, that I rotate in the outside cages, that more than likely the other 2 should be treated also... Pinworms can be contracted through feeders and through feces of other infected chams..

Here are the blood results...

With the elevated AST and CK he suspected some type of muscular trama.... Prescribed Metacam every other day for pain "as need" , I guess as long as he continues favoring the leg...

Anyone have anything to add or comment on???
Thanks a lot,,, Lisa

 

[jannb]

I'm glad to hear that it was nothing serious with Stanley. I hope that sweet little man is back to 100% real soon. I need to come and see him and you again.

 

[Miss Lily]

My dear old Tommy had Metacam for his arthritic arm, bless him. It was the only time I got him to eat every day when I injected his food with the meds! Apparently, it is quite sweet tasting. (I took the vet's word for it, lol!)

 

[lisagr07]

I'm glad to hear that it was nothing serious with Stanley. I hope that sweet little man is back to 100% real soon. I need to come and see him and you again.

Thanks Jann, I hope he gets over this also!!
Yes you do, yall are more than welcome anytime!!!!

 

[lisagr07]

My dear old Tommy had Metacam for his arthritic arm, bless him. It was the only time I got him to eat every day when I injected his food with the meds! Apparently, it is quite sweet tasting. (I took the vet's word for it, lol!)

What symptoms was Tommy showing?? So you injected it into the feeder, now that's a great idea! I made a huge mess trying to open up his mouth....

 

[Decadancin]

Lisa,

I hope Stanley feels better soon. I know he is in great care . Give him an extra treat from me and I would also prescribe some extra love and attention . Hope the meds help with any discomfort he may be dealing with. Keep us informed how he is doing!!!

 

[Miss Lily]

Lisa, here's a couple of links to what went on with Tommy - it was my vet's suggestion to inject the feeders. As Tommy wasn't a great eater, I used to give him one locust a day that was injected with Metacam into one of the abdomen segments.

This is how it all started: https://www.chameleonforums.com/foot-problem-tommy-44937/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/tommys-vet-visit-47247/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/tommys-diagnosis-47326/

 

[lisagr07]

Lisa,

I hope Stanley feels better soon. I know he is in great care . Give him an extra treat from me and I would also prescribe some extra love and attention . Hope the meds help with any discomfort he may be dealing with. Keep us informed how he is doing!!!

Thank you sooo much Michael!! Stanley is already spoiled rotten and gets all of the treats he wants!!! But I bet he'll accept a few more from you!! ;-)
This is the first time I've had to treat him for anything, he's been such s pleasure and super easy to care for! Hoping the mess work also!!!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

With the elevated AST and CK he suspected some type of muscular trama.... Prescribed Metacam every other day for pain "as need" , I guess as long as he continues favoring the leg...

Stopping in to add my 2 cents. That sounds reasonable to me based on the results. Uric acid is low, making suspicion of gout or renal failure less likely. Calcium to phosphorus ratio is about 2:1 which is exactly where you expect to see it in a healthy male so that makes renal disease (and MBD, not that we were worried about that) less likely. AST can also be an indicator for liver disease in addition to muscle. Something to keep in mind but given the clinical picture I'd be more concerned about muscle. Hopefully he's feeling better on metacam now?

 

[lisagr07]

Stopping in to add my 2 cents. That sounds reasonable to me based on the results. Uric acid is low, making suspicion of gout or renal failure less likely. Calcium to phosphorus ratio is about 2:1 which is exactly where you expect to see it in a healthy male so that makes renal disease (and MBD, not that we were worried about that) less likely. AST can also be an indicator for liver disease in addition to muscle. Something to keep in mind but given the clinical picture I'd be more concerned about muscle. Hopefully he's feeling better on metacam now?

Hey Dayna! Thank you so much for chiming in, I really appreciate your opinion!
It's been 3 weeks now since his vet visit. He's getting 0.1 ml of Metacam every other day. I can't say that I really see any improvement. He uses the leg and foot no problem when he climbs around but still lets it hang down when basking... He does use it to grip with when he sleeps...

I'm not really sure what to do next..... maybe increase the Metacam to every day, the vet said that would be ok, and just give him some more time. Not sure that there's anything else I can do.

 

[LoosePin15]

Hey Lisa, you mind me asking the vet's name? I live in the area and would like to have a reference just in case. And good luck with Stanley!

 

[lisagr07]

Hey Lisa, you mind me asking the vet's name? I live in the area and would like to have a reference just in case. And good luck with Stanley!

Hey Matt,, sorry for the delay in replying.... Damn work!!! ;-)
I took Stanley to Dr. David Hannon @ Memphis Veterinary Specalists in Cordova...
Another good vet is Dr. Shannon McGee in Collierville.... I have been to both and feel comfortable with their care of my guys!

 

[LoosePin15]

Work sucks, and thanks for the info! Both docs are really close to me, so it's good to know there are a couple options.

Stanley getting better?

 

[lisagr07]

Work sucks, and thanks for the info! Both docs are really close to me, so it's good to know there are a couple options.

Stanley getting better?

Sure no problem! It's always good to know of a couple, I like them both!

Stanley still lets his leg hang when basking but doesn't seem to have any problem using it to get around. I'm still giving him Metacam but not sure it's helping... May be an old age related thing, it's just going to be...
But I do appreciate you asking about him!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[LoosePin15]

Sure no problem! It's always good to know of a couple, I like them both!

Stanley still lets his leg hang when basking but doesn't seem to have any problem using it to get around. I'm still giving him Metacam but not sure it's helping... May be an old age related thing, it's just going to be...
But I do appreciate you asking about him!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

At least he is getting the best care possible. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery soon.

And thanks! We're on vacation this week, so have someone watching my boy. A little nervous, but I trust her, so not too worried.

Keep us posted on Stanley.

 

[lisagr07]

At least he is getting the best care possible. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery soon.

And thanks! We're on vacation this week, so have someone watching my boy. A little nervous, but I trust her, so not too worried.

Keep us posted on Stanley.

Thanks Matt!
Hope you guys have a great trip, I'm sure your boy will be just fine!!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Stanley still lets his leg hang when basking but doesn't seem to have any problem using it to get around. I'm still giving him Metacam but not sure it's helping... May be an old age related thing, it's just going to be...

Unfortunately this can be the case with arthritis. My older guy Oscar dangled first just a leg or two and then eventually would just lay on his branch trying to not put any weight on any legs. I ended up putting hammocks in his cage to keep him comfortable. On the metacam initially it would make a difference for him but eventually I didn't see much effect with it. I would start with every day dosing first and see if that helps at all. There is an injectable joint supplement used in dogs and cats that some reptile vets have been using in reptiles as well. I used it on Oscar and felt like it did help, at least at first.