Subcutaneous Worms

[cchipouras]

Hello all,

I have a (I think) one year old Panther chameleon. I've had many chameleons in the past and noticed something unusual on Paulo early this week. To me it looks like the sub q worms. I took him to my local vet who didn't find any. To me, it's blatantly obvious. Let me know what you think! I called to schedule an appointment with a reptile vet but he can only get in next Wednesday. Will my Cham make it until then? Should I pay extra for the emergency visit? I'm kicking myself for even wasting time at the local vet.

 

[cchipouras]

Continued.

I should add, the vet made the incision in between the "worms", not on them and then tried to grab the worms through the incision. However everything I've read online says to make the incision ON the worm. Could this be a reason he didn't find any?

 

[sharp229]

They do look a lot like subcutaneous worms. How long have they been there?

I'm glad you are getting him to a vet, and I hope someone with more experience will reply since I have not dealt with these personally.

 

[cchipouras]

Thank you for responding! I'm so worried. I first noticed them on Tuesday of this week. He saw the local vet Wednesday who was unable to find anything.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's not an emergency so you are fine to wait. Your panther must be wild caught as we do not have the vector that spreads these filarial worms in the US.

 

[cchipouras]

I was told he was a captive bred baby at the Baltimore Repticon this year. But thank you for letting me know it's not an emergency! I was very worried for him.