Swollen Foot!? (W.C. senegal)

[Larsa]

Hi yall. Just last week ago I noticed Espio's left front foot has started to swell up a little bit. I see him struggle to climb with that foot and he does not even move it. When he rests, he sleeps with his arm out so he can rest his hand. I can tell he is in pain and I set up a vet appointment next week. I am scared it is an infection, fungal problem, cancer, or MBD there is a weird dark spot on his "wrist" and it looked like a thermal burn, so I turned his light down maybe 10F He still drinks and eat, but im worried about his lil foot and I'd like him to get better. Although I love having a cham, my man shouldnt have bought him so I feel so bad for him and all I wanna do is help him. Does anyone know what this is so I can have a better idea what to tell the vet? Here are some photos and info:


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Espio the male Senegal Chameleon -W.C., juvenile/young adult, 3.5 inches not including the tail, weighs 11 grams.
Handling - Almost never because he is shy. Boyfriend sometimes picks him up to manually hand feed him.
Feeding - Small crickets, house flies, small waxworms ( crushes head before eating! ) Usually up to 3 food items every other day, lightly dusted in calcium supplement without d3.
Supplements - Flukers calcium w. Vitamin D3- phosphorus free dusting powder once a month; Every 2.5 weeks I give him his Herpevite mixed with some calcium without d3 -phosphorus; Repti Cal calcium powder without d3 for regular feeding.
Watering - Mist 10 mins a day, Humidifier makes condensation on plant leaves, Little Dripper. He drinks a lot of water but cant stand getting his body wet. I always see him drink.
Fecal Description - Urate: totally white, no orange. Feces: wet/slimy but solid, brown.
History - BF impulsively ordered him online from Reptile City, he is wild caught and imported from Africa, still young, accidentally sprayed him with water one time which made him flare. He is kinda shy. Took him to the vet a few weeks ago and he received an antibiotic. Vet said he had no visible parasites, healthy gums, no blockage, and the small bumps on him could be a deformity. The vet said because of the cold weather, he went into a brumation state which is why he wasnt eating. He is still in that stage now, and to get him to eat I drip warm water on his nose-he licks it up, and I put a small, lightly dusted cricket in his mouth.

Cage Info:
Cage Type -Tall mesh screen cage 18x18x24
Lighting - Reptisun UVB/UVA light, ZooMed Basking light BOTH ON TIMERS on 8am-8pm
Temperature - TERRARIUM: Petco Thermometer says 75F-80F average in terrarium, basking spot is 85F and is almost 6.5 inches away from basking light itself. For his cooling spots he climbs in the umbrella trees in the shady corner, where he likes to drink water. IN WHOLE APT: average temp stays around 54F-78F
Humidity - Main humidity is caused by a Safety 1st Infant humidifier. TERRARIUM: Petco hydrometer says humidity is anywhere from moderate to tropical 50%-75% depending where we aim the humidifier. IN WHOLE APT: average humidity stays about 54-62%
Plants - Live-yes. 3 umbrella trees ( He LOVES them a LOT! ) and a small pothos. We also have a few plastic dangly vine plants in the corners. He has a lot of dried up thick sticks that he climbs which do not have any fungus growth on them. He does have a thin layer of coconut husk bedding because it promotes less fungal growth on the sticks.
Placement - It is located in my living room on top of a semi-tall cubical dresser. The bottom of his terrarium starts about 48 inches from the floor.
Location - Northeast Texas- dry winter season.


***PHOTOS***

His RIGHT foot is his healthy, normal one. His LEFT foot is the one I am worried about!!! ***I had to hold him to get a pic of his good foot.

 

[carol5208]

I don't think it is MBD.Usually the elbows are curved and it usually effects all the limbs and not just one.. It looks like maybe an infection at the site of the where the nail is and it may have traveled up into the leg. Sometimes gout can cause the limbs to swell. that is just a possibility.

 

[thephotoprincess]

why did the vet give him an antibiotic?

I've dealt with a lot of WC animals with foot infections. If that is what this is it will need to be cleaned out and he will need a course of antibiotics. We have found that injections of antibiotics work better than oral antibiotics.

 

[Larsa]

he gave him an antibiotic in case he was already sick-just in case kinda thing. It was a small dose though, very small. I hope his foot doesnt get end up needed amputated!

 

[thephotoprincess]

he gave him an antibiotic in case he was already sick-just in case kinda thing. It was a small dose though, very small. I hope his foot doesnt get end up needed amputated!

I'm not sure that one small dose of an antibiotic would do much if he was sick.

If you are unsure what the problem with his foot is or how to care for it you should get it looked at by a vet who has chameleon experience.

 

[Larsa]

Ok so I went to the vet a few days ago, and she diagnosed his foot issue as a bacterial infection. She said the bacteria has slowly made its way up to his wrist. She gave him an antibiotic called gentamicin and every 3 days he has to get that shot of 0.01cc for 3 weeks. She said she didnt want to try to drain his foot just yet, because there isnt enough build-up for puss. I told her he absolutely cant get him to eat anything and its been 6 days so she said to pull open his mouth gently and try to feed him some organic chicken baby food for newborns. 2 days ago I got him to eat 2 teenee crickets with his multivitamin/calcium without d3 ( he gets this every 2.5 weeks and it was his time on the calendar) . Today he wouldn't eat ANYTHING after 2 hours of desperately trying-my water drip on the nose trick didnt work this time. I felt bad for doing this, but I opened his lip a little bit and put a dab ( seriously, a tiny bit!) of baby food on his mouth and he started licking it for like 5 minutes straight lol. Poor guy, I dont think he liked the taste If he has to keep eating the baby food as a last resort, should I sprinkle some of his regular feeding powder on his food???

*** BTW my vet graduated from University of Texas and is a very nice herp vet! She has experience with all kinds of reptiles and yes, chameleons too- in fact there was another guy before me with a veiled chameleon that went to see her.

Espio is still drinking a LOT of water :/ but when i try the water drop trick, he starts licking only when im not looking, that lil sneaky butt

 

[Larsa]

Hi everyone, im back :/ I have some kinda sad and disturbing news...espio is alive but he has slept over a full 24 hours. My spouse even tried spraying his plants ( that usually gets him going for some water ) He hasnt pooped in over 6 days, and he wont even move at all but is alive. He has been sleeping under his basking spot all day waking up a couple of times then going back to sleep. Called her up earlier asking if the antiboitic could make animals sleepy which is a negative.

I really think he is in so much pain, just about 15 mins ago or so, my spouse ran him over to the vet. He told me I couldnt go with him because I work tonite and he doesnt want me staying up late. I am very very scared that I will not be seeing him return home with our little espio. He might have to get his left arm amputated or he will more than likely be put to sleep if he isnt improving This isnt fair at all to the chameleon. Poor espio was cham-napped from his home in Africa, stored in a local reptile storage for online shopping, put in a tiny arse box for 3 days, and now he is super sick and might die. It makes me sad he is only 8 months old :/ he has so much to live for! Not even my 12 yr old iguana or any other reptile I have had had problems like this before they passed.

Did I do something wrong to the chameleon in order for him to get this bacterial infection? I can show pictures of his set-up. I almost never handle him, his terrarium is nice and tidy, his temp, humidity, and insects are all perfectly fine. My vet said my supplement schedule was on track, and I leave him alone unless he wants out to climb on his favorite bamboo plant where he can bask in natural sunlight. I hope there isnt horrifying news after the vet visit. Poor lil guy. Please wish espio the best of luck. He is such a sweet innocent cham and doesnt deserve any of this pain.

 

[froggielog]

Oh poor dear! I'll pray for you and your little guy
Btw: what was your herp vet called? I live in Texas and i need to find a good one

 

[xeonic]

Sorry to hear all this. I would force feed at this point with supplements. He can't fight this infection if he isn't eating. I would also hydrate him. Use a syringe and follow these instructions. I recommended you use a 50/50 mix of water and Pedialyte.

Dehydration and Solutions

 

[kinyonga]

The area should have been cleaned out. Pus in chameleons is thick and can't be penetrated by antibiotics as a rule...so eventually the infection will likely go systemic.

 

[Larsa]

The area should have been cleaned out. Pus in chameleons is thick and can't be penetrated by antibiotics as a rule...so eventually the infection will likely go systemic.

I can explain why she didnt do that, and with a good reason. If they cut him open to clean it out, it would be terribly hard do so without killing him because of his small tiny size- 3 inches from mouth to vent! She said if they did that, it would likely kill him much faster and put him in even more intense pain because he wont be able to heal at all cuz he is so weak. If he was a larger species, then she would have done so but he is so darned tiny. According to her, we kinda caught the infection early which is kinda good. Im gonna go with what she says, because she is a professional and a very very good herp I trust her so much. She gave him an immune system booster shot and some nutrients. She said that we are doing the best possible for him without severely hurting him or over-stressing him to death ( literally ) by just having him have an antibiotic shot, dabbing his foot with tea tree oil, and force feeding him his food with a syringe ( she gave me a lot, lol ). The vet said he needs calories right away, she suggested wax worms and babyfood because he his rapidly loosing weight and she is worried. I am making sure his food is gut-loaded to the max!!! Poor chameleon... :/

Say he dies soon, can vets possibly cremate him for us? It would make a lovely keep sake to my spouse who has tried everything in his power to save him the past week, I framed a lovely picture of espio as a gift also to give him


Hey everyone, I need help "force feeding". I simply cannot make him eat, but I have been trying to open his mouth and he is so darned tiny i dont know how to do it without hurting him. He is being EXTREMELY stubborn im honestly kinda mad at him, LOL. Any time I drip water on his lip, he just sticks his nose way up in the air! Like "hmmmph, im not eating! YOU CANT MAKE ME >:C" I stuck a worm in his lip and that grumpy butt just let it sit sticking out of his mouth for like 2 hours!!! whadda a lil brat, it a tiny worm too. I eventually got him to start licking and then his wormy dropped! EERRGG. I am too scared to use the syringe and try to feed him baby food, I dont want it to sit in his gums if he doesnt lick it up. The last thing I want is for him to have rotting food in his mouth. How do you guys force feed?

 

[Larsa]

Hmmm this this morning he didnt move for like a while now. We really thought he was dead... until his tail moved. We went to the store and when we came back home he was sleeping in another spot. He isnt doing so well. I am massively depressed at work to where I cant concentrate on anything except him and how i have failed. He is going to pass soon, I can see it. His neck is also like kinda puffy/saggy which is weird. I am too scared it will hurt his neck if I try to feed him with the syringe again. I saw him poop yesterday, eww it looked like mustard, I hope that is caused by his medicine and not some kind of organ failure. He wont drink any water, he spits it out when I put it in his mouth, like he is just giving up. I dont know whether I should let him pass on his own in his sleep or take him to the vet and put him down. He is in such a bad condition, I am gonna try to save him the best I can but I know it wont be good enough. My vet said he probably caught this before my spouse bought him ( impulsively! ) which now he really regrets. He will more than likely be cremated for us when he eventually passes. Im so sorry everyone, Im failing. I am really trying my best, and I have been to the vet many many times this week. My vet said im doing the best I can for him, but im still so sorry and i tell Espio that all the time. I wish my spouse never bought him online, I can take care of iguanas, snakes, turtles, and a jillion other lizards, but I guess i am just no good with chams. Im trying to alk my spouse outta buying another cham ( he wants a carpet or flapneck cham next.....) I told him if he really wants a new cham, we should try a panther or veiled that is captive bred but he keeps wanting the wild caught specimen just because he wants a small cham. I really want to help this poor chameleon, my spouse really should have done more research before buying him. I have this sick cham in my living room right now, and i am trying so desprately to help him-its super stressful but this poor cham needs all the help he can get right now. Today I held him for the first time in a while, and he seemed to like it a little as he cuddled up on my hand and wrapped his tail around me. I can tell he was weak and stressed, so I just put him back to rest. I want him to know deeply I am here for him, and my spouse is too helping me take care of him. It will be a huge darned miracle of the century if this cham survives.

Please wish Espio the best of luck and hope that if he passes soon, he passes painlessly.



this one was taken yesterday

Today, 3-31-12 From Sleepy to Wakey ( accidently woke him up )

 

[Captive Creations]

I am really sorry to hear about your cham. he doesn't look good at all. When my cham was sick we tried Showers, soaking (they can absorb water threw their bum) just some suggestions if you haven't tried them yet. it sucks having a sick reptile. I really hope for the best. I would have to agree with you if you guys are going to get another chameleon you should get a veiled or panther as you said veiled's can be the most forgiving. also wild caught chams are best for very experience chameleon keeper. I would recommend getting a captive bred one when you are ready. W C chameleons are alot more work as they usually come with health issues that need to be addressed before hand. buying from a breeder like some of our site sponsors are usually in good health and usually offer advice and step by step guides on caring for your new chameleon. Chameleons are imo one of the hardest reptiles to care for. They take a lot more knowledge and care that most reptiles. Good luck and keep us posted on your little guy. I hope he pulls threw for you!

 

[kinyonga]

Linzeecooperpanther said...."they can absorb water threw their bum"...I would love to see an article about this....do you have a link to one?

 

[Larsa]

he pooped out what looks exactly like mustard. I know thats not good! I dont know if he is dehydrated or if its caused from his shots. His scales feel a little stiff he but he isnt dead. Last night He fell off of his tree when he was asleep, I picked him up and put his in a secure spot on his cork tree. He is barley hanging on but still with us...

 

[Larsa]

ok, just now he did something SO weird... I found him asleep on the bottom of his home again, and he was dark dark brown. I immediately moved him on his tree hnear his basking spot so he could get warm. We saw him stick his tail straight in the air and he kept gaping his mouth really big and then closing it almost liek he was too hot. My spouse sprayed him down to cool him off and to get a drink. He is sleeping under his basking spot now and he is completely black but has a couple of green spots on his tail. Spouse told me to stay away from him the rest of the day and go onto the cham forums. How much longer do you guys think he has? I want to cover his terrarium up soon so he can die feeling hidden.

 

[raphael14]

I do not know if this helps but has kept mine alive,

As you know your senegal may be wild caught, so there's a lot a of thing you need to do, take it if you can for a tool check and treat the parasites, the vet probably tell you that the swollen leg may be MBD(wrong) or it may tell you that is gout not much you can do, but a lot of good showers may help the swollen go down a little just keep on eye on it that doesn't get worse.

This is Rango (wrongly named) it's been with me almost a year now, when a lot of people told me it wouldn't last a month, wild caught, lot of parasites, burns from bad husbandry no supplements, here are couple pics from last month, look at the right leg for the swollen.

 

[Larsa]

^ thank you Rangos foot looks just like my cham's swollen foot, was Rango's problem also a bacterial infection? I would love to get a stool sample taken, but he really hasnt pooped except for that nasty mustard stuff a few days ago, but it was all liquidy and dried up. I cant take him into my shower as he has already crawled into a dark secluded spot at the bottom back of his reptarium for him to go on. Sadly, he is getting ready to pass on and I wont bother him anymore. He is almost solid black right now with a few green spots. He is actually way darker than a few hours before. Its so darned sad seeing him like this. =(

 

[Larsa]

Espio is dead... He was such a sweet little boy, and i miss him so much already. As soon as my vet office opens, I will see if I can have him cremated.

 

[Larsa]

I took him to my vet and we got him cremated-I asked to keep the ashes =') I am gonna put them in a gorgeous box next to his framed picture