Tail, Infection?

[Pongo]

I have a pair of Veiled chameleons 14-16 weeks old. I have had them for almost a month now and they were both very healthy. Coloration/activity/appetite, all good. The male shed for the second time since I have had them and some of the skin did not come off of the tail. I misted and soaked the tail in warm water for a short time and the skin still didn't come off. A few days ago, the portion of the tail that had the skin clinging to it turned brown and possibly infected. The affected section is approx 1" long, and another smaller section about an inch away. the initial section is slightly smaller in diameter than the parts around it. My first thought was that the circulation had been cut off by the unshed portion of the skin, although the section of the tail below the brown part looks healthy. Today, the brown section has a strange curve to it. it still moves, and is still used as a prehensile appendage, but I'm very worried about that section of the tail developing an infection, and/or bone disease. I will try to get a good enough quality picture of the tail and post it soon. If anyone has seen this before or might know what it is I would appreciate the help.

 

[Pongo]

after getting the picture, I can see the area better. it looks much worse than I originally thought... still looking for ideas

 

[dodolah]

i can't comment on anything be4 i see the photo for clarification.
take pics in different angles.
If possible, avoid blurry images.

oops.. by the time, i post the message, your pics come out..
in my opinion, that looks like its tail is being cut off from the blood circulation.
Any vet nearby?
I say you should go and have the vet examine his tail to avoid him developing further necrotic tissue.

i might be wrong though.. hopefully some other senior members can jump in and voice their opinion.

 

[Pongo]

I don't have a small animal vet anywhere in the area here. I'm going in to talk to my family vet (he is a large animal vet, knows little about reptiles) to try to find out where I can take him.

 

[christyo2o2]

i think there is a website you can go to that lists all the herp vets all around the country. Not sure what it is but im sure someone on here knows. But he def needs to see a vet.

 

[dodolah]

I don't have a small animal vet anywhere in the area here. I'm going in to talk to my family vet (he is a large animal vet, knows little about reptiles) to try to find out where I can take him.

what state are you located at?
I can help search for specialist nearby your area.
my worry is the longer your cham doesn't get the proper treatment (from someone that actually know how to care for them), the more it is necessary to amputate the tail.

 

[nightcrawler]

http://www.chameleonsonline.com/find-a-vet.php

for a vet.

 

[Pongo]

I live in Greenville, Ca........Northern Ca. A good 2 hours from a city and 1/2 hr from any type of vet at all. Closest Cities are Chico, Ca. and Reno, Nv. Roads are really icy so it might take hours to get to one of those cities.

 

[nightcrawler]

the question is would the health of your animal be worth a 2 hour 3 hour drive?

 

[Pongo]

Yes, and I am working on it. Could still use some ideas in the mean time.

 

[christyo2o2]

i would say try to keep it as clean as possible.. im not sure if there is a people ointment that you can use or not.

 

[nightcrawler]

to me it looks like it got "pinched" inbetween something. but i really dont know anything at all. you can try calling a vet on the list and maybe getting some idea over the phone. it wont be very good but it might give you an idea. they will still have to look at it tho.

you can clean it with a betadine solution.

 

[dodolah]

most of them are in the So Cal.. but there are some that are in North California
here you go:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/calif.shtml

if it is because of unshed skin, then a 45 minutes warm shower or soaking its tail in warm water would help.
lots of lots of misting.
humidity helps with shedding process.

 

[dectr6]

Is the old skin still on there? If so, you can wrap a warm wet rag around it for at least 15 minutes. I've done this on some very difficult areas on one of my veileds. A site that told me about doing this also stated that after the wet rag is removed to then put mineral oil on it and this will seal in the moisture and then you should be able to remove the dead skin easily. I didn't try the mineral oil because the skin came off after the wet rag treatment. Your going to have to get this off ASAP as the blood flow is being cut off and you will have to amputate the tail if you don't have to already. Infection could also cause it's death. Keep us updated please. David

 

[Pongo]

Thank you for the link. All are these vets over 5 hours away. I did find one in Chico, Ca (100 miles away) and I am hoping my local vet can get together with him so he doesn't have to go through the stress of all the travel. Will take him down the mountain in the AM if needed but too late in the day to get him there today.
I have soaked him and will do it again. His tail is now starting to curl, but still looks bad.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

To me, that looks like tail rot and it's looking pretty bad. That chameleon needs to see a vet asap. I'm pretty certain that tail needs to be amputated so that it doesn't spread all the way to the body. Wish you all the best with getting to the vet and your chameleons recovery.

P.S. They will adapt without their tail just like they do without the use of their tongues.

 

[Pongo]

For all those concerned...

Just an update on the situation. The little guys tail is on the mend, and still attached to his body! The skin on the tail failed to shed causing a bacterial buildup underneath the unshed portion. A small tear or puncture(probably from attempts to slough the skin) allowed the bacteria to enter the skin. I was able to stop the infection and the tail is healing! I began by sterilizing the whole area with hydrogen peroxide. Then took a small amount of mineral oil and microwaved it with a few drops of water to sterilize it. after it was sterilized I mixed with it a good amount of 'Wound RX'(Furazolidone) powder. this is a Chemotherapeutic powder made to prevent or stop infections of this nature. Making a thin paste I applied it to the tail 2x daily. the tail is now regaining flexibility and the open sores are healed over. It appears that he will recover. I believe the tail will have scar tissue in the areas that were affected but, barring a relapse of infection, no serious long term effects.

I will post some pictures as soon as I can get him in a good position without further stress.

Thank you to everyone that helped out!

 

[christyo2o2]

im glad to hear that he is doing better!