We just went though some sickness with our veiled (8 months old) and he is finally, after his last Doctor visit today, seems to be back to normal. It started about a month ago he seemed like he didn't have much energy and wasn't acting himself. Well a three weeks ago on a saturday night he seemed to go down hill quick. We took him Sunday morning to the "Tye Dyed Iguana" reptile store in O'Fallon, IL. to ask advice on what could be wrong and who to go see.
The vet they use was closed that day but they didn't think we should wait and recommend the animal emergency center in Collinsville IL. We had used them before for a puppy, so we new they were going to help. When we got there we were lucky that the reptile doctor happened to be in (they have a revolving staff of vets that work at other places in the St. Louis and metro east area). The doctor was able to see that he was a very dehydrated and very sick. Dr. Baebler gave him a antibiotic and a vitamin injection and put some fluids under his skin to help with hydration. She asked us to bring him to her at her regular place of work the next day, since they had an antibiotic that only needed to be injected once every 3 days instead of every day. We took him the next day to her and she gave him another shot of antibiotics and a de-wormer just in case (we didn't have stool sample). After some x-rays to make sure he didn't have a bowel impaction or lung issues, she showed us how to take disinfectant and clean around his mouth and sent him home with 6 more injections for us to give every 3 days.
He seemed to stay about the same health wise and just laid at the bottom of his cage. We moved the heat lamp down to where he was and spent the next week doing what the doctor told us. By the beginning of the second week, both eyes were sealed shut again and even with applying distilled water with Q-Tips we were unable to help unseal them. My wife called to set up a appointment with the doctor. It just so happened that Saturday, Dr. Baebler was going to be at the emergency center again so we took him back down to the Collinsville Animal Hospital and she cleaned gunk out of both eyes (you know its a lot when the doctor exclaims "I didn't think that much gunk could be in there") so we left that night with a little guy who can see and that seemed to be the turning point to getting better. The next (third) week we continued what the doctor told us and today I took him to his last doctor visit where he got a good bill of health. He is back to hunting and he has a very strong grip again. We learned a lot about chameleons this last week; and hope he stays that way.
Some things we learned:
1) Chameleons act like 2 year old children when trying to give them medicine (hold mouth and eyes closed tightly refusing to open)
2) When the chameleon has had enough of poking and probing, x-rays, etc. they turn a very interesting shade of black and would love to bite someone (he did give a Q-tip hell when he got tired of it. lol)
3) It takes a while for them to get sick; and just as long to get better.
We would really like to thank all those that helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The "Tyed Dyed Iguana" in O'Fallon, Illinois
The "Animal Emergency Center" in Collinsville, Illinois
And a Giant thanks to Dr. Megan Baebler and the staff at the "Bird Medicine and Surgery, Kersting Veterinary Hospital" in Chesterfield, Missouri
If Zelda the chameleon could talk, he would say thanks too!!!!!!!!!
The vet they use was closed that day but they didn't think we should wait and recommend the animal emergency center in Collinsville IL. We had used them before for a puppy, so we new they were going to help. When we got there we were lucky that the reptile doctor happened to be in (they have a revolving staff of vets that work at other places in the St. Louis and metro east area). The doctor was able to see that he was a very dehydrated and very sick. Dr. Baebler gave him a antibiotic and a vitamin injection and put some fluids under his skin to help with hydration. She asked us to bring him to her at her regular place of work the next day, since they had an antibiotic that only needed to be injected once every 3 days instead of every day. We took him the next day to her and she gave him another shot of antibiotics and a de-wormer just in case (we didn't have stool sample). After some x-rays to make sure he didn't have a bowel impaction or lung issues, she showed us how to take disinfectant and clean around his mouth and sent him home with 6 more injections for us to give every 3 days.
He seemed to stay about the same health wise and just laid at the bottom of his cage. We moved the heat lamp down to where he was and spent the next week doing what the doctor told us. By the beginning of the second week, both eyes were sealed shut again and even with applying distilled water with Q-Tips we were unable to help unseal them. My wife called to set up a appointment with the doctor. It just so happened that Saturday, Dr. Baebler was going to be at the emergency center again so we took him back down to the Collinsville Animal Hospital and she cleaned gunk out of both eyes (you know its a lot when the doctor exclaims "I didn't think that much gunk could be in there") so we left that night with a little guy who can see and that seemed to be the turning point to getting better. The next (third) week we continued what the doctor told us and today I took him to his last doctor visit where he got a good bill of health. He is back to hunting and he has a very strong grip again. We learned a lot about chameleons this last week; and hope he stays that way.
Some things we learned:
1) Chameleons act like 2 year old children when trying to give them medicine (hold mouth and eyes closed tightly refusing to open)
2) When the chameleon has had enough of poking and probing, x-rays, etc. they turn a very interesting shade of black and would love to bite someone (he did give a Q-tip hell when he got tired of it. lol)
3) It takes a while for them to get sick; and just as long to get better.
We would really like to thank all those that helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The "Tyed Dyed Iguana" in O'Fallon, Illinois
The "Animal Emergency Center" in Collinsville, Illinois
And a Giant thanks to Dr. Megan Baebler and the staff at the "Bird Medicine and Surgery, Kersting Veterinary Hospital" in Chesterfield, Missouri
If Zelda the chameleon could talk, he would say thanks too!!!!!!!!!
