Vet advice: delete the links to your forums and don't visit them anymore

[Franquixote]

My $179 vet bill today because of my chams puffy eyes was kinda a waste. Vet said he was a bit UNDERweight (and 'all said I should slow down on the food) : )
And that mild pinworm infection should probably not even be treated. He also said the eye puffiness was no big deal.
I started some Vitamin A

Basically was saying the board is full of wrong info. Not blaming you all but it can be frustrating who to trust. Also said my obsessive gut load was no better than crushed up Guinea pig food.

Should have followed my gut and not gone to the vet unless it was rather dire.
Those that are constantly being told to visit the vet for what seems like every other problem, don't get guilt tripped, follow your instinct on what to do!

 

[jamest0o0]

Puffy eyes are a symptom of vitamin A deficiency... I think... so it's good you're starting that. How many chameleons has your vet seen? it's not like every vet, even exotic vets, study chams to any huge extent. I see people here constantly making gains in the chameleon world, keeping and breeding species with success. I'll go by the word of the experienced. While I don't jump to the vet for every little thing. Paying the vet bill once and awhile is part of owning an animal. Just helps to have a good vet.

 

[Kiraral]

That’s too bad. Honestly, it seems to me that seeing a vet who is unfamiliar with chams can be worse than no vet at all. Very frustrating! Sounds like the vit A is a good idea. To someone who doesn’t know them a healthy Cham could easily look to thin.

 

[Grandsouls]

I could’ve took my chameleon to a few vets.

But I didn’t for the same reason.

At lease all the vets around here when called admitted to not knowing much and that I would probably be better off researching.

 

[Franquixote]

He has seen hundreds he said and has dozens as regular patients.
I made sure to specifically ask around before taking my animal.

So a few things-
Yes. Vit A- all I needed to do, though now I know to start looking (just to learn) for source of pinworms. Reading conflicting info that they ARE NOT FROM EATING FEEDERS, they can get them from feeders but ONLY BECAUSE the feeders have the eggs physically stuck to them for e ample by wandering around the cage and picking them up from cham poop.

His receptionists do not see a chameleon a day, or if they do it's a veiled or the rare juvie rom Petco. on the verge of death.
They were shocked to see how healthy he was.

The receptionists didn't know it was a panther so while I don't doubt doc seeing chams. I don't think it is daily.
I'm sure he's plenty capable.

Anyway, the only thing he did for $170 was deworming him and tell me that going down to 65 was inappropriate at night even though that may be the case on the wild. He said 85 degrees day and night is what to swim for.
My panther would melt like a tub 0f margarine in the sun if I did that, but point well taken, I will keep him warmer at night.

He sure hates the message boards! I brought one of our forms filled out and I don't know if he even looked at it.

Anyway if anyone is curious he used 40× magnification to look for eggs in the float test.

 

[GodricktheVeiled]

He has seen hundreds he said and has dozens as regular patients.
I made sure to specifically ask around before taking my animal.

So a few things-
Yes. Vit A- all I needed to do, though now I know to start looking (just to learn) for source of pinworms. Reading conflicting info that they ARE NOT FROM EATING FEEDERS, they can get them from feeders but ONLY BECAUSE the feeders have the eggs physically stuck to them for e ample by wandering around the cage and picking them up from cham poop.

His receptionists do not see a chameleon a day, or if they do it's a veiled or the rare juvie rom Petco. on the verge of death.
They were shocked to see how healthy he was.

The receptionists didn't know it was a panther so while I don't doubt doc seeing chams. I don't think it is daily.
I'm sure he's plenty capable.

Anyway, the only thing he did for $170 was deworming him and tell me that going down to 65 was inappropriate at night even though that may be the case on the wild. He said 85 degrees day and night is what to swim for.
My panther would melt like a tub 0f margarine in the sun if I did that, but point well taken, I will keep him warmer at night.

He sure hates the message boards! I brought one of our forms filled out and I don't know if he even looked at it.

Anyway if anyone is curious he used 40× magnification to look for eggs in the float test.

I'm sorry, but that vet sounds like a total imbecile to me. I hope your Cham lives a long and healthy life without ever needing to see that guy again. I think if you decided to seriously follow all that person's advice, I'm not sure that would happen. The red flags for me would be that he didn't take the care to read your paper with all your Chameleon's info. He decided he already knew all the info. Another red flag would be about the drop in temp at night and to keep him at 85 24/7. That's horrible advice. The last red flag would be telling someone to cut themselves off from a community of chameleon owners, breeders, and resources? Sources of information that will likely be helpful? That's not okay. He is basically saying...
"I don't own a chameleon, I never had to set up a chameleon habitat or care for one daily, but you should only listen to me. I know what's best for your chameleon, not the people who have been owning, taking care of and breeding them for decades. They don't know anything."
That is not okay.

And to me, paying a COMPETENT veterinarian 170 dollars to be safe rather than sorry? Is worth it for my chameleon's health and well being. Eyes are crucial for a chameleon's survival. So if people here suggest my chameleon might need a vet just to be on the safe side of things? I'd be there in a flash if I hadn't already taken him beforehand.

 

[Franquixote]

Yep, take everything and filter it through your own intuition (if you have been keeping reps for decades) is how I am proceeding and my advice to all of you.
If you are serious about becoming something more than a pet owner, it takes the desire to be a "seeker of wisdom and truth" as my high school bio teacher used to say.
At least I learned what magnification gets use to check fecal tests
He definitely is a specialist and though I might not bring my animal back to him again there is no one else within 50 miles. I have a family and a full time job as a high school teacher, I don't have the time or money to drive hours from home base to vet vets.
I'm pissed because I probably should have done nothing but the vit A and learned to do a fecal, I have a scope fully capable and deworming would have cost me $10.

 

[Beman]

I can see your frustration however I feel the past posts are extremely valuable. Especially to someone like me who is newer to the hobby. All I did when I first found the forum was read and read through past posts. I learned a lot.

When I thought my guy might have mouth rot going on I posted seeking help. Yes, I got people that said take to the vet and people that said just watch it. But I took him anyway because the people that helped me are not Vets and they are not physically here to look him over to pull from their expertise. I went based off of advice. I spent $98 for just a physical. He was fine and just had a bit of an abrasion from rubbing his face against the screen.
So yeah 100 bucks gone and I am a single mom so that is a lot to me but my Cham is healthy and doing great. If it would have been mouth rot I would have been on top of it before it ever caused an issue.

I think the only reason my Cham is doing so well and that I have learned what I have is due to this forum. Without it and all the knowledge and the people that care and help I would not be a successful keeper. I would be one of the sad stories we see here almost everyday.

Of course there is weeding through information and trying to piece together stuff but from my experience this is a great way to get informed info. From other keepers that have made mistakes, learned, and been able to become amazing keepers.

 

[JacksJill]

For the record I do my own fecals on a regular basis. There is a very good blog here on how to do them for you, but I learned in college.
I de-wormed my collection because if I'm breeding I can't be selling infested animals to people. After I treated for pin worms alone, the affected animals all had increased appetite and put on weight. I realize my small collection is not a scientific study but that is my personal experience. I have had no reinfections in any of the treated animals and I isolate any new additions. I do not buy my feeders at pet stores where loose crickets can get thrown back into the bin after being in a reptiles cage.

 

[Franquixote]

Any way to treat feeders?
I breed 2 different kinds of roaches and a few other colonies of this and that but still give 2 crickets a week from local shop and hornworms and waxworks from same. Also order butterworms from Josh's frogs and silkworms from various sources etc.

 

[Franquixote]

Quick correction- just saw that you need 400×, not 40×. Vet was either being a dick or (and I refuse to believe this) didn't know that his scope objective lens was not the same as total magnification.
Big difference since my stereoscope vs. a compound scope ate not interchangeable for the most part.
A stereoscope is so much easier than preparing slides but not really applied for 400×

 

[GodricktheVeiled]

Quick correction- just saw that you need 400×, not 40×. Vet was either being a dick or (and I refuse to believe this) didn't know that his scope objective lens was not the same as total magnification.
Big difference since my stereoscope vs. a compound scope ate not interchangeable for the most part.
A stereoscope is so much easier than preparing slides but not really applied for 400×

From how he handled everything else, I'd assume he was being a dick. *shrug* that's just me, though.

 

[GoodKarma19]

I'm sure your vet meant the 40x objective lens (400x magnification). That's how I'd describe it to a client as well without thinking, since I very, very rarely use anything other than a compound microscope!

Some vets can be very wary (and rightly so, in some cases!) of online groups. However, his comments on care leave me skeptical regarding just how accurate his chameleon knowledge is/whether it's outdated. I wouldn't personally be comfortable with him as my pet's vet, but it's always very difficult to get an accurate read over text.