Vet visits

[symphonica]

Hello. I was just wondering if everybody takes their chameleon to the vet. Do you guys use an exotic vet for regularly scheduled check-ups, or only rely on them for Rx drugs when they're necessary.

It wouldn't be such a big deal for those who only own a few, but what about you guys who do this as a business and have a ton of them?

I have a horse, and horse people don't really do regularly scheduled wellness exams like with dogs. We only rely on them during illness/injuries and for vaccinations and Rx. Just wondering what the chameleon culture was.

Because I'm a horse person, I actually never took my dog to the vet regularly either. I took him to regular visits until he was two, and now again that he's 13, but didn't during the adult years of his life. I figured that I knew best whether he was healthy or not. A lot of people gave me such a hard time about not doing having annual wellness exams on my dog, but that's what most horse owners do with their dogs.

But, with chameleons, I feel like there could be more things going on than meets the eye. They're so sensitive and it's sometimes hard to tell if they're healthy or not by looks alone, and can die suddenly overnight with no visible warning signs. On the flip side, what is there that a vet could do for your chameleon besides give you Rx?

 

[windex]

The norm around here is to have at least one fecal exam done once a year to check for parasites.. Prescribing drugs is part of what a vet can do, but the most difficult part of prescribing the drugs is to find out EXACTLY what drugs are needed and finding the reason they need the drugs in the first place.. X-rays will show whether or not he/she is getting proper amounts of calcium so that MBD doesn't sneak up on you. Since there is no cure for MBD, prevention is the key.

 

[Kate]

Hi welcome to the forum. To answer your question personally I think it irresponsible to own a pet and not be prepared to take it to a vet if ill. I'm in the UK and I take my dog to the vet yearly for his booster injections and yearly check. He is also treated for worms every three months. I don't take to my Cham for yearly checks but he has been treated for parasites twice in last three years. You get to know your Cham, and if there is any changes in behaviour it is often time for a vet visit. Once your Cham becomes noticeably ill it is often well established. There are lots a vet can do when your Cham is ill.

 

[symphonica]

I work with kids with autism, and in our field, we're very wary of environmental toxins, although I don't believe that childhood vaccinations cause autism. My dog is currently seen by a holistic vet, and especially in his old age, the vet definitely recommends I not give him any vaccinations besides the required rabies. Side effects of vaccinations and meds can actually be more harmful than good, especially for old animals. She said that except for the boosters that they need as puppies, adult animals technically shouldn't need any vaccinations if healthy.

Windex, are x-rays typically done at an annual rate?

It's funny how different people look at vet care. The value of a life isn't determined by price, but I had hamsters as a kid, purchased at pet stores for like $10, and never even considered taking an animal with a 2-3 year lifespan to the vet's. I did, once, when one broke his leg and it was dangling sideways. But, if you go on these hamster forums, they're all about annual vet visits and exams.

I tend to follow whatever is the common practice within the community that surrounds that animal. If annual fecal exams and x-rays are the recommended norm, I certainly have no objections to that. What I don't like, is that vets tend to try to convince you to come in more often than necessary, to get your money.

 

[Kate]

I think faecals yearly is a good idea but probably wouldn't do it if I didn't think there was a reason to do it. Mine has never had an X-ray. I was shocked two years ago to find that our reptile vet had moved and there was not one locally. Personally I find it devastating to see an animal ill and suffering and would do anything possible to help that animal, but that's just me.

 

[symphonica]

If I think it's something that requires medical attention or something that requires services that can only be provided with vet's equipment or Rx, I certainly do take them. I guess I skip regular wellness exams if all seems fine. I know some people stick to this to the tee.

I guess my question was if silent killers are common with chameleons - something that presents no symptoms until it's too late and they're dead. If checking for them regularly by a vet (i.e. blood work, x-rays, etc.) is going to help detect these at onset, a regularly-scheduled exam would be something I would most likely stick to a tee with.

 

[Carlton]

If I think it's something that requires medical attention or something that requires services that can only be provided with vet's equipment or Rx, I certainly do take them. I guess I skip regular wellness exams if all seems fine. I know some people stick to this to the tee.

I guess my question was if silent killers are common with chameleons - something that presents no symptoms until it's too late and they're dead. If checking for them regularly by a vet (i.e. blood work, x-rays, etc.) is going to help detect these at onset, a regularly-scheduled exam would be something I would most likely stick to a tee with.

One other aspect of getting "established" with the specialist you MIGHT need to use when a cham is ill is having some baseline values for your cham while it is healthy. When you suspect something is wrong you can use these values for comparison...and save time trying to pinpoint what has changed. You get to spend less time describing all the basic background (about the cham itself, age, known issues like historical treatment for parasites and of what types, husbandry parameters, etc) info on each cham too. Also, an established vet client/patient tends to get a quicker response in service right when its needed most.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

My own veiled chameleon had bloodwork done when he was healthy and then he got sick recently he had bloodwork again. By itself his sick bloodwork would not have been very useful, but compared to his bloodwork 6 months earlier it showed that he was going into kidney disease. His phosphorus level was still mostly normal, but it had doubled since his last check so that was the red flag. He passed away shortly after and his necropsy confirmed that his kidneys had gone in serious failure. Just to illustrate some of the value of diagnostics even when they look good.

 

[jannb]

Of course my guys get regular check up. I have a mobile chameleon vet that come to my house every 3 to 4 months to check everyone. We also have a specialist that we go to over four hours away for serious problems and surgeries. We are very lucky to have two really experienced chameleon vets one within driving distance and so blessed to have one come to our house.

 

[symphonica]

Carlton and ferret, getting a baseline is a very good point.