Vitamin A dosage for eyes problem -It's last option to help my boy

Howdy,

Here's a reprint from one of my old posts about vitamin A.


The subject of supplementation certainly has a lot of controversy surrounding it. Vitamin A has had its ups and downs all by itself too. I was reading my latest library addition; "Reptile Medicine and Surgery", 2nd Edition, edited by Douglas R. Mader, MS, DVM, DABVP. It just started shipping a few weeks ago (12-2005?). It's an extensive update of the original 1996 version. It has increased from around 500 pages to over 1200 pages and over 900 images.......



Thank you all for helping me.
Here is the video of him and enclosure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC7Kb6epylw
Here you can see other eye.Dry skin have ointment and look shiny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5mSJBMElE0
 
A very unscientific observation-

I think many here on the forums worry too much about limiting vit a and vit d3.

Throughout the 90s when I was *really* into chameleons (kept and bred numerous species) I used d3 most feedings that were indoors (which was about 7 or 8 months out of the year from the mid 90s on, 12 months out of the year in the early 90s and the product used was rep-cal with d3) and vit A 1x every week or two (via reptivite which also had d3). Summers in the latter part of the 90s I mostly used plain calcium only because the lizards were outdoors at that time and I only occasionally (couple times a summer) used multivitamins.

To the best of my knowledge I never had either a d3 or a vit a overdose.

I did have several clutches of panther eggs not hatch out after I switched over to herptivite only in the late 90s and always wondered if lack of vit a in that product was the reason. I don't wonder anymore- many on here are using that product exclusively without hatch failure. So I don't know what happened there at the end.

I have to add that I was usually using inferior UV tubes or tubes that produced no UV lighting at all during most of the 90s. The first part out of what was available (vita-lites and blb blacklights) somewhere in the middle out of what I thought produced UVB but didn't (chroma 50s) so I don't know what effect say a reptisun 5.0 would have in combination with the d3, but supposedly it is impossible for a lizard to overdose d3 from UV exposure, therefore I would think that if receiving sufficient in the diet, the body simply wouldn't do the conversion from the UV light, so I wouldn't think my experience would have been much different even if I had the good tubes during those years, or even if using it out-of-doors.

I'm not saying do what I did (better ideas exist nowadays-probably those days as well), but I do think some of the fears expressed on here about overdose are a little extreme in the opposite direction. A little vit a via a multivitamin supplement dusting on prey items once or twice a month for species like veileds and panthers is unlikely to cause problems in my admittedly very unscientific and simple layman's opinion and is likely to prevent more problems than it causes. Same goes for d3- 1x a week is probably going to prevent more problems than it causes.

I see an awful lot of eye problems, clumsyness, falling from perch, grabbing limbs with other limbs, bent casques, etc here on the forums that I've never experienced and I always wonder if is because of the current trend of very minimal supplementation alongside minimal basking temperatures.

To the OP-

I purchased some jewelled lacertas a couple of years ago that arrived with vit-a deficiency and their symptoms looked exactly like eye infections- very similar to the photo that started this thread.

I think it could be a vit a problem, but as others are cautioning, it could also be an infection of some sort. Any vet should have access to antibiotic eye ointment (for cats for example) and baytril (for dogs for example), and you can find the dose for the latter online, and the former you just apply a small dab directly to the eye. Probably one of those would be a solution, but I'd encourage you to talk it over logically with a vet even if reptiles are exotic to them and volunteer product names and dosages you find online for lizards. The vet should be able to logically work through until you have your solution- animals are animals and the difference would just be knowing the product names and dosages- and in this kind of thing the products are not usually reptile-specific. If the lizard is otherwise strong and healthy, you could try a little vit A and give the lizard a week or so to see how it responds, and if it doesn't then approach the vet with a brand name of antibiotic eye ointment and dosage for baytril and see what the vet thinks.
 
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Thank you for this hudge explanation.
There is more then one month this problem persist. I brought vet to my home, end she does not think this is infection, but for every case I have used Gentamycin drops and ointment, later I have change it to Tobramycin. And everything is the same. If it is infection there would be some changes to better or worse. This is unchangeble.Only ointment softened a skin a bit and I could to take of a little old skin. I put some video of him in the post above.


A very unscientific observation-

I think many here on the forums worry too much about limiting vit a and vit d3.

Throughout the 90s when I was *really* into chameleons (kept and bred numerous species) I used d3 most feedings that were indoors (which was about 7 or 8 months out of the year from the mid 90s on, 12 months out of the year in the early 90s and the product used was rep-cal with d3) and vit A 1x every week or two (via reptivite which also had d3). Summers in the latter part of the 90s I mostly used plain calcium only because the lizards were outdoors at that time and I only occasionally (couple times a summer) used multivitamins.

To the best of my knowledge I never had either a d3 or a vit a overdose.

I did have several clutches of panther eggs not hatch out after I switched over to herptivite only in the late 90s and always wondered if lack of vit a in that product was the reason. I don't wonder anymore- many on here are using that product exclusively without hatch failure. So I don't know what happened there at the end.

I have to add that I was usually using inferior UV tubes or tubes that produced no UV lighting at all during most of the 90s. The first part out of what was available (vita-lites and blb blacklights) somewhere in the middle out of what I thought produced UVB but didn't (chroma 50s) so I don't know what effect say a reptisun 5.0 would have in combination with the d3, but supposedly it is impossible for a lizard to overdose d3 from UV exposure, therefore I would think that if receiving sufficient in the diet, the body simply wouldn't do the conversion from the UV light, so I wouldn't think my experience would have been much different even if I had the good tubes during those years, or even if using it out-of-doors.

I'm not saying do what I did (better ideas exist nowadays-probably those days as well), but I do think some of the fears expressed on here about overdose are a little extreme in the opposite direction. A little vit a via a multivitamin supplement dusting on prey items once or twice a month for species like veileds and panthers is unlikely to cause problems in my admittedly very unscientific and simple layman's opinion and is likely to prevent more problems than it causes. Same goes for d3- 1x a week is probably going to prevent more problems than it causes.

I see an awful lot of eye problems, clumsyness, falling from perch, grabbing limbs with other limbs, bent casques, etc here on the forums that I've never experienced and I always wonder if is because of the current trend of very minimal supplementation alongside minimal basking temperatures.

To the OP-

I purchased some jewelled lacertas a couple of years ago that arrived with vit-a deficiency and their symptoms looked exactly like eye infections- very similar to the photo that started this thread.

I think it could be a vit a problem, but as others are cautioning, it could also be an infection of some sort. Any vet should have access to antibiotic eye ointment (for cats for example) and baytril (for dogs for example), and you can find the dose for the latter online, and the former you just apply a small dab directly to the eye. Probably one of those would be a solution, but I'd encourage you to talk it over logically with a vet even if reptiles are exotic to them and volunteer product names and dosages you find online for lizards. The vet should be able to logically work through until you have your solution- animals are animals and the difference would just be knowing the product names and dosages- and in this kind of thing the products are not usually reptile-specific. If the lizard is otherwise strong and healthy, you could try a little vit A and give the lizard a week or so to see how it responds, and if it doesn't then approach the vet with a brand name of antibiotic eye ointment and dosage for baytril and see what the vet thinks.
 
Thank you for this hudge explanation.
There is more then one month this problem persist. I brought vet to my home, end she does not think this is infection, but for every case I have used Gentamycin drops and ointment, later I have change it to Tobramycin. And everything is the same. If it is infection there would be some changes to better or worse. This is unchangeble.Only ointment softened a skin a bit and I could to take of a little old skin. I put some video of him in the post above.

I would dose him with Vit A the way Jim explains. It isnt going to hurt the cham if you do it how he explains. You would be surprised how many keepers on here fought and fought "eye infections" for months only to finally use preformed Vit A and the problem is solved.
 
I would dose him with Vit A the way Jim explains. It isnt going to hurt the cham if you do it how he explains. You would be surprised how many keepers on here fought and fought "eye infections" for months only to finally use preformed Vit A and the problem is solved.
totally if i dont give my guy the vit a drops on time i can acctually watch his eyes get bad and as soon as he gets the vit a on a feeder within two days its gone.. again this has worked for me but is JMO
 
Thank you for this hudge explanation.
There is more then one month this problem persist. I brought vet to my home, end she does not think this is infection, but for every case I have used Gentamycin drops and ointment, later I have change it to Tobramycin. And everything is the same. If it is infection there would be some changes to better or worse. This is unchangeble.Only ointment softened a skin a bit and I could to take of a little old skin. I put some video of him in the post above.

Sounds like its worth giving the Vitamin A a try then.
Try following Jim's dosage recommendation for a month. If indeed it is a vitamin A deficiency, you should see improvement within that time.

Apart from the swelling on the eye, its a nice looking chameleon. I hope he gets better!
 
I started today with first drop of Cod Liver Oil.It's 2.500 IU vitamin A in there. Since he is 5 months old I believe this is good dosage.
I've spoke today on the phone with a professor from the Vet university in my city, known as a great vet and he is interested in reptiles and have some knowledge. I sended him photos and tomorrow he will consult professor of veterinerian oftamology and call me back.

Does anyone know, from experience, are your vets use anesthetic when deal with eyes, when removing dirt under eyelid or something like that?
 
In monday I am going to a Verinerian university. There are the best vets we have, but they are not expirienced with reptiles. I am taking him to oftamology professor. If I understood well, they don't know to take out forein body from the eye without anesthetic. Is it normal to give young cham the anesthetic. I am not sure If I should allow them to do that.

And please, can you tell me what is the best way to take chameleon to vet and not stressed him too much? Should I take his plant in some box or something like that...

I started today with first drop of Cod Liver Oil.It's 2.500 IU vitamin A in there. Since he is 5 months old I believe this is good dosage.
I've spoke today on the phone with a professor from the Vet university in my city, known as a great vet and he is interested in reptiles and have some knowledge. I sended him photos and tomorrow he will consult professor of veterinerian oftamology and call me back.

Does anyone know, from experience, are your vets use anesthetic when deal with eyes, when removing dirt under eyelid or something like that?
 
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