Vitamin A

[wacky22jacki]

What's some good Vit A supplements I can give my panther? I'm seeing different ones and just wanted some opinions? also, do you sprinkle it onto the crickets or how do you give it to them? And How often?

Thanks!

 

[jannb]

I recommend Reptivite a couple times a month.

 

[Cait0420]

You use it the same way you do a calcium dusting

 

[sandrachameleon]

most commonly used vitamin supplements contain vitamin A. zoomed reptivite, repashy calcium plus, T-Rex SandFire Superfoods, terafauna reptocal, ...
potentially, you might also be gutloading with something that contains it

 

[wacky22jacki]

Thanks for the replies - I already give him reptivite multivitamin about once a month, he is having some eye issues and I've been to the vet and he's been on medication but its not getting better, I've read that it most likely is a vitamin A deficiency so I wanted to try to give him a little more and see if it helps or not… We go back to the vet friday though!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks for the replies - I already give him reptivite multivitamin about once a month, he is having some eye issues and I've been to the vet and he's been on medication but its not getting better, I've read that it most likely is a vitamin A deficiency so I wanted to try to give him a little more and see if it helps or not… We go back to the vet friday though!

what is the medication? what is the vet diagnosis?
what makes you think its a deficiency? Is he having trouble keeping an eye open?

If you want a one-time dose of vitamin A, your vet could prepare an injection or oral solution based on the chameleons weight.

Many people dust with vitamins twice a month, or more depending on the brand, as well as on how well you gutload and whether or not you provide a wide range of feeder prey and whether or not the chameleon goes outside. Certainly there wouldn't be any harm in increasing the Reptivite use to every other week. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job. There needs to be some kind of balance. I believe Reptivite contains 50 times more vit A than vit D3 and I've heard it estimated they need about 10 times as much A as D (he's also producing some D from UVB lighting or sunlight, and perhaps getting D in other ways as well).

Or you could add to your gutload - for example, You could feed your crickets or roaches some boiled egg (yolk particularly) or cooked red meat - not something you would do often of course.

Or you could buy some vitamin A (retinal palmitate) gel caps, poke a pin into one so you can squeeze out a drop, then smear some of that (just a tiny amount) onto the back of a prey item. you aiming for approximately 100 international units per 50g of chameleon. Again not something you'd necessarily do very often, and chameleons are eager to have oily substances in their mouths. But I've seen this method recommended as a twice weekly treatment for two weeks (4 total doses). Keep in mind that too much retinol/pre-formed vitamin A can be toxic.

 

[wacky22jacki]

he is on Ceftazidime every 3 days, and Metacam every 4 days. The diagnosis was a nasal cavity infection - I thought he might have had a beginning of an RI but every morning now he wakes up with his eye all gunked up and I had to always get the stuff out of it - which I don't mind doing if its something that has to be done but he shouldn't have it every single morning. I will attach a picture of it - but before the vet this only happened once and I told him about it and he said that since everything is connected it could just be from the infection in the nasal cavity but now its every morning and varies from eye to eye - some time the right and sometimes the left. I just put a warm washcloth on the gunked up eye until it softens and I can gently swipe it out with a Q-tip. Any thoughts?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I think the vet is likely right that its connected to the infection. Have you called to let the vet know the eye issue is more frequent/significant now?