What can I do now?

[Miss Lily]

Some of you may already know Tommy's health story - to cut a long story short, he has lost use of his front right leg/hand and has now started to fall as a result. He is also grumpy when I try and help him back up the right way (he sometimes ends up hanging upsidedown) and has headbutted me a couple of times too. He is normally the nicest most chilled out cham so I know he's not too happy right now. Earlier tonight he fell again, but this time got stuck behind his branch at the top back of his viv and wouldn't let me help him. In the meantime, his lights turned off too and I was able to try and help him as he calmed down a bit. He had got his back foot stuck in his branch and couldn't free himself. He now has a small bruise on his thigh where he fell too. I am planning on taking him back to the vets this coming week but last time I went the vet said there was nothing more they could do. I am going to try and rearrange his cage and somehow raise the floor so he doesn't have so far to fall. It's either that or put him into a smaller vivarium like Amy is in, but I know that will stress him even more. I am now wondering if it's fair to let him carry on like this - some days he's better than others and I have no idea how often he falls when I am not at home.

 

[Hoj]

what about putting a towel or something in the bottom of the cage so if he falls its soft, might be a pain taking in and out to keep clean, but just a idea.

hoj

 

[Miss Lily]

I have tried that, but he hasn't fallen right to the bottom yet that I have seen. He has plenty of branches and sticks to grab onto. I was more thinking aloud really to see if anyone has dealt with anything similar.

 

[laurie]

Tiff, I am sad to say I have had the problems you are having. I basically used a plastic rubbermaid bin. I put a towel in the bottom, turned a pothos on the side so it was only about 6" tall, put in some branches none of which got him over about 6" tall. Ben lived that way until I finally decided it was not fair to him for me to keep him alive for me. Lots of heartache and crying on my part. It is such a hard decision to have to let go of a chameleon that you love so much. All my support and love for you and Tommy.

 

[sarah777]

Poor guy That's hard to say. Personally I'd wait but I know I'm not there to witness how hard it is on him. Good luck.

 

[Miss Lily]

Thank you Laurie and Sarah. On his good days (his leg never works properly anymore) he wants to come out like he used to, but those days are infrequent now.

Laurie, did your boy get stressed when you moved him into the rubbermaid?? I have a spare Exo Terra that is 45x45x60 the same as Amy's but that may cause additional problems as he is not used to having glass all around him, plus I would need to buy new lights as his would be too hot for an Exo. I think I will try to raise his floor for now and see how it goes.

 

[chamlover]

I've had a couple of chams that i needed to switch their housing, for different reasons i'm sure..The first one Sprite, was terminally ill and lived quite happily in a rubbermaid container with branches only a couple of inches off the ground.. My second one was a Nosy Be female that was at least 8 years old and starting to really show her age..I did put her in a smaller cage and also turned it sideways...But only you can tell the quality of his life..I find they will tell you when it is time to stop fighting for them..Good luck.

 

[dreamforthedead]

I have to say Tiff this thread has brought tears to my eyes, you know Tommy is my fave chameleon on here. He's such a lovely boy! I hope when you go to the vets next week something can be done, if his quality of life is getting worse then i guess you know the right thing to do for Tommy but i hope it doesn't come to that. You'll both be in my thoughts!

 

[kinyonga]

You could try putting him in a long low cage so he will need less/no branches below where he sits. Then when he falls it will be to the bottom of the cage which will be closer to where he is sitting...so less chance of injury since he won't hit branches on his way down...especially if you put the towel on the floor of the cage then.

I have also used wide pieces of bark put on an angle in the cage...like a ramp. They can walk on it without having to grip like they do with a branch. (I do this for old ones that seem arthritic...but it could help yours too.)

 

[Ekproject]

Wow. That is certainly heart-wrenching. I wish you and tommy the best. And us here on the forum will proudly support you no matter which decision you have to make.

 

[jessica]

Aww man this is heartbreaking to hear

I know what ever choice you make it will be the right one for Tommy. Hang in there.

 

[Trundy]

Well.. I'm incredibly sorry to hear this.... My Veiled that passed a few years ago , started falling toward the end of his 7th year. It was heartbreaking. After Countless Vet visits and bills...It got to the point where he would fall 10-12 times a day...I would find him at the bottom constantly. The options were to put him down or let him live his days out knowing it would be harder on him... I (Maybe selfishly) ended up keeping him going for another few months. I ended up putting him in a cage that was half the height of the previous cage with soft spots to land when he fell, but very few branches for him to climb..I made him a cage that was longer to keep the heat gradient but lower so he need not climb... Anyhow... I wish you luck...Sorry to hear about the problems.. I know it's gut wrenching.. but at least you are giving the best care you can... Best of luck....

 

[bridgofaith]

Tiff, I am so sorry to hear that poor Tommy is not improving! I know it is very difficult for both of you. I completely agree with kinyonga. That is how I modified the cage for sweet Jack (veiled with very bad MBD Dr. Alfonso sent me) and he does very well in that. Since he is so crippled, I have a 16x16x30 screen cage laid on it's side. I don't recall the size cage Tommy is in, but if it's the typical 24x24x48, lay it on it's side. It still gives him some room to climb, but not so much that he can injure himself when/if he falls. Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Miss Lily]

Tommy's vet isn't available until Thursday, so I'll take him then and let you all know how we get on.

 

[Miss Lily]

UPDATE after vet visit

Well, I took Tommy back to the vet this morning and the vet took a long time palpating him around his neck and shoulders as this is where he thought the problem first was last year. This time, Tommy showed a pain response when his right shoulder was touched and showed his dislike by gaping at the vet! I actually expected the usually placid Tommy to bite today as he has headbutted me a few times just lately, but as ever he was so well behaved. I love this chameleon so much, after all he's been through he's still so chilled out and calm, just a total sweetheart and it breaks my heart when he falls, he really doesn't deserve that.

Tommy was prescribed Metacam again to see if it helps with his painful shoulder (which the vet thinks he may have knocked or pulled something when falling) and we have to return for a check up next Saturday (25th June). The vet wasn't sure that further xrays would show anything more than the last ones so is not inclined to take more unless the meds don't help by the next visit. So, for the next week or so I have to inject a locust with his meds once a day - luckily the meds taste nice and Tommy ate every day last time he was prescribed that. He has also been eating more the last few days anyway. I returned from work today to find Tommy upsidedown again, but like I said to the vet I am reluctant to change his cage around as he knows just where he can and can't get to - I feel that any drastic cage furniture changes will make things worse and lead to him falling more often.

I will update again when I have some more information.

 

[Ekproject]

Thank you for keeping us updated. Try and stay positive and everything will work out for the best, whatever that may be.

 

[jessica]

Poor Tommy Hopefully the metcam will relieve his pain some.

Is there swelling at all in that shoulder area? The reason I ask is I had a Melleri rescue with similar symptoms and it ended up he had a anaerobic infection that settled in the soft tissue. We treated him with Flagyl and metcam. Just a thought.

So sorry Tommy isn't feeling good.

 

[Miss Lily]

Thank you Jessica. There doesn't seem to be any swelling there at all. I think it's more a case of becoming sore due to him repeatedly trying to use it and he can't. Was the swelling obvious in your Melleri? Tommy had Xrays at the end of last year and they showed nothing abnormal in that area.

 

[jessica]

Thank you Jessica. There doesn't seem to be any swelling there at all. I think it's more a case of becoming sore due to him repeatedly trying to use it and he can't. Was the swelling obvious in your Melleri? Tommy had Xrays at the end of last year and they showed nothing abnormal in that area.

The swelling was not obvious, it was slight and I honestly only noticed it because I was obsessive and kept staring at both shoulders. We did xrays and just like with Tommy absolutely nothing showed up.

Sometimes it can start as a simple injury and then opportunistic bacteria move in.

I only mention it because the melleri had the exact same symptoms. It may be worth discussing it with your vet.

 

[Miss Lily]

I shall certainly mention it yes, but this problem has been ongoing for months and months now so surely something far worse would have shown up/taken hold by now if it was that? I will mention it though!