What MBD looks like...
- Thread starter Julirs
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Kerbie
New Member
His Name is Gumby because he bends in places he shouldn't
I am a veterinary technician and I took on a little guy with severe MBD when the previous owners were going to put him down. I named him Gumby because of his condition.
You can see how bent his limbs are in this picture and that he is not able to support his own body weight or grasp very well.
The vet I work with knows a lot about reptiles in general and has had a veiled chameleon himself so we have covered all of the basics as far as husbandry and feeding. We took an x-ray and he has multiple pathologic fractures of his long bones so I made little splints for his arms and legs out of a reusable plastic straw.
He is still unable to eat on his own as he has lost function of his tongue due to MBD so I have been syringe feeding repta-boost 2-3 times a day. When I first got him he was only 55g and would not let go of his face because it was the only thing that made him feel secure. He was unable to move in any particular direction and flailed his broken and very bent arms trying to stabilize himself. It is extremely sad to watch and the pictures I posted do not represent how terrible MBD really is.
I am a veterinary technician and I took on a little guy with severe MBD when the previous owners were going to put him down. I named him Gumby because of his condition.
You can see how bent his limbs are in this picture and that he is not able to support his own body weight or grasp very well.
The vet I work with knows a lot about reptiles in general and has had a veiled chameleon himself so we have covered all of the basics as far as husbandry and feeding. We took an x-ray and he has multiple pathologic fractures of his long bones so I made little splints for his arms and legs out of a reusable plastic straw.
He is still unable to eat on his own as he has lost function of his tongue due to MBD so I have been syringe feeding repta-boost 2-3 times a day. When I first got him he was only 55g and would not let go of his face because it was the only thing that made him feel secure. He was unable to move in any particular direction and flailed his broken and very bent arms trying to stabilize himself. It is extremely sad to watch and the pictures I posted do not represent how terrible MBD really is.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Kerbie, Keep working with him and he'll start showing some improvement. Here is another one that my vet took in a few years back.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/meet-jack-worse-case-mbd-ive-ever-seen-42097/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/meet-jack-worse-case-mbd-ive-ever-seen-42097/
biggslizard
New Member
im still relitivly new to chameleons but what is MBD?
Metabolic Bone Disease is unfortunately a common disease of reptiles due to lack of dietary calcium, imbalanced nutrition and/or lack of UVB rays. Just one of these things can cause serious disease even if the other aspects are all present. UVB rays are needed in reptiles to produce Vitamin D3 in the skin, which is necessary to absorb calcium from the food. Without UVB rays from either unfiltered sunlight or a UVB producing bulb then your chameleon cannot absorb the calcium you are giving it. If you are not providing an adequate level of calcium in the diet then no amount of UVB will make up for it. Too high levels of phosphorus in the diet will interfere with calcium absorption so even with good calcium levels and UVB the body is still not getting enough. To compensate for inadequate calcium absorption the body will pull calcium directly out of the bones so there is enough calcium for critical functions like muscle movement and metabolism. On x-rays the bones may not even show up in the end stages because there is so little calcium left. MBD affected animals (doesn't just happen to reptiles) can have bones break just walking because they are so weak. MBD eventually kills them because the body needs calcium for many bodily processes. Signs of MBD include stunted growth, bent legs bones, fractures of those bones (double elbows or knees), grabbing at its own legs, tongue not shooting as far, a soft jaw, the mouth doesn’t close all the way, etc.
Damage from MBD cannot be reversed completely but the process can be stopped and the bones can heal if proper UVB is supplied and the imbalance of dietary calcium is addressed (see nutrition section). A vet may have to give injectable calcium to replace the deficit in more than mild cases. It is very important to address MBD as soon as symptoms are noticed to stop the damage being done.
Damage from MBD cannot be reversed completely but the process can be stopped and the bones can heal if proper UVB is supplied and the imbalance of dietary calcium is addressed (see nutrition section). A vet may have to give injectable calcium to replace the deficit in more than mild cases. It is very important to address MBD as soon as symptoms are noticed to stop the damage being done.
shineru
New Member
I think it is important to share the stories of these guys. If you have never owned or seen a chameleon with MBD, it might not be as obvious to you. We have seen members join that have chameleons with very advanced MBD and never knew it.FIRST OF ALL I GOTTA TELL YOU GOD BLESS YOUR SOUL, YOUR A WOUNDERFUL PERSON FOR DOING WHAT YOU DOING. SECOND =/ after reading your story i noticed that tinny my female vield thats about 4months old has cleaning her eye and when she did cleaned her eyes a bubble poped out and it looked just like how your chameleon in the first picture did but then she popped it right back in but today in the morning i noticed she did the same thing, im really scared now at this point. PLEASE HELP? <x[
newworldorder
New Member
illy's MBD
I just read all over this thread and I am pretty sure my veiled has it...she doesn't look weak or anything, and I thought it was fungal at first because she not only has the weird eye thing, but she has a lump on her head and weird white flakes around her mouth (i know she isn't shedding).
I am taking her to the vet in a little bit...she can barely see out the one eye.
I just read all over this thread and I am pretty sure my veiled has it...she doesn't look weak or anything, and I thought it was fungal at first because she not only has the weird eye thing, but she has a lump on her head and weird white flakes around her mouth (i know she isn't shedding).
I am taking her to the vet in a little bit...she can barely see out the one eye.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
That looks just like a severe eye infection, possibly as part of a sinus infection. With help from a vet she should do ok. It doesn't seem like it has anything to do with MBD and should be reversible.
newworldorder
New Member
unfortunately, it costs me 60$ just to get a consultation. i cannot afford to pay that much for the consultation alone. i will be draining the eye myself and if i cannot and she doesn't get better, i will probably have to put her down myself too.
outrageous the amount of money theyre asking to put down the animal humanely too...i am totally for the humane treatment of animals, but this is insane.
Kerbie
New Member
You need to find someone that can afford to get her the care she needs. She does not deserve for you to "put her down yourself." That would be cruel and I really hope you will reconsider your last post. This looks like a simple infection that could easily be treated and she deserves an owner that cares enough to take her to a vet and give her a chance. Please rehome her. Please.
r0ckm3l30n
Member
Just want to share this with you guys with regards to MBD, that they have conducted.
http://www.livescience.com/5416-lizards-sunbathe-health.html
http://www.livescience.com/5416-lizards-sunbathe-health.html
Tanya77
New Member
I experienced MBD with my Iguana that I had gotten off my brother. I didn't know until I noticed his limbs looked different and he wasn't growing as suppose to, I had all the proper lighting and fed him the calcium daily with fresh vegetables daily, twice a day. I took him in and they confirmed that it was a calcium deficiency and that it had been going on for sometime and that he needed a higher doze of Calcium and told me to get the people calcium and mash the pills up and give it to him. It's sad because it does deform them, his lower jaw looked strange, it was much too late for him. Towards the end of his days he started convulsing and having seizures - those always frightened me because they seemed so painful, but he'd always come out of them and go on about his business, I use to rubbed him while he was going through them and it seemed to bring him out of them quicker, It was until he had a BIG one and that one killed him. I've never forgotten about my Izzy, he was the love of my life. It is a serious disease and kills a lot of reptiles- it first cripples them, such as Izzy then later takes them out completely, this needs to be more talked about on this forum because it happens all the time to reptiles, thanks for sharing your story, I feel better knowing that others experienced it as well.
It is a serious disease and kills a lot of reptiles- it first cripples them, such as Izzy then later takes them out completely, this needs to be more talked about on this forum because it happens all the time to reptiles, thanks for sharing your story, I feel better knowing that others experienced it as well.
camimom
New Member
please make a new thread, fill out the help form, and post photos.
mbd doesnt really cause them to not eat.
BurlingtonCouple
New Member
Advice, suggestions and help greatly appreciated..
Posted new thread titled: Possible MDB.. Please help!
Posted new thread titled: Possible MDB.. Please help!
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Alexl
Avid Member
Got to add some pictures for those being interested in what the prepared skeleton of a chameleon with metabolic bone disease may look like. Apart from fractures and so on which can be seen with the naked eye, there are lots of deformations you will not notice in the ill chameleon (hyoid apparatus, fingers, breast bone...). Pictures part one here and part two posted below.
no1biggestbrat
New Member
I had a baby Yeman called Mustard who I sadly had to have put to rest due to a very bad case of MBD, once I figure how to post pics I will do, so very sad to have lost him this way and he seem to go down so quickly.....RIP My baby boy
no1biggestbrat
New Member
Bad case of MBD -
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