Anyone with any experience wit limb amputation?

My poor cameal took a bad fall and broke her arm it was put in a splint and just won't heal. Vet wants to amputate its still swollen and the bone inside is just breaking down.. Just wondered if anyone has done this b4 and how did they cope afterwards? It's her front left arm/leg..

I am so sorry.. This is a terrible experience..

Does your vet have her on liquid calcium? I would think that would be good for a broke bone. I have no personal experience with limb amputation but did talk to a girl with her 3 legged veiled at a reptile show a few years back and he was getting around great with 3 legs. Her mom had closeD the window on one of his legs and it was damaged so bad it had to be amputated.

I've never dealt with it in captivity, but I've seen multiple very healthy chameleons in the wild with three legs. Here is a juvenile Trioceros q. quadricornis, for instance, that I found in Cameroon a couple years ago:



Anyway, I mean this just to indicate that they can very well do fine with an amputated limb.

Chris

Thank u for the replys makes me feel a bit better knowing that it has been done b4.. She was on lots of medication when her arm was in a cast but nothing seamed to help the vet believes she will do much better once its removed, tho she still try's to get around on it and moves it... Gunna be a pricey procedure but I've had my vailed Cham for almost 5yrs now she's part of the fam... I guess I'll let u all kno how it goes and how she copes afterwards.

How long has it been broken? Can she walk on it? Where is the bone broken?

Rstuart said:

Thank u for the replys makes me feel a bit better knowing that it has been done b4.. She was on lots of medication when her arm was in a cast but nothing seamed to help the vet believes she will do much better once its removed, tho she still try's to get around on it and moves it... Gunna be a pricey procedure but I've had my vailed Cham for almost 5yrs now she's part of the fam... I guess I'll let u all kno how it goes and how she copes afterwards.

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When my female veiled broke her leg the vet only kept it wrapped and in a splint for a very short time. He said a cast could cause more breaks. The main thing I had to do was confine her and keep her still.

Almost two months now. It's her front left arm and it broke right across her wrist it was splinted for about a month she did and still moves it to get around... I didn't notice any thing was wrong till about a week after she fell her hand started to swell up that's when I took her to the vet for X-rays... The doc says she wud just amputate the hand part off she wud still have her arm and lil nub to walk around on... And that it wud be better for her.. It's quiet a pricey procedure I just hope she makes it threw it

@jannb did ur chams leg heal from the break?

Liquid calcium and natural sunlight if you can.

I have a veiled with a broken rear leg and a oustaleti with a amputated foot.
The veileds leg healed but you can tell it gives him some problems.
The oustaleti moves about the cage like he has the foot. Only time i see him have to change the way he is climbing is when he is on the screen.

Rstuart said:

@jannb did ur chams leg heal from the break?

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Yes it did. It just left a bump on her leg.

Liquid calcium and natural sunlight after surgery u mean??

And yea I guess it wud jut be her foot too..

Out of curiosity, how much would an amputation like that cost? Did they explain what they were going to do?

My vet quoted me $400 Canadian dollars but when she talked to her boss about a payment plan they priced it out around $600 because she quoted me $400 she said she honor it amputation, meds b4 and after and all... I took her in today for surgery and she came out with all 4 legs still The Vet sedated her but everytime she tried puttin tube down her mouth she'd close her throat off...she won't let them put it in her :/ and that's how they gas her and breathe while she's under... She doesn't think it'd be safe to do surgery without it!!! Guess she does not want to have 3 legs. Ugh what to do now. 2 options Just leave it and she will continue to adapt or try again next week this time wit heavier medication!! Sigh tho it cud b possible she won't wake up from it Cas it's way stronger so more riskier .... I mean she's gunna be 5 yrs soon the vets never seen a veiled female this old... Is it worth putting her threw that? When she's functioning and gettin around well still. ?? I dunno...

I have pics of her and her foot now and pics of the X-ray just don't kno how to upload em from my cell phone :/

I hope it all works out ok. That is sad the vets weren't able to get it fixed quickly.

If the bones look like they're not healing and it's at the wrist then I'd be very worried about osteomyelitis, which is an infection of the bones. It's much more commonly found around the joints, and basically causes osteolysis (the bones look like they're dissolving) and swelling. What you described sounds a lot like this rather than just a fracture. Did your vet take any samples from the joint where it's swollen? Gout is also a possibility, though a little less likely if only one joint. If you can post the picture of the x-ray that would help so I could see what's going on a little better.

She fell funny so Im pretty sure it broke from that n in the X-rays all her bones n joints are perfect besides the broken one.. The vet says the fracture didn't heal cas it was too far apart n splinting it didn't help.... I'd post a pic if u cud tell me how to attach it from my iphone ??

I can't attach pics from my iphone...I have to email them to myself and do it from the computer. Not sure why.

Humm no comp what about ipad?