Desperate need of help!

[HueTheChameleon]

I have a female chameleon that is about 9 months that laid her first clutch of eggs about a month and a half ago and hasn't ever fully recuperated. After she laid her eggs, growths started appearing on her joints and are swelling up. The vet took x-rays and MRI and said there didn't seem to be anything wrong with my chameleon and that the growth were soft and might be an infection. She instructed me to give my chameleon injection every 3 days for a month. Unfortunately, we just finished the course of treatment and my chameleon isn't any better. My chameleon recently started falling from branches that she never fell from before.

I used to give her only crickets, but then started changing up her diet. She liked phoenix worms, horned worms, and wax worms, but didn't care for dubia roaches. I'm just worried, she was the picture of health until she became gravid and laid her eggs (which were 50!).

I notice the skin on her limbs are also becoming less pigmented than the rest of her body. If you know of any great chameleon vets in Chicago, please let me know. I have been going to the Exotic Pet Hospital in Oak Park and after $1,000 in tests and treatment, my chameleon has actually gotten worse. They gave me a vitamin D supplement, then food supplementation, then Vitamin A supplement, then the month antibiotic treatment. I followed their regimen perfectly. I'm really concerned.


Below see pictures of problem areas.
https://goo.gl/photos/UvgqAL5p7CvRfE8Y7

 

[Virgil1972]

I clicked on links and none of them worked. They all said error.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

I clicked on links and none of them worked. They all said error.

Does this work?
https://goo.gl/photos/UvgqAL5p7CvRfE8Y7

 

[Virgil1972]

It is working now. I have never seen anything like that before. Is it possibly MBD, producing eggs takes a lot of calcium and I think 50 is a pretty large clutch.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

The Xrays didn't show MBD, according to this vet, that I'm not 100% convinced knows what she's talking about. Also, she's receiving more than enough uvb and uva as well as supplements. I don't know if just having such a large clutch size doomed her and I should switch to palliative care. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions how I should proceed?

 

[Virgil1972]

What kind of UVB light do you use and what kind of supplements?

 

[carol5208]

Not Mbd. If it were gout, the swelling is usually hard, not soft. hmmm...puzzled on this one. I would think if it were an infection the antibiotic would have worked unless the infection was immune to it. Here is a vet in Chicago. I have never used them but got this out of the health clinic section here. There is a list where members post their vets across the country.
Chicago Area Reptile Vet

Here's a great Chicago area reptile vet: There are many vets here that claim that they are an "exotic" vet, however in the Chicagoland area, there are only 2 of them that I would trust with any reptile, including all of my chams (and they take emergencies). Here is the one I go to. Since we are not "Cham Central USA", he has good connections/colleagues that he contacts for further information and/or questions and he is open-minded and is not opposed to taking cham advice/suggestions from a breeder with experience (i.e. many times, we have talked about stuff/suggestions on the forum).

Dr. Todd Gray
Arboretum View Animal Hospital
2551 Warrenville Road
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-963-0424 - phone
630-963-0537 - fax
www.avah.org

 

[HueTheChameleon]

Flukers multi vitamin once or twice a month, calcium w/o phorphorous dusting of crickets, no added dusting when feeding phoenix worms since they are so full of calcium

 

[Craigwyatt]

Do you have a uvb bulb. They need vit D3 to process calcium. The UVB bulb will give your girl vit D3. You can also get calcium powder with D3 in it. But you really need the correct lighting if you don't have it. I'm not saying she has MBD but she does fit the description.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

They suggested I put her to sleep, they think it's simply a genetic defect.

 

[Virgil1972]

They suggested I put her to sleep, they think it's simply a genetic defect.

I would get a second opinion before going that far.

 

[JoeVet]

I second Virgil1972. Get a second opinion. A fine needle biopsy should be able to tell you what is going on in those lumps and from there you will know how to proceed.

 

[Carlton]

I agree with JoeVet...without sampling what's in those lumps you'll never really know. Its not a classic presentation of MBD, but it does seem to suggest some sort of edema (the connection with post egg-laying brings that to my mind). I wonder if the fluid has gotten infected? I've read that can happen.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

If it were gout, the swelling is usually hard, not soft.

Theoretically, if you're feeling the crystals themselves. In most cases the soft tissue around the crystals becomes inflamed by their presence and swells so gout swellings can still feel soft.

Based on the pictures unfortunately I would put articular gout at the top of my list. It looks classic for it. A needle sample from the joints should be diagnostic if done correctly. On x-rays you usually cannot see the crystals. Gout is a very bad disease to have in reptiles.

 

[Alexander1]

I live in Chicago and the vet I go to is at Animal house of Chicago, I only see Dr. Byron, he helped me in the past with a parasite issue my veiled had. The vet in downers grove is very far from my house, so I never hmgot a chance to visit that clinic. It's very tough getting a "exotic" vet that really is knowledgeable about chameleons. I also changed vets once before.