my male veiled chameleon (about 1 1/2) has had what i believe is an abscess on his head (above his right nostril) for some time... I took him to my vet when i first noticed it and we tried lancing it and antibiotics, and it has diminished by about half its previous size since. My question is this : he still has it, it doesnt seem to bother him, but i am leaving for college soon, is it somethign i shoudl eb worried about?
We lanced it about a year ago, and it has not changed since, and as i said he doesnt seem bothered by it.
Im worried about undue stress, but i also dont want it to get out of control whikle i am away, any suggestions?

Post a picture please.

The problem with (facial) abcesses is that they can travel ... and end up in nasal cavities, the ears and even brain. Basically anywhere that there is open space. While I'm not extensively familiar with chameleon facial bone structure, I've seen rabbits who have had just this happen and literally saw CUPS of cottage-cheese like puss getting pulled out of its skull. The other thing that I personally worry about is it bothering the cham more than s/he lets on ... they tend to be pretty stoic animals IMHO.

With the help of a good vet it might be worth it to re-lance it and send off a sample of the puss for a culture and sensitivity ... this will tell you WHAT your bug is and which antibiotics it is susceptible to and will be effective to use. No sense in using Abs that are not going to be effective.

JMHO, Jam

thanks for your help... when we did the original lance we checked out the pus both stained and unstained on a microscope and my vet said it looked like just bacteria... however the antibiotics i took home didnt seem to do a whole lot, except maybe keep it at bay so it didnt grow back?
it was fairly granular and thick (i worked at this vets office so ive seen abscesses in cats and dogs) unlike a normal canine/feline one... and he doesnt react when i poke around with him, and normally he wont stand for too much prodding, so i dont think its bothering him too too much... i will have pictures tom, as you will see there is some scarring from the original lancing, and its lopsided, almost like the abscess was more solid than liquid (what we couldnt get out stayed in "formation" and didnt settle out like a liquidy one would)
anyway, thanks for your help, and pics soon

something like that obviously needs to be taken care of. Go to the vet and get it looked at.

ps. how long have you cared for chams, reading some of your posts makes me wonder about their care.

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2.1 veileds, 1.0 ball python

I am curious, in human beings if there is a large cyst, no matter how many times you lance or pop and treat with antibiotics, if the sack is left in the dermis, the cyst will reform. Is this possible with chams?

OPI

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1.1 jackson, 1 orange spotted day gecko, dog,
Herp Mist www.Herpmist.com