A little chin rub

[Weebo]

Just went to the vet. Got X-rays taken. She has MBD. No fractures just slight bowing of the front legs. Spine is in good shape. She also has a small respiratory infection so I got medicine and liquid calcium to boost her calcium. I also asked for the X-rays so when I get them emailed I will post a couple pics. Thanks everyone. All the input is appreciated

 

[Andee]

Good, liquid calcium is great to have on hand for females in general. I have up to date liquid calcium always available in my fridge because I rehabilitate and rescue chameleons. Some have mbd and need it, however some have mbd bad enough, especially if they are females, that I end up putting them down. I am so glad you got the x-rays done and are getting her the stuff she needs

 

[Weebo]

Well here's the 3 X-ray photos from yesterday of Weebo. She's 6-7 months old. Weighs 87 grams and has MBD as well as a slight respiratory infection. You can also see her starting to develop her first batch of eggs. Thought these pics were pretty cool and good for other people to see what happens to the bones. How her legs are bowed as well as clear, indicating not enough calcium within the bone structure

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

wow, you can really tell that she is calcium deficient because you can barely see he little arms! wishing you good luck and hope she gets better fast!

 

[Andee]

Since she is developing eggs... How much liquid calcium were prescribed to give her at one time?

Edit: Just saying this because of the severity of her condition and the fact that she is developing eggs I would get as much liquid calcium in her that is physically safe and depending on the dosage that the vet recommended you can sometimes increase by .05 cc. I have done it safely with 75 gram female Jackson chameleon who get .1 and .05 cc liquid calcium 3 times a week, which she will get it every day I expect but Jackson are far more sensitive to supplements. .05 is usually fine for an increase once again depending on the dosage with severe cases and if they are using a lot of calcium at once like she will to produce eggs.

Reason for edit: realized I had written the measurements wrong for the cc syringe once I looked at my oral syringes.

 

[Weebo]

I was prescribed .06 mL 3x daily

 

[Andee]

Is that a 1cc syringe?

 

[Weebo]

I'm not sure. 2 mL syringe marked every .01 mL

 

[Andee]

Ok so you have a 2 cc syringe which means, 1ml is the same as 1cc. Here is what I would do, since she is taking a decent amount already for her weight, I wouldn't add the complete .05 . I would add an extra .02 therefore she is taking up to .2 ml total, you don't really have to even it out at all, I would give her the .08 or if you want to split it the two doses of .07 during earlier in the day. It will allow her to absorb it easier.

 

[Andee]

This way she won't overdose with how depleted she is, and she should get an extra boost of calcium that will help produce eggs easier. Hopefully she will have enough time to recover her calcium levels before eggs. I don't remember, did we talk about her diet and temps at all? If they are too high or you are feeding too much it is very likely she will make more eggs than her weak body can handle.

 

[Weebo]

Ok. I like that idea because giving her 3 doses a day is hard for me with work. Plus she hates t and it stresses her out. As for diet she is primarily on gutloaded crickets dusted daily. Plus hornworms and mealworms. Hornworms more often than mealworms. Temp in basking spot is mid 80s and I'd say she is eating 15 crickets a day plus a worm

 

[Andee]

Well I usually give .5 ml to my panther who is an adult all in one dose if I am giving him liquid calcium. I have never split up doses of liquid calcium to multiple times a day unless it was an amount their stomachs couldn't hold. Which is when I would ask, why are giving that much liquid calcium lol? But .2 ml should be perfectly fine to give in one dose.

 

[Weebo]

Well I honestly have no experience in this area so I'm just going by what my vet prescribed. Initially it was .06 twice a day and then after speaking with the radiologist he wanted me to increase to 3 times a day

 

[Andee]

It would be perfectly safe to do .2 in total at once. Because the total you are giving right now is .1 plus another .08 adding an extra .02 would bring it up to .2 which is easily doable in one dose and I would do it in the morning or day time if you could. If you don't feel safe I totally understand. But like I said I usually increase my doses in my chameleons, especially my rescues who show bad symptoms of bone mass, by .05, sometimes a little less depending on the base measurement that is prescribed. Adding that extra .02 won't cause any harm and will help her get prepared for egg laying without the eggs sucking more calcium from her. So I wouldn't worry about the amount you are going to give her being too much for her stomach as I have given a very similar dose to my smaller Jackson.

What are her basking temps and how often/much are you feeding her?

 

[Weebo]

Basking temp around 85 degrees. I feed her in the morning 5:30 am before work and 4:30 pm after work. About 7-9 crickets each time plus a worm in the afternoon

 

[Andee]

I would feed only every other day but the amount is fine.

 

[Weebo]

Today I came home from work and there was throw up with some half digested worms and crickets in it. Is this due to her medication?

 

[Andee]

You are only giving liquid calcium right? It shouldn't affect her digestion at all. What are the exact ingredients listed on the prescription? I have never ever had a reaction like that to just purely liquid calcium. It is a little concerning... Vomiting is usually a pretty big problem. I am going to reread some recent posts in the thread and edit this post if I see anything that may help.

Edit: what were the antibiotics you were prescribed for her respitory infection? How far back in her mouth are you placing the oral syringe?

 

[Weebo]

Doxycycline for the respiratory infection. And I mean I get the syringe in her mouth but didn't think I was going to far. She didn't throw up right away I noticed it after work. And she didn't eat today

 

[Andee]

You should place the syringe all the way toward the back of the mouth and little into the throat, she may do what you consider a gagging motion but she won't throw up because of it. The problem is if you just put it in her mouth she could possibly aspirate because of poor placement because their airway is under their tongue. However I don't know anything about doxycycline specifically, I want to say it's the same med as Baytril which could very well be the problem. Almost all chameleons don't do well Baytril , however I haven't heard of many who have a reaction as violent as hers. However Baytril is known for causing dehydration, disinterest in food, and eventually death. Hold on lemme look it up and make sure.

Edit: I was right, doxycycline is another name for Baytril, which I strongly recommend asking for a different antibiotic. Not just because of her reaction, though that is one of the reasons, but because in general chameleons so not react well to it as a whole.