Baby Panther Vomiting & Not Eating

[UrbanChameleon]

Yeah and that's really the reason I asked about the testing. I knew they couldn't really tell what it is in that case. Which is why I'm extremely concerned. I'm just not sure if I should put him on Anti-biotics (which could help in the majority of these problems) or be weary of it because of possible poisoning. I'm worried I won't even be able to do testing because of money. I just don't want to do the wrong thing.

I was looking for you by the way Doc. Lol. I remembered you introducing yourself to the forum but couldn't remember your screen name. I'm glad you joined us.

 

[Dr O]

My usual disclaimer about making diagnoses on the Internet certainly applies here.

IMO, his pictures look fantastic. They do not look like a baby cham on (or near) his last legs. The fact that the vomiting has ceased and he is drinking well is a tremendous step in the right direction.

If a toxin is the issue and we can catch it quickly enough, there are things like activated charcoal that we can administer that nullifies most toxins. But after several days, even in a reptile's slow GI tract, it is of limited use. We are then at the point where a toxin (whether originating from plant, insect, or another issue) has usually done its damage and we are moving into recovery phase. So far everything I've read that could be a possible toxin in your situation tends to be GI related, thus the vomiting. And remember the last time you had a major case of food poisoning? Did you feel A-ok the next day (particularly as a child), or did it take a while to start feeling better again? Perhaps a few days?

So far I'm reading and seeing pictures of a Cham that was mildly to moderately illl but seems to be getting over it. I will say that impaction was one of my first concerns as well, particularly with the large amount that he ate initially. If he were mine, I would continue as is, and see the better vet Tuesday if he's still not doing right. But I suspect that by then he may start coming around. And looking at his photos, I really don't think you need to worry about him starving to death any time soon!! Fat little boy!! ;-)

That's all the advice I can give from my side of the keyboard. If in doubt, get thee to a vet ASAP who can lay hands on him.


dr. o-

 

[Dr O]

Sorry, double posted.

 

[Dr O]

I'm just not sure if I should put him on Anti-biotics (which could help in the majority of these problems)

I was looking for you by the way Doc. Lol. I remembered you introducing yourself to the forum but couldn't remember your screen name. I'm glad you joined us.

#1--absolutely NOT TRUE
#2--you're welcome!!

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know you are not officially diagnosing him or anything, but I feel so much better. And guess what? I just ate a bag of Hot Fries. I'm not sure that constitutes as a meal, but it's something. Haha. We are all very lucky to have you here in the forums. I only wish I could repay the favor somehow.

I will keep everyone updated if anything changes. Hopefully I can get him to the vet soon, and in the meantime he starts to improve. I will make sure we all see this beautiful boy grow up. Just please keep your fingers crossed and pray for us. He needs all of the love he can get right now.

 

[xeonic]

Glad to see your feeling better.

 

[ataraxia]

And with him pooping fine, and after throwing up, you would think impaction would be ruled out to an extent. I won't know for sure about that until the vet.

Impaction does not always mean "complete" blockage. Some material will pass, while some others will not. Just depends on what was ingested and size.

Poison could be identified by going to lowes. Asking what farm/vendor they order that batch of plants from. Call that farm and ask.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Ok great. I'll make sure the doctor checks to make sure he isn't impacted. And I called Lowes. They said they don't use any form of pestisides. And the plant I got had the Lowes tag on it. It didn't come from another bender as far as I'm aware. I'm going to call them back now that I've calmed down to make sure I talk to someone who really knows.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone once again. Every last one of you have really helped. And I want to apologize if I sounded crazy, or answered any questions without explaining them completely. I've been frantic and obsessively checking/reading the forums for days. Yesterday in particular I was a hot mess. So thank you for sticking with me even though I haven't been at my best.

Ok. So lets get to todays..

Loki is still not eating. He started shedding this morning. I feel so bad for him. Nature couldn't have picked a worse time for his shed. It is going to make things much more difficult on him and myself to get him to the Vet. Poor little guy.

I called my local Animal Hospital. Today is the only day they are out of the office so I left a message. The breeder had contacted me about possibly going to a Vet in Louisville, KY. That is about 3-4 hours away but I've heard great things. The Dr.'s there are husband and wife, they've been doing this for a long time. It makes me feel better to have two minds working on my little man. Sadly they close at 4:30, which is an hour from now. So I might be taking him there tomorrow. I'm waiting on a Veterinarian Nurse to call me back. I was going to make sure they have Baytril (just in case he needs it), and ask multiple questions to make sure our trip will be worth it. If anyone thinks I should ask any particular questions please feel free to let me know. This is my first vet visit with any of my reptiles.

Also, what should I do for him if I have to take that trip? It will be 3 hours there and 3 hours back. He is currently shedding, which hopefully he will be done by tomorrow. I don't know what I should take him in. If he is still shedding he will definitely need heat and humidity. What do you guys do when one of your Chams needs to travel a few hours to the Vet? The only things I can think that I have to take him in is a 10 gal aquarium, the box he came in, and the container he was shipped in too. The container is pretty small, the box is okay and has styrofoam, and the aquarium might freak him out because it's glass. I'm thinking the box? Maybe cut holes in it for airflow, the styrofoam will help keep heat, and I can spray it a little or put a moist warm paper towel in it? I want him to be as comfortable and calm as possible.


-So to sum it all up, how should I keep him comfortable and safe on a long car drive? What should I take him in, and how should I make sure it has fresh air, humidity, and stay warm?
And any questions in particular that I should ask the Louisville Vet office before I drive him there? I want to make sure they have the right meds just in case. But my mind has been racing for three days. I don't want to forget to ask any questions or tell them any important info.

 

[ataraxia]

If you have a shoe box laying around. Take a pencil and poke a few holes in it. Place a towel in the bottom of it. Put the cham in the box.

While in the car place the box on the floor board where the sun cant beam through the windows and heat it up.

Good luck.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

OMG!!!!! He just ate! Holy crap I'm so excited! I jumped up and down like a little girl. Lol. I saw him eat two for sure. He still seems like he doesn't want to eat, but he is! I brought him out in the sun (even though it was going down) for about half an hour. He sits on top of my head so it make me a bit paranoid. I've got to get him an outdoor setup. He ate right as he got the majority of his shed off. It took a lot of energy (that he didn't already have) right out of him. I was watching him with both fingers crossed just begging god to get him to eat the cricket. It was like a bag of rocks just fell off my shoulders.

I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but this a a huge step in the right direction. As you can see in some of my pictures, he's had a piece of dried on shed stuck to his face since I got him. He still has a little shed on his back and still in that same spot. That was the only concern I had when I opened the box. I don't think that's why he vomited, but it may have had something to do with it. He seemed stressed about it and everything around him. I'm hoping it will come off by tonight. If not I'm wondering if I should try to gently remove it somehow, or put a dab of vitamin e on a q-tip. It's dried on there pretty good. Should I have a vet remove it? I'm waiting to see if it comes off, but if not I will probably need to do something about it. I seriously think it's been on his nose for a month at least.

And thank you for the travel tip. I'll do just that when I take Loki to the vet.

I think we're finally making progress here people!

 

[Dr O]

Why don't you just mist him gently with some water, and see if that takes the rest of the shed off?

o-

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Why don't you just mist him gently with some water, and see if that takes the rest of the shed off?

o-

I've been doing that all day. Since he's been sick I haven't even left the house. I give him his space, but I've been making sure his humidity and temps are just right. If it's not off by tomorrow I'll do something. He still has a little bit in a few other places. I'm just mainly concerned on that spot. It seems like it's been there from his last shed.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Well it looks like Loki's shed is completely off. I'm probably going to order a new cage for him tomorrow. That way he can spend time outside and hopefully not be stressed like he seems to be in his current cage. I hate the one I have now. He hasn't ate today. I was going to take him to the vet but I ended up sleeping for over 12 hours last night. I woke up sore too. I guess my body is trying to get some rest after all of this. I'm going to watch his appetite today. If he has still yet to eat, he is going tomorrow. Which is the day I finally get paid. Thank god. He hasn't thrown up and seems a but more alert after eating a few crickets yesterday. He still doesn't have an appetite for some reason and I don't know why.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Ok so Loki just ate two crickets. I'm trying to just put about 4-5 in at a time so he doesn't get intimidated. He won't eat them if they are close to him. He has to take his time and get a slow cricket. It takes him about 5 minutes to just hunt down one. The thing I noticed is that he won't eat them unless it's about 2-3 hours before bed time. What's up with that? He was just shipped from California and they are 3 hours behind. He seems to be adjusting to the time change well. Lights on at 9 and off at 9. He winds down around 8 and passes out the second the lights go off. Could he not be eating later in the day because of this and a combo of him being sick? Maybe his body needs to settle during the day before he feels good enough to eat. I'm not quite sure what's going on. He pooped this morning but it didn't have much urate. He drank this afternoon before he ate. I'm definitely seeing improvement but not much has changed since yesterday. Just taking it day by day I guess. Since he's getting better I don't want to stress him more with a vet visit. He keeps wanting out of his cage and I'm taking this a huge sign. I know his the reflection of anything in his cage is making him more stressed when it comes to eating. The way the sun hits through the curtains during the day make the reflection more visible. It just sucks that it will probably take a week to get here from LLL.