back from the vet and still confused.

jcal

jcal

Member
i took my chameleon to the vet tuesday because he kept closing his left eye. it didnt look like a major problem but "better safe then sorry". while at the vet the doctor took the cham to the back and came back saying that he found a abscess on the eye and removed it. i got some eye drops and was shown how to use them. after i got home i noticed from the paperwork that he removed the abscess from the right eye??? now the cham has both eyes closed and i have no idea what to do.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? ambilobe male 3 months 3weeks
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? rarely
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? morning or afternoon 10-15crickets
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? reptivite,minerall indoor and outdoor
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? dripper and mistking
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
looking good, since the vet visit is getting alittle watery and alittle dehydrated
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? nope

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. came from the kammers

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? lll cage 18/18/24 i think

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 100w bulb and reptisun 5.0

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
night temp is 65 high is 90
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
digital and is goes from 40ish to 90 when misting
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? fake
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? spare room
Location - Where are you geographically located?
socal
 
I would go back to the vet and let him/her know what the problem is. --one question for you, did you check that the vet you visited is expirienced with chams? ....some vets out there are no good with reptiles. Make sure your has experience.
 
Something about firstly taking the chameleon back without you for an exam and then secondly returning saying he had already removed an abscess sounds a little odd.

Not saying anything wrong occurred, but if it was my cham it would certainly have me wondering why I wasn't invited back along with the cham and then why the abscess wasn't shown and explained before removal.

What was the name of the product he gave you for eye drops?

I would certainly not hesitate to go back to the vet with your questions and concerns. He would want to know of any changes in the patient and should be willing to explain to you what is going on.
 
Did I understand this correctly? He found an abscess that you never saw, and "removed" it without leaving a mark?
 
yup. i dont know what a abscess looks like but there was one on his "good" eye. im not even sure if he looked at the other eye that made me take him to the doctor in the first place.

and again this is a very very well known doctor in socal
 
The whole things sounds very strange and your cham is worse off then he started it seems with not one closed eye but two. Sounds like when my husband went to the dentist and they did work on the wrong tooth! I hope everything works out ok for your cham. I would definitely go back and discuss the whole situation. I am sorry for you that this happened.:(
 
i live in the inland empire and i drove to yorba linda. do you know another one in this general area?
 
If it was me I would have asked the vet what part of his left eye has a problem don't you understand? So do you think poking him in the right eye is going to help him find food and water when he is now keeping both eyes closed? Then I would ask about his experience of treating reptiles.
But that's just me;)
 
I went there, and got the same drops. They didn't seem to help. I should have just used a saline rinse. I'm still on the fence about that Vet. I've been there a couple times without the best outcomes. I will probably go there again and see how it goes.
 
Those eye drops are not absorbed into the eye fast enough, I was given those for Molly but the vet was concerned that they wouldn't be absorbed enough to work, and he was right. Unfortunately it was our last shot :(
 
Action Jackson said:
I went there, and got the same drops. They didn't seem to help. I should have just used a saline rinse. I'm still on the fence about that Vet. I've been there a couple times without the best outcomes. I will probably go there again and see how it goes.
Click to expand...

yeah i called today to explain the situation and his response was just put the eye drops in both eyes???? ill call tomorrow and push for him to check the problem eye

justjumpit621 said:
Those eye drops are not absorbed into the eye fast enough, I was given those for Molly but the vet was concerned that they wouldn't be absorbed enough to work, and he was right. Unfortunately it was our last shot :(
Click to expand...

do you know of another product i should try that will clear up the problem?
 
jcal said:
i live in the inland empire and i drove to yorba linda. do you know another one in this general area?
Click to expand...
Man, I'm so sorry your chameleon is have such eye problems. It's hard to see our chams (babies) in pain/not feeling well.
You might just call the vets office and ask to speak to him or get a call-back or at least an e-mail for him if possible (but you don't want to just leave the whole message with the receptionist, you won't get adequate answers that way). I might be good to be diplomatic about your line of questioning when speaking with the vet. If a vet/doctor feels affronted/accusations or that your looking for a confrontation you may get "ZIPP". I'd write down your questions first, then call.
I'd say something like: "I'm calling because, I forgot to ask you about the condition regarding my chams initial eye problem in the (right?) eye. I just got side-tracked
with the unexpected abscess finding & removal in the (left?) eye. Doctor, did you happen to see anything wrong with that (right?) eye? It was the eye my cham often kept closed... I'm concerned because now he keeps both eyes closed."
Maybe that way she'll/he'll be more forthcoming with information and details and not think your implying negligence etc prematurely ... You know what I mean? I really would write it down, and try to stick to a script. Hopefully you can get the info you're entitled to (and remember you paid for it too). I don't think most doctors (whether for humans, or animals) are trying to pull-one-over on their patients, but many of them would rather not take the extra time (with a time-is-money aditude) to explain much. Too often the animal owners/patients have difficulty understanding what a doctor is saying because the doctor has poor communication skills when relaying info in "lay terms", like some forget how to speak in "lay terms" & won't make the effort. Some think all their patient/customers are really only interested in results/fixing the problem, & so avoid explanations unless pinned-down by a persistent consumer/patient. I'm not saying that is a valid excuse, to the contrary. The vet can get himself into a multitudes professional troubles with some of the things he's doing/not doing.The lack of information sharing with you, not asking your decision/permission to go forward w/the procedures, is obviously poor business & medical practices. A vet should never assumed you wanted to have the procedure done without informing you of the finding first and then asking your decision/permission to work on the eye. Most doctors won't just assume you could even afford the procedure, because they may not get paid. My vet did explain a lot to me but I had all the questions on a pad and marked them off as we covered them. I also asked more new questions later after the procedure on my cham, bfore check out. I just wrote them down as they came to me (primarily to remind myself to ask them). I'm absent minded/don't have a good memory so I rely a lot on lists/note pads. I think I would probably go to another vet but I would wait to see how the phone call goes 1st. If you don't feel satisfied with the visit/service, his manner, his inadequate/incomplete information sharing with you, and business/medical practices after speaking with him on the phone it's only natural to go elsewhere.
My vet gave me an itemized estimate of the cost for the exam, tests & x-rays that he need to perform (before performing them) to help him make a diagnosis. It's his normal business practice for his office manager to present this info during the visit in the exam room. After getting my permission to proceed he then was able to make a diagnosis which he informed me of. Then he explained what he suggested as treatment/procedure. At that point, again the office manager came in the exam-room with another itemized estimate for the final total cost after all procedures were performed at check out (+/- $40) for my approval on $$ if it was affordable for me. After that I was ask for my decision & permission to do the treatment from vet. When it was over I was also given detailed written & verbal instructions on treatment/meds I was to give my cham at home while he is recovering. Excellent business practices & sound medical practice/advise too (so far)! Sorry I'm long winded. I hope you have more success with finding the vet for you in the future. Hopefully you'll get a referral from a fellow forum member. Until then, I hope your cham has a comfortable, speedy & full recovery.
 
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