burn? sick? please help

[KAZER210]

i had posted about this before but everyone said i needed pictures and i was able to get some uploaded.. but i had my cham outdoors all spring and summer but since the fall i brought her inside and set up her lights and such.. well the first 2 days i had her in her cage ( 2.5ft x 2.5ft x 6ft tall) i had her in a slightly cold room so she kept close to the light.. then i moved her into the office which is warmer and her temps seem to be right now.. but i noticed she had a spot on her back.. like a shade of white.. and not from shedding but more like a color loss.. i have been paying attention to her and sshe is moving less and seems to be just laying around now... she also developed a black stripe on her side that always seems to stay there along with the spot on her back.. i was told it might be a burn but im not sure.. can someone help me .. is there something i can give her or put on her?

 

[Nicolas]

Hi,

A burn is normaly white, gray...
It makes me think about this: http://forum.tanalahy.com/tache-noire-t14401.html
It was able to someone walk on? He fell ? A shock ?
I'm not sure at all but, if that is, it's a treatment with cortisone.

 

[nimmitz]

Hey there, sorry about your cham Something is definitely amiss.

Please fill out this http://https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ , copy an paste with as much info as possible, it will better help us determine what is wrong

I can't distinguish what it is exactly, from my experience.
Might be that he fell and bruised himself? His spine might be slightly burned? Does anyone else see the grayish bits? Could be my imagination.

I wish you the best and hope your cham gets better

 

[nimmitz]

If it is a bruise it should disappear with her next shed

 

[pigglett79]

Looks more like a bruise than a burn. Hopefully one of the vets will give some insight.

 

[KAZER210]

thank you for the feedback everyone...

the black spot i could understand it being a bruise maybe. cause she has fallen before.. although ive never seen a bruise. but im still concerned about the white stain on her back.. its mostly on her back but there is also on the top of her head and also some on the top of her knees. i took this picture with the redlight cause you can see the white more.. durring normal light it just looks pale.. almost white too

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Eeks! That is a very large area affected...the top where it is more pale could potentially be a burn, however it could also be an infection of either fungal or bacterial variety. What may have started as a burn may have become secondarily affected. Minor burn, and for the most part even the more significant burns, should not cause a change in behavior. The fact that she's lethargic definitely worries me. If there is a fungal or bacterial infection now then it could spread to the rest of the body and cause a life threatening infection. I don't say this to scare you, but I do want to stress the importance of seeking treatment as soon as possible knowing what the consequences of delay may be.

The black stripe also worries me. It could a problem on its own, like a more severe burn site that has caused the skin to die already, but based on the perfectly rectangular pattern I'm more worried that this is due to damage above where the stripe begins. Color change in chameleons is controlled primarily by two things: hormones (stress, courtship, relaxation, etc) and the nerves. If the nerves going to an area of the body are damaged then that can cause a local color change from the area of the damaged nerves. With a burn usually the area is circular or somewhat irregular. I've never seen one with perfectly straight margins like that because heat radiates. So if the burn occurred on the area just above the black stripe, it may have caused enough damage to penetrate deeper than the skin and actually damage the nerves that drop down from the spine and end near the bottom of the body. They fall in lines perpendicular to the back, kind of like ribs, only straighter. So if it was damaged above it would affect the entire region of the nerves below.

Now if that's the case, which I suspect but can't confirm since I'm just looking at pictures, then the damage is pretty severe and I'd definitely be worried about a growing infection. Your girl needs to see a knowledgable reptile vet (not just any vet) for some hands-on evaluation to look for other clues, diagnostics and most likely treatment. For tomorrow you can put some antibiotic ointment on it (never cortisone) but she should really see someone on Monday.

The problem with the room being cooler is that your chameleon will sit under the heat lamp for longer and get closer to it than normal trying to bring its body heat up since the rest of the environment is cooler. So even if the basking temperature seems lower than you'd expect to cause a burn, the prolonged more intense exposure can cause burns anyway. And just like people who get sunburns, the damage isn't apparent until it's too late unfortunately.

 

[Elizadolots]

edited away because my suggestion was to loop Ferret into the discussion and she's here now!

 

[mcbdz]

If that was my animal I would take it in to the vet ASAP. With the bruising and yes that most likely is a burn, It really need some vet care. Please fill out the questionnaire and you can make a copy to take with you. While you are waiting to get into see the vet post your answers on here so some more experienced keepers may be able to help you.

Posted at same time. Listen to what ferretinmyshoes says.