Chameleon with bump on jaw

Kenzie662

New Member
Hello! hoping anyone can help me with my panther chameleon!!

My almost 6 year old panther chameleon has gown a bump on his lower jaw... I learnt this about three weeks ago. I took him to an exotic vet and after getting x-rays it showed no damage to the bone. The vet gave me antibiotics if there was any infection but they did nothing. The bump remains.

his behaviour has been odd aswell ( or maybe I’m being a paranoid cham mom) but anyways He’s been hanging upside down (he never does this) and I found him tonight with his head In the dirt of his potted non toxic umbrella plant.

He has all the lights (uvb and basking bulb), he gets monthly showers to mimic his natural habitat and help his shed (if there’s stuck shed) as he is older and needs the help sometimes. I also give him all the supplements needed and the vet had said that he showed no signs of deficiency anywhere.

The vet and myself really don’t know what is happening. He is still eating although I haven’t seen him drink ( he has a water system and a misting bottle always available to him). He has an open concept cage meaning he has a huge tree he ventures onto but he’s very good in knowing when to go back to his cage and if he doesn’t I make sure he moves back in , but it’s been almost -50 here in Alberta so I’ve left him in his cage for the past couple days. I also gutload his food. I am wondering if it could be a tumour... and if that is the case what I should do moving on. It was also confirmed he did not have mouth rot as that was what concerned me in the beginning!

In the picture this was his bump three weeks ago... I’ve noticed it’s gotten bigger
 

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Generally if it's an infection it needs to be cleaned out. Chameleon puss is like cottage cheese and to the best of my knowledge no antibiotic will penetrate it to kill the infection. I can't tell you for sure that it's an infection...you need the vet to tell you that.

You said..."his behaviour has been odd as well ( or maybe I’m being a paranoid cham mom) but anyways He’s been hanging upside down (he never does this) and I found him tonight with his head In the dirt of his potted non toxic umbrella plant."...sounds like there might be something else going on too...can you post a couple of new photos of him please?
 
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Generally if it's an infection it needs to be cleaned out. Chameleon puss is like cottage cheese and to the best of my knowledge no antibiotic will penetrate it to kill the infection. I can't tell you for sure that it's an infection...you need the vet to tell you that.
I appreciate the response ! My cham had a sinus infection a couple years ago and they did flush it out! My vet didn’t mention anything about flushing it out, I didn’t think you could because it’s on the bottom of his jaw and it looks like you’d need to almost cut it open !! I’ll ask the vet when I take him in tomorrow.
 
The vet does have to cut it open to flush/clean it out.

I added to my last post BTW.
Okay, I will for sure bring that up with my vet! Is there any key attributes that distinguish an infection from anything else? His bump is hard, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it but !
 
I'm not a vet and I can't tell you what would distinguish an infection from anything else ...especially when it's in that position.

If he's hanging from the branch upside down and laying in the dirt...you need to get him to the vet ASAP.
 
Okay, I will for sure bring that up with my vet! Is there any key attributes that distinguish an infection from anything else? His bump is hard, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it but !

Reptile pus tends to have a much more solid state than that of mammals - abscesses often look and feel like growths! It's practically impossible to tell without a FNA (fine needle aspirate) or similar biopsy procedure. If confirmed to be an abscess, it will likely need to be lanced (opened up) and thoroughly flushed, and he'd likely be prescribed another course of antibiotics. If it's a growth, treatment (if any) would depend on the kind (benign vs malignant, etc.). It's good that xrays didnt show any damage to the bone!
 
Reptile pus tends to have a much more solid state than that of mammals - abscesses often look and feel like growths! It's practically impossible to tell without a FNA (fine needle aspirate) or similar biopsy procedure. If confirmed to be an abscess, it will likely need to be lanced (opened up) and thoroughly flushed, and he'd likely be prescribed another course of antibiotics. If it's a growth, treatment (if any) would depend on the kind (benign vs malignant, etc.). It's good that xrays didnt show any damage to the bone!
Good to know! I will also ask the vet about this!
 
So took Loki to the vet today and left with not so great news. His weight was way down and he was dehydrated. He has a drip system and I spray his cage... I had noticed he was not drinking the night before. The vet took blood today and suspects kidney failure. He was given fluids and a calcium shot as his phosphorus to calcium ratio was way off. The vet believes that all his calcium is going to his kidneys and that’s why he’s lacking. I do not want him to suffer, the vet made it clear it’s only a temporary fix. He still eats and is drinking little bits, I just don’t know where to go from here or what the best option is.
 
So sorry that you are having issues with your chameleon.

Please see your new thread for answers. Having more than one thread about the same chameleon makes it hard for us to follow.
 
So sorry that you are having issues with your chameleon.

Please see your new thread for answers. Having more than one thread about the same chameleon makes it hard for us to follow.
Sorry!! I’m very new to this thread thing so I thought I’d ask about kidney failure and stuff!! My bad!
 
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