Chin Bump?

[Wisto&Co]

Hi all!

Today I noticed my veiled seems to have a bump on his chin. Does this look like an abscess to you? Otherwise he seems to be pretty healthy, minus refusing to eat crickets and being picky about eating generally Though he has started eating hornworms recently which is good for a bit of variety at least

I'm definitely good to take him to a vet, but wanted to see what you all thought first since I know the trip to get him there would be pretty stressful. What do you think? These are photos from today, and I could look to take better ones if needed. And this is very recent as I take him to an outdoor cage every two days and only really started getting worried today

I really appreciate any takes on this, so thank you in advance

 

[Beman]

I mean it is a slight bump... Does he ever gape at you so you can see the inside of the bottom of the mouth and the gum line up front there?

 

[Wisto&Co]

I mean it is a slight bump... Does he ever gape at you so you can see the inside of the bottom of the mouth and the gum line up front there?

Thanks for the fast response!

Hmm, I tried to gently touch him to provoke him into gaping but of course this time he only slightly hissed and mostly ignored me. And while wearing a glove I carefully touched the bump and it seems to be some kind of something-filled sac unfortunately (it was moving slightly in the direction I touched it).

I'll see if I can get him to gape so I can look inside his mouth, but I guess I'll make an appointment with the vet now for next week

 

[Gloriawood]

No expert, but this is how spaghetti’s recent abcesse started out. It was like this then over night it grew much bigger. Keep an eye on it till you can get him in

 

[Wisto&Co]

No expert, but this is how spaghetti’s recent abcesse started out. It was like this then over night it grew much bigger. Keep an eye on it till you can get him in

Thank you! That makes sense--I did luckily get an appointment for Monday, but will definitely keep a close eye until then. Really appreciate the perspective

 

[MissSkittles]

If it is an abscess, the vet will need to open it and fully remove the pus, which is thick like cottage cheese. Maybe once that is tended to, he’ll be more accepting of a variety of feeders.

 

[Wisto&Co]

If it is an abscess, the vet will need to open it and fully remove the pus, which is thick like cottage cheese. Maybe once that is tended to, he’ll be more accepting of a variety of feeders.

That could be the reason, definitely. Also, is there some kind of standard aftercare that the vet should put me in charge of after trhe pus is removed (e.g. any antibiotics, wound care, what to feed, etc)? If yes to antibiotics, are there any that are known to be worse in side effects that I should ask alternative for?

I know it might be best to avoid any hard feeders until he is healed, and hornworms / silkworms would be a good choice if they do have him take antibiotics to make sure he's hydrated.

 

[MissSkittles]

Your vet will advise you on any needed aftercare. Usually you’ll need to keep an eye on the wound to ensure it’s healing. I think all antibiotics are hard on little chameleon bodies. The most important thing, as you already know, is hydration. Silkies and hornworms are both excellent - soft bodied, very hydrating and silkies are very nutritious. Try to avoid hornworms which are larger if possible since they can bite back. Maybe add a dripper for 15-20 minutes, or an additional opportunity for drinking. Hopefully with good vet care and your TLC, he’ll heal up nicely.

 

[kinyonga]

Generally when a chameleon has an abscess, the bacteria involved is pseudomonas aeruginosa and it’s a tough one to get rid of…so IMHO, as a person who is not a vet…but only speaks from experience, an antibiotic will be needed and a culture and sensitivity test will be needed to tell you which antibiotic to use, after the abscess is cleaned out and flushed. Even with all of that, if it is pseudomonas, it may come back.

Hope all goes well!

 

[Wisto&Co]

Hey all!

Just got back from the vet, and thank you again for all of the suggestions earlier They aspirated the bump and it was the start of an abscess so they were able to remove all the pus apparently. I asked the vet to flush it but he flat out refused. I used to go to another vet but this is the best of the two that I can get to. Pretty surprised at this, but I couldn't insist any more than I did given the response.

He did put in the order for a sensitivity culture so we can get the right antibiotics. For now he injected Fortaz (one of the front legs, in the upper part) until we get the culture back (could be next week he said). I'll go back on Thursday for another dose of the antibiotic and on Monday again after that. He also said I should clean the bump with eye wash and sterile q-tips (which they gave me) until Thursday, by which time the wound should be close to healing.

After Monday if all goes well, I'll need to continue injecting Wisto myself (or could go to the clinic but will do it unless going back would be better) for another 3 weeks and / or until the bump's completely healed. Any advice on either having the vet do this or taking it on myself?

Wisto was not happy about all this, but so beautiful with all the fired up colors. I also took a picture of him suspiciously looking around

The total for all this was over $300 so Gloriawood definitely got a great deal

He seems ok and had an appetite when we got home which seems good. Hopefully this thread can help someone going through something similar I'll keep in updated for that reason too

 

[Beman]

Ugg injections freak me out... I think if I had the option I would have the vet do it but then again I do not have another person that can assist me to even try it. So I would not try it for that reason. @kinyonga knows more about injections than I do.

 

[Gloriawood]

Good deal you caught it early! Just a heads up, this was the exact way Spaghettis went. Drained it and antibiotics, but it came back. Wisto’s doesn’t come back.

 

[Beppo]

He sure is beautiful! Glad you were able to catch and get it treated early. I hope everything will work out well

 

[MissSkittles]

Glad they caught it early and hope it all clears up well. I like the pic where he’s peeking over the box..very cute. Did they teach you how to give the injection?

 

[kinyonga]

Ecause chameleons lack the loop of Henle, it’s important that you use the upper limbs to give the injection in.
This should help…

 

[Wisto&Co]

Glad they caught it early and hope it all clears up well. I like the pic where he’s peeking over the box..very cute. Did they teach you how to give the injection?

Thank you all for the well wishes That's also my favorite pic: I laughed out loud when he was doing that

Yep! The vet showed me how to pinch his upper arm between my fingers so the muscle is away from the bone, and how to inject at an angle (plus holding down the injection site for a bit afterwards).

Definitely will be looking at that video and am thinking to try giving the injection while at the vet's in case he needs to step in / to decide if we can do it at home (since I do have someone who could hold him for me)

 

[Lindasjackson]

Good luck! I hope he heals well and quickly and it doesn’t come back! Years ago when I had my first two Jackson’s I had to give them injections and I hated it but being a nurse helped.