Eye problem

[Jam]

I am looking for some opinions on Hermie's apparent eye problem.

I noticed yesterday that he had one eye shut. At one point he was making it bigger, smaller (the cone socket), and kind of rubbing it. But it looked ok otherwise. I upped the humidity in his cage to see if I could help him get whatever it was out that I assumed was in it. He seemed to be doing fine -- would open it up occasionally, moved around, appeared to have eaten, probably drank (he wont do either in anyone's presence, but he doesn't look dehydrated and silk worms are missing). His color was/is great -- bright lime green with yellow stripes.

This yesterday evening and this AM he seemed fine, so I figured he got it out.

When I got home from work (half an hour ago) he had BOTH eyes shut. I sprayed him down, he opened them and moved away and then shut them. Coloring is still amazing -- bright lime green with yellow stripes. Nothing dark and stressed, but not his really super bright "po'd" coloring either. I went to take him out to see if there was anything that I could do (what I don't know...) he started to walk on my hand and then was like "HEY WAIT A MINUTE" and turned around walked off, but closed his eyes again.

I called a local vet -- I just recently moved and haven't needed one since moving -- who I had heard good things about but they told me that they don't have any openings until Thursday evening. Is it just me or does this seem like it needs attention sooner than thursday? There is another number in the phone book for a vet that claims to do exotics (but that I have heard nothing about), should I give them a call? Is there anything that I can do for him here? Am I overreacting?

Thanks
Jamie and Hermie

 

[westcoastchameleons]

Well my cham. had the same problem, it just happened to be humidity.Maybe your hit his eye on something, but you won't know unless you take him to a vet.

 

[Jam]

I just got back from taking Hermie into the Emergency clinic at Mich. State Univ. Veterinary College. It was agreed upon there that he needs a vet, but they didn't feel that the vets on staff that night had the knowledge to treat him. They gave him fluids to fend off dehydration for the night.

Tomorrow morning I am going to haul him and his enclosure to the exotic vet to get her to squeeze him in as her schedule allows among patients.

My mother called me on my way home from the vet clinic -- she has a beareded dragon (lives about an hour away) displaying the SAME symptoms, just a day behind hermie. The only common denominators that the two share are that they have been eating off of the same silk worm shipment and that a week ago they both got their UVB bulbs changed (ordered new ones at the same time, same kind -- zoomed 8.0 compact bulb for UVB). It seems like too much of a coincidence to me, but I am not sure what the problem is exactly. Hopefully tomorrow will shed answers. Hermie is currently sleeping on a bed of towels in his enclosure.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

Sometimes you can try a saline flush but if it's both eyes i would wonder that there is something else besides something lodged in his eye

 

[Jam]

Hermie appears to be in a coma like state this morning. He's alive (his coloring is still good, I remember when corey died the pigmentation got really bad looking) and laying sternally, but not responding. The "recommended" exotic vet in the area does not open until 8:00am ... where we will be heading.

The beardie at my mom's is continuing down hermie's "path" but about a day behind. It has to be something more than just getting something in his eyes.

 

[Frank Castle]

Good luck with Hermie, My prayers are with you on this one. Hopefully we see the Fighter Known as Hermie make another great comeback. Will be looking forword to your next post.

Frank

 

[Jam]

Hermie is still at the vets, but I received a call from them.
His White Blood Cell Count is 22,000 (should be 10-12,000), and he has boarderline high range calcium, and high range phosphorous. The vet says to him this indicates that he has kidney troubles, most likely a kidney infection. They have in the incubator now, and are starting him on fluids to flush through his kidneys and antibiotics. He says he is pretty sure that hermie can turn around on us and make it. Herm did "wake up" when the vet started handling him, not enough to his, but started to squirm to get away from him. and moved around some.

Not giving up on this little guy yet!!

 

[lilj0e]

i hope everything works out!!!

 

[Frank Castle]

Hermie is a Fighter for sure. Glad to see the hopes up from the vet. Were you still giving him the Liquid Calcium, did the vet say anything about that? Is his bone dencity up enough for him to come off of it? Let us know when you get him home, or any updates.

Frank

 

[Jam]

I just got hermie home. His cage is set up and I put his travel box (a shoe box with a green towel) in it ... he hasn't left the travel box and is just sitting there (sleeping?) with his eyes closed. He did put up a fight when the vet taught me how to give him his subq fluids and antibiotics, which was good, and climbed across the table to his box ... I guess he recognizes it as "going home." The vet said he probably wont eat a whole lot for a week and it may take up to a week for us to see any real improvement but he thinks that hermie has a good chance of turning around and making it through.
he is still on a very low dose of liquid calcium every other day. The vet said that he doesn't necessarily trust the calcium readings as really being "high" because if they are low in calcium their body starts pulling it from their bones (cause of MBD) and makes the blood levels artificially high. He said to keep giving hermie his supplement and that when I brought him back in, in another week we would recheck and go from there. He wasn't horribly high though -- the high end of normal was 10.0 and he was 10.6.

THanks and we're hoping for the best with him, what a trouper.

 

[Frank Castle]

When Hermie makes it through this segment (not "IF"). I nominate him for the Iron Cham award. It is great to see such an appreatiation and willingness for life. Even out of a fairly little guy. No matter what the odds are he is there fighting. Great job on the care also Jam.

Frank

 

[Jam]

For the first day hermie was really up and around his cage today! The first night home after a few hours he kinda "hauled his sorry self" up to a branch clung on and slept (well at least his eyes were closed and he had the "sleeping colors" on) until today. He would wake up when he had to have his fluids and/or antibiotics but that was about it. Today I actually looked in a few times to find his eyes open and he had actually moved around to various spots! yay!

When he was sleeping so much I made him a hammock in this branches so that he would have to cling onto them... but of course he wouldn't use it. lol. He'd climb right off of it and then go to sleep.

I talked with his vet today and we're a little concerned that he hasn't passed any feces/urates yet, mostly the urates since he hasn't eaten much of anything. But since he's felt well enough to walk around and has become more lively and even had it in him to bite me the other morning while I was giving him subQ fluids we decided to keep an eye on him and let him be, rather than stress him out more. The vet told me that he'd be sure to keep his beeper on him all weekend in case there was a problem though, i was impressed by that.

So he's hanging in there and certainly not giving up yet!

 

[edub2017]

We are all pulling for ya'. I just know your guy will make a full recovery! PLEASE keep us updated.

 

[Jam]

Well hermie is back to eating again. I've been noticing that the silk worms I put in his cage have been noticably absent the past two days, and I haven't been able to find them hiding anywhere... so I thought he might be eating them. Apparently Herm didn't feel that I was giving him enough, because when I took him out for his fluids he opened his mouth (not hissing though, I've been on the receiving end of that many times!) and when I put a silk worm in it he promptly started swallowing and then popped his mouth open for another one. in the past if I try to put them in and he doesn't want it he'll just spit them back out. I wish he had chewed them better though ... I think that they were still alive on the way down...

but at least he's eating and active again!

 

[Frank Castle]

That is great news. You have an amazing animal there. Even through all his ordeals he is still going strong.

Frank