Gamma is dying!!! Help

EKEKO

Established Member
Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, Male, 15 month old
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Prior to this incident once or twice a week for 15 min max
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Gutloading with a dry mix similar to budburger also fresh carrots, fruits and arugula....Dubias, silkworms, Phoenix Worms
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?RepCal Calcium no D3 daily, Calcium with D3 twice a month, Herptivite twice a month.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Manual mistings, and automatic mister...The last time I saw him drink was maybe a week ago, since then it has been forced hydration.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? He was tested for parasites and it came negative, though his fecals are extremely runny, he strains while defecating and his urates are runny and orange
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. Nothing serious or out of the ordinary, always had issues with his eyes, but never swollen, discharging or life threatening


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen cage, 2'x2'x4'
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 7am-7pm 5.0 linear reptisun, 75w basking lamp
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 65-75 basking spot of 85...digital gauge with probe
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Automatic mister and fogger...set in 3 hour intervals for 30 secs...digital gauge
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Japanese Aralia, the rest are fake plants and vines
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? 3 feet above floor, next to a window that remains closed always
Location - Where are you geographically located? San Francisco, CA


Current Problem - He has had issues eating for the past 2 months with the occasional hunger strike but always bounced back with flying colors, this time he is extremely critical, has not eaten for 2+ weeks, he is extremely dehydrated, lethargic, can't hold his own weight. I have taken him to the vet got tested for parasites, came out negative. He was given 4cc of fluids IP to help with hydration and Ceftazidime to try to combat a possible bacterial infection. At this point the vet can only do further testing(blood) but he is already incredibly weak, barely uses his limbs to stand up, eyes are shut most of the time. And as of yesterday he has been vomiting due to force feedings I believe. Decided to use pedialyte orally, mixed in with a blend of calcium, spirulina and bugs, today I bought Zilla's Jump Start Caloric Supplement to try and see if I could get some nutrients in but brought up out again. Will try Reptaboost as soon as it gets delivered. I am extremely heartbroken, he is the first of my chams to have gone ill like this and need all the help I can get to determine what else can be done, he is slowly fading away, turning darker and darker.


Any input...PLEASE
 

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I wish i could help, Sometimes even under ideal conditions some chams don't make it. It sounds like you were doing everything right.
 
Extremely dehydrated. If possible would put him under a content mister or dripper (during daylight hours). I had someone give me a chameleon to rehydrate over the weekend, and this chameleon drank for 5 hours straight under a outdoor misting system. Shooting his tongue to get more water droplets off branches and leaves. Today the guy is back inside, but with a steady dripper going, and looking like 50/50 shot that he'll pull through.
 
He just passed...if there are any vets in the forum that could assist me with advice to perform a necropsy...I need to know what happened because this was very sudden and not even my vet could figure out a diagnosis...

RIP Gamma

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I am so sorry your chameleon is ill. I really don't have a whole lot to add but want to say if you don't think he has a chance, maybe it would be best to have him humanely euthanized. When I found my Romeo was critical I figured it was better to have him put to sleep rather than watch him die slowly. I am not trying to sound mean, so I hope I don't come off that way. It was a very difficult decision for me to make but I knew he was not going to make it, and when my vet saw him he agreed. I wish you the best of luck.
 
Again please if there are any vets that can help me in the necessary steps to follow for determining what took his life....I would extremely appreciate your time and advice
 
Necropsy

He just passed...if there are any vets in the forum that could assist me with advice to perform a necropsy...I need to know what happened because this was very sudden and not even my vet could figure out a diagnosis...

RIP Gamma

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First, let me say that I am terribly sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did everything possible. Sometimes there are genetic problems outside of our control which can be the source of the problem. Either way you need to know what happened!
With my background in breeding & showing a rare breed of canines for over 30 yrs, I discovered that the local agricultural state lab will often do a complete necropsy for little or nothing ( the last time I used them for a dog, it cost me $50)..and they are not limited to farm animals or domestic dogs and cats..these labs have an obligation to determine unusal deaths within their state. Let me know if you follow through on this or if you need me to find a phone number for you, for your state. Sadly I lost one recently, but it was out of stupidity of my own making.
Jenifer
 
The one thing I noticed...Herptivite 2 times a month? Too much.

He was beautiful! So sorry you lost him. Sounds as if everything just cascaded down over time so it might be hard to determine cause of death without tissue analysis.
 
The one thing I noticed...Herptivite 2 times a month? Too much.

He was beautiful! So sorry you lost him. Sounds as if everything just cascaded down over time so it might be hard to determine cause of death without tissue analysis.

Isn't that the recommended dosage on the forum for a multivitamin??
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a very handsome boy. If he had troubles eating for that long then I don't think you can call it a sudden death and am not confident that a home necropsy will give you the answers you need. Maybe a necropsy performed by a specialist would be a better chance.
 
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