Giardia!

@MissSkittles pulling the casque back did not work for Carmelo. His casque is chunky. There was not enough space for backward movement to encourage him to open. So he just pointed his chin upward, keeping his mouth closed. I used the doctors method. It was a little rough but Day 1 completed. WHEW! We have 5 doses to administer.

Thanks for guiding me. I don't know if I could manage Carmelo without CF.
 
ChamelaChameleon said:
@MissSkittles pulling the casque back did not work for Carmelo. His casque is chunky. There was not enough space for backward movement to encourage him to open. So he just pointed his chin upward, keeping his mouth closed. I used the doctors method. It was a little rough but Day 1 completed. WHEW! We have 5 doses to administer.

Thanks for guiding me. I don't know if I could manage Carmelo without CF.
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It is a challenge, that’s for sure. I haven’t had to medicate my chams much at all (this is just the third time), but after a few doses they almost seem to have an understanding that we are trying to help them. Not that they’ll open their mouth any more willingly, but they are less sassy.
 
MissSkittles said:
It is a challenge, that’s for sure. I haven’t had to medicate my chams much at all (this is just the third time), but after a few doses they almost seem to have an understanding that we are trying to help them. Not that they’ll open their mouth any more willingly, but they are less sassy.
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Sassy is an understatement. Carmelo was in complete control. I told him Hammlet made this method look easy. He just stuck his chin in the air. Throughout this ordeal he kept his happy colors and his tail was extremely relaxed. He did not mind me touching his casque. I thought touching his casque would make him upset. Nope, not at all. Even when I used the doctors method, he kept the happy colors and relaxed tail. He did thrash around but we were quick. My granddaughter was more affected than Carmelo. 🤣 She repeated ok Nana let him go, let him go, he's got it, he's taking it, let him go. She was the assistant. I assured her that we were not hurting Carmelo but she was making sure he was OK. Carmelo belongs to her. She provides 50% of his care. Im not turning over complete care provider until I'm 100% sure she can care for him alone.
 
ChamelaChameleon said:
Sassy is an understatement. Carmelo was in complete control. I told him Hammlet made this method look easy. He just stuck his chin in the air. Throughout this ordeal he kept his happy colors and his tail was extremely relaxed. He did not mind me touching his casque. I thought touching his casque would make him upset. Nope, not at all. Even when I used the doctors method, he kept the happy colors and relaxed tail. He did thrash around but we were quick. My granddaughter was more affected than Carmelo. 🤣 She repeated ok Nana let him go, let him go, he's got it, he's taking it, let him go. She was the assistant. I assured her that we were not hurting Carmelo but she was making sure he was OK. Carmelo belongs to her. She provides 50% of his care. Im not turning over complete care provider until I'm 100% sure she can care for him alone.
Click to expand...

That's so sweet she's assisting with the care. She's learning a lot through the process (as are you!).
 
ChamelaChameleon said:
Help....Just got fecal results, Carmelo has a small amount of Giardia! I'm freaking out - I will pick up medicine from Vet tomorrow. I'm not worried about cleaning the enclosure, I can handle that but opening his mouth to give medicine scares me to death....The thought of handling - not so gentle, opening his mouth, giving him medicine-yikes! Should I use gloves when I pick him up? 😭
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I am new to chams, I will be getting my first in February. I am wondering what is Giardia and what does it do to our babies?
 
Shauna_T said:
I am new to chams, I will be getting my first in February. I am wondering what is Giardia and what does it do to our babies?
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Giardia is an intestinal parasite from unsanitary food or water. Humans can also have this parasite. It can be passed from pet to human or human to pet. It's very important to wash your hands after you handle any pet. Symptoms in Chams would be loose, runny stool. We had no symptoms. Carmelo Chameleon is adopted. I don't know his history. He was found outside which means he was eating wild feeders and getting water from wherever. I've had him 3 months. My first Exotic Vet was not Cham knowledgeable so I took Carmelo for a second check up with a Vet that was more Cham knowledgeable. The fecal sample showed a small amount of Giardia. We are treating him with oral medication for 5 days.
 
bbyoda said:
That's so sweet she's assisting with the care. She's learning a lot through the process (as are you!).
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We have learned a ton. Everyday she checks his enclosure, temps, humidity, and where he is sitting. Today he was on top of the pothos which puts him within 1 inch of the uvb-b fixture. She informed me that the temp and humidity was too low. So we ended up adding a incandescent bulb for additional heat. She's learning and has asked to take him home. I explained that she and I have more to learn before she can take him home.
 
ChamelaChameleon said:
Giardia is an intestinal parasite from unsanitary food or water. Humans can also have this parasite. It can be passed from pet to human or human to pet. It's very important to wash your hands after you handle any pet. Symptoms in Chams would be loose, runny stool. We had no symptoms. Carmelo Chameleon is adopted. I don't know his history. He was found outside which means he was eating wild feeders and getting water from wherever. I've had him 3 months. My first Exotic Vet was not Cham knowledgeable so I took Carmelo for a second check up with a Vet that was more Cham knowledgeable. The fecal sample showed a small amount of Giardia. We are treating him with oral medication for 5 days.
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Ok thank you
 
@MissSkittles I'm really worried about Carmelo. Since taking medication (metronidazole) he looks sick. He has had 3 doses. He has 2 doses remaing but I'm not sure if I should give him todays dose. Laying around, seems lethargic, eyes slightly sunken, not eating. See pics. I'm calling Vet tomorrow. I've decided to not administer the 4th dose until i speak to the Vet.
20221227_195135.jpg
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You’ll definitely want to consult with your veterinarian asap on this. A quick search of the forum shows that metronidazole can be hard on chameleons. Also, usually anytime you treat for parasites the body has to deal with having dead parasites clogging the system and eliminating them. I’ve no idea at all how giardia or other Protozoa react when being treated. Wish I knew more and could offer better help.
 
MissSkittles said:
You’ll definitely want to consult with your veterinarian asap on this. A quick search of the forum shows that metronidazole can be hard on chameleons. Also, usually anytime you treat for parasites the body has to deal with having dead parasites clogging the system and eliminating them. I’ve no idea at all how giardia or other Protozoa react when being treated. Wish I knew more and could offer better help.
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Thanks. He just ate a hornworm. I started a dripper to make sure he has water available 24/7. His nighttime temp is 67 humidity 67%. Im just gonna check on him every 2 hours until I speak with the Vet. No sleep tonight.
 
@Beman @MissSkittles @Shauna_T I've been awake all night. I followed my plan of keeping the humidity between 50 and 70%. I hand sprayed every 2 hours for 2 minutes. His pj's were so cute they were glowing in the dark. I have given him his morning shower, added some uvb and uva to his habitat, bring humidity down to 30 and raising the basking temp to 82/83 degrees. He definitely looks better this morning. He is still moving slow but the temp is not yet at basking. I'm still calling the Vet as soon as he's open.View attachment 333199
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ChamelaChameleon said:
@Beman @MissSkittles @Shauna_T I've been awake all night. I followed my plan of keeping the humidity between 50 and 70%. I hand sprayed every 2 hours for 2 minutes. His pj's were so cute they were glowing in the dark. I have given him his morning shower, added some uvb and uva to his habitat, bring humidity down to 30 and raising the basking temp to 82/83 degrees. He definitely looks better this morning. He is still moving slow but the temp is not yet at basking. I'm still calling the Vet as soon as he's open.View attachment 333199View attachment 333202View attachment 333203
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Yay he definitely looks more perky in the picks keep us posted.
 
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