HELP injured chameleon

Addie t.

New Member
I’m quite new to the chameleon community, I just recently got a young veiled chameleon 2 weeks ago. Everything was going fine until one of my cats got ahold of him. There is a large hole on one side of his abdomen an another small hole on the other side. He is breathing normally but every now and then he gasp for air My parents don’t see him as worthy enough to go to the vet and just want to replace him when (if) he dies. I don’t want to replace him all advice will be gladly taken
 

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All you can do is take him to a vet. Theres nothing you can do to fix a gaping hole in the side of his body from home, unless one of your parents happen to be a surgical veterinarian. If you love this animal you need to fight for it, that means fighting your parents.
 
All you can do is take him to a vet. Theres nothing you can do to fix a gaping hole in the side of his body from home, unless one of your parents happen to be a surgical veterinarian. If you love this animal you need to fight for it, that means fighting your parents.
Thank you, do you know of anything I can do right now that would make it easier for him. Even if my parents would let me take him to the vet, it is closed so I would have to wait overnight.
 
Thank you, do you know of anything I can do right now that would make it easier for him. Even if my parents would let me take him to the vet, it is closed so I would have to wait overnight.
I'm sorry, I dont. Maybe someone else will chime in with some advice but I dont really see there as being anything you can do for him. And to be completely honest, I would be very surprised if a vet could do anything for you other than humanely euthanizing him. Does your vet specialize in chameleons?
 
I can't be sure from the picture, but that looks like a potentially breached body wall. If it is, it's unlikely the poor fella would make it even with a vet... that's a bad laceration, and cats carry all sorts of nasty things! Honestly, in my personal opinion the kindest thing to do would be euthanasia.

Do you have any emergency vets in the area? If you call ahead, even cat/dog vets will perform humane euthanasia. Otherwise, I'm not sure what advice I can give you, other than to try and keep him comfortable!
 
I'm sorry, I dont. Maybe someone else will chime in with some advice but I dont really see there as being anything you can do for him. And to be completely honest, I would be very surprised if a vet could do anything for you other than humanely euthanizing him. Does your vet specialize in chameleons?
Not chameleons specifically, but smaller animals yes. I was afraid it was gonna have to come to putting him down, id hate to do it, but I hate to see him suffer like this. Thank you again
 
Not chameleons specifically, but smaller animals yes. I was afraid it was gonna have to come to putting him down, id hate to do it, but I hate to see him suffer like this. Thank you again
If your vet doesnt specialize in chameleons then theres no point in even taking your cham there. That is a very serious injury that would require knowledge of chameleon anatomy to even begin to surgically fix. As GoodKarma stated, you need to just go to an emergency vet and get him humanely euthanized. Do it tonight. Dont prolong his suffering just because you dont want to lose him.
 
I can't be sure from the picture, but that looks like a potentially breached body wall. If it is, it's unlikely the poor fella would make it even with a vet... that's a bad laceration, and cats carry all sorts of nasty things! Honestly, in my personal opinion the kindest thing to do would be euthanasia.

Do you have any emergency vets in the area? If you call ahead, even cat/dog vets will perform humane euthanasia. Otherwise, I'm not sure what advice I can give you, other than to try and keep him comfortable!
If I look through the large hole on the side of him I can see out the other hole. We have one vet in the local area but not a 24 hr emergency vet, I don’t think he’ll last through the night.
 
If your vet doesnt specialize in chameleons then theres no point in even taking your cham there. That is a very serious injury that would require knowledge of chameleon anatomy to even begin to surgically fix. As GoodKarma stated, you need to just go to an emergency vet and get him humanely euthanized. Do it tonight. Dont prolong his suffering just because you dont want to lose him.
you’re right, I shouldn’t prolong his suffering, that would be selfish on my part. Thank you again.
 
Pleaseeeeeeee do not get another one... you now know your cat will go after it as well. Cats are hunters. Not only is this Cham going to die but if your parents do not want to get vet care for this that is so aweful then if anything else comes up that requires vet care your going to be in the same situation. These are very fragile animals that require expensive care, correct lighting, feeders, supplements, humidity, and a safe environment where they will not be in danger of getting eaten by another animal.
 
If I look through the large hole on the side of him I can see out the other hole. We have one vet in the local area but not a 24 hr emergency vet, I don’t think he’ll last through the night.

Oh, wow. Yeah, that's impalement... poor little bug. :(

I have to second Beman's post... if you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet, and if your parents aren't on board with care I'd wait until you can pay your own way!
 
Oh, wow. Yeah, that's impalement... poor little bug. :(

I have to second Beman's post... if you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet, and if your parents aren't on board with care I'd wait until you can pay your own way!
I will wait a few years to where I’m on my own, then I’ll get one again. I hate the mentality my parents have that animals aren’t worth medical treatment and I will never live by that. Thank you
 
Pleaseeeeeeee do not get another one... you now know your cat will go after it as well. Cats are hunters. Not only is this Cham going to die but if your parents do not want to get vet care for this that is so aweful then if anything else comes up that requires vet care your going to be in the same situation. These are very fragile animals that require expensive care, correct lighting, feeders, supplements, humidity, and a safe environment where they will not be in danger of getting eaten by another animal.
I will not get another one till I’m out of the house and able to pay for their expenses on my own. I’d hate to get another one now and have this situation happen again.
 
I will wait a few years to where I’m on my own, then I’ll get one again. I hate the mentality my parents have that animals aren’t worth medical treatment and I will never live by that. Thank you

That's a very mature decision, and I respect you for it!

In the mean time, feel free to look around the forums and learn from the vast knowledge and experienced keepers here!
 
I will not get another one till I’m out of the house and able to pay for their expenses on my own. I’d hate to get another one now and have this situation happen again.
Good I’m glad you see this. Now don’t be disheartened... this gives you time to learn a ton before you do. This forum will allow you to do that. I really hope for a peaceful passing for this little one.
 
That's a devastating and painful injury. He may have a punctured or collapsed lung, especially if he is gasping for air. That would make just breathing extremely painful. If there were some miracle that internal organs weren't damaged, that painful, gaping hole will soon become infected. I am sorry this happened, but I think the sooner you can have him euthanized the sooner you'll end what I would imagine is immense pain.
 
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