Help! Urgent!

[amandaonedirection]

A chameleon in my biology class has gotten very sick. At first he had an orangish, reddish, pinkish looking ball or sack coming out of his rear, soon it shriveled up and fell off. Then, it came back and he stopped eating and drinking. He hasn't pooped in a while either, and my teacher tried to shoot warm water up his butt to clear everything out, which did not help. My teacher has given me 12 hours to figure out what is wrong with him! PLEASE HELP!

 

[Carlton]

A chameleon in my biology class has gotten very sick. At first he had an orangish, reddish, pinkish looking ball or sack coming out of his rear, soon it shriveled up and fell off. Then, it came back and he stopped eating and drinking. He hasn't pooped in a while either, and my teacher tried to shoot warm water up his butt to clear everything out, which did not help. My teacher has given me 12 hours to figure out what is wrong with him! PLEASE HELP!

It sounds as if he suffered either an intestinal or hemipene prolapse. Because it wasn't treated correctly the first time, he most likely now has some internal damage and a serious infection. I'm sure he's in a lot of pain too. He MUST SEE A VET ASAP!!! Forcing water up into his vent wasn't a great idea!

 

[Olimpia]

Only a vet can take care of him with what sounds like a serious infection. It sounds as it he had some sort of prolapse (probably his reproductive organs, although maybe his intestines) where the tissues became stuck outside the body, became necrotic, and led to infection. Your teacher should really have rushed him to a veterinarian at the first sight of the prolapse, it's generally very treatable when it's fresh.

Depending on how he is now there may still be hope to get him well, but only a professional can do that.

 

[amandaonedirection]

Thank you!!

 

[Chameleon Creator]

Definitely a prolapse. If it fell out then I'm assuming some serious internal damage. Yes, take him to a vet ASAP.
Sorry to tell you but they will likely suggest to put him down. I have read many other posting about prolapse so I don't know this from personal experience, others welcome to chime in.
I know people suggest lubricating the prolapse with ky jelly to keep it moist, but it sounds too late for that

 

[amandaonedirection]

How unfortunate! I know he'll be sorry to hear that! Thanks for your help, and yes other people please chime in, I would like to give my teacher as much information as possible!

 

[Olimpia]

Putting him down or not depends on how severe his current condition is. Without seeing him ourselves or knowing exactly what has happened we can only guess. But a vet would be able to tell you if he had an intestinal or a hemipene prolapse, how infected/damaged he is, and what the treatment would be for him, if any.

Needless to say, we hope for the best but we can't possibly know how bad it is without seeing him/knowing more.

 

[PoshPenny]

Tell your biology teacher super fail on his part for not teaching his students better responsibility on pet care and doing the right thing which would have been a vet visit to begin with. Shame on him/her if it does die due to lack of prompt care before whatever it was "shriveled up and fell off". Honestly as a student this should not be your burden. And given you 12 hours for what? Before he does what? This post makes me sad. Either way, hope it doesn't die due to your teachers lack of responsibility.

 

[Chameleon Creator]

Tell your biology teacher super fail on his part for not teaching his students better responsibility on pet care and doing the right thing which would have been a vet visit to begin with. Shame on him/her if it does die due to lack of prompt care before whatever it was "shriveled up and fell off". Honestly as a student this should not be your burden. And given you 12 hours for what? Before he does what? This post makes me sad. Either way, hope it doesn't die due to your teachers lack of responsibility.

Agreed, he should have taken immediate action. If you own a chameleon, then you are fully responsible for their health. Some people buy them without doing proper research prior and assume it will be a simple task to house one, this is not the case. You have to be aware that you are responsible for the life of an innocent animal, there is no way for them to "fix themselves".
Poor little guy.
Best of wishes and I truly hope he can be saved.
Either way tell your teacher he/she needs to visit the vet immediately, and not at their earliest convenience.

 

[Chameleon Creator]

But I'm glad you have come to the forums to get help, I am a new member here but I have been frequently visiting these forums for a while now.
So good job on your part