HELP!!! Very sick Cham!

dakoda5

New Member
Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, Female, 7- 8 Months old. i have had her for 3-4 months.

Feeding - I haave been feeding my Cham Crickets, Superworms, Silkworms and small hornworms. She used to eat up to 10 feeders a day. but now im lucky to get her to eat 2... I wake up every morning at 8 to feed her. i usually put 3 crickets in around 3/4 to 1-1/4 inch since she hasnt been feeling well. I gut load my crickets with zilla cricket gut load and zilla cricket drink. i also put normal oats and wheat bran in as well.

Supplements - I use sticky tongue farms calcium with d3 and now im giving her zoo med reptical without d3 for a few days just to rule out D3 poisoning. Also reptivite twice a month.

Watering - I have a big hand sprayer that has a pump. i also have zoo meds big dripper. I mist for about 2 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day. I let the cage dry out in between mistings so i dont get mold. I see my Cham drink alot almost to much. i believe she has gout..... :'( ill elaborate more on that later.

Fecal Description - The Last time she pooped was right before her anal prolapse. ill get into that later. the urate was good. but the poop wasnt as dark as normal. it was kind of light colored. she has never been tested for parasites but was given anti parasite medication when i brought her to the vet right after her prolapse.

History- she has always been healthy up untill three weeks ago. She stopped eating as much and drinking alot more.

Cage Info:

Cage Type - My Cage is screen mostly. the back is glass and the bottem is
glass. It is 1 foot wide. 2.5 feet tall and 3 feet long.

Lighting - Im using the zoo med 5.0 uvb bulb and a 50 watt zilla halogen bulb for basking.

Temperature - My basking spot sits around 100- 110. The top of the cage is around 85 and the bottem is around 78 - 80. i have 2 round exo terra thermometers and a digital exoterra thermometer with a probe to monitor the basking spot.

Humidity - My humidity Levels sit around 60 - 70%. I mist my cage 2 - 3 times and i have a dripper going

Plants - There is no live plants but i am getting a hibiscus tree given to me. all my plants are plastic.

Placement -My cage is in my bedroom. There is not much traffic in there other then me, My cage is about 5 feet off the ground at the top but i am going to put it higher when she gets better. ( If she gets better )

Location - Im located in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Current Problem - Over the past few days my cham went down hill fast. :( She had a bloody prolapse 2 days ago, i brought her to the vet immediately. my vet is very good about emergency's so i got her in about an hour after it initially happend. My vet sedated her and gave her a sutcher to hold everything in. The other problem i have been having is she has 2 joints that have swelled uncontrollably. her back foot was swollen for a while so i figured she injured it some how. But then the day of her prolapse her front right elbow started to swell. by the time i took her to the vet it was 3 times the size as normal. i have also notice a small bump on her front left wrist. But no other swelling. i believe this is gout. She doesnt seem to be in pain when i touch the joints though. Also my vet does not believe this is gout because she is so young.

When i had her at the vet he gave her a some anti parasite medication. i did not have a sample that i could bring in but im going to bring one in for her followup. i also want to get her a blood test. my vet prescribed me medication as well. It is an antibiotic called Metronidazole.

If anyone has experienced these symptoms and has any info or has any recommendations for care i would greatly appreciate it. I dont want to loose my girl :'(
 
Can you post some photos so we can see the swollen joints please. Why didn't vet think it wasn't gout....sounds like you have been overdoing the D3.
 
PLEASE anyone help! she is getting weaker daily i am force feeding her and getting a supplement for lizards that havent been eating. i syringed water into her mouth, but she still seems to be very dehydrated...
 
I have no experience with gout, MBD, or anything like that. But I know to get my male panther drinking, I hang a vine on a shower curtain rod (in a U shape) turn the water on warm, and put him in the shower for a little while. I point the shower head down and let it run down his vine. I don't let the water hit him directly. He immediately starts drinking. Good luck with your cham.
 
It could also be a disease called mbd metabolic bone disease. Hopefully a forum member with experience will see this and be able to help u! Try the members whom are veterinarians such as "ferretinmyshoes" or "dr.o"
 
hi dakoda,

in terms of husbandry, looks like too much D3, and your basking spot is too hot! 90's are fine, 100's are too high.

I'm glad that you have a good vet, it's time for him to take some X-rays of the affected joints. it's either arthritic gout from hypervitaminosis, pseudogout, or potentially osteomyelitis which isn't good but can be the most treatable with meds and surgery. gout unfortunately is exceedingly difficult to reverse and attempts usually fail. X-rays +\- bloodwork should get you the answers that you need.

o-
 
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