Hurt Foot

[zlew]

Hey all-

Captain fell to the bottom of his cage a few weeks ago and it seemed like he hurt his foot, he was using it awkwardly. I took him to the vet, and since he could still use his foot properly, even though he wasn't, that it should heal up on its own. However, it is still like that. What he does is instead of grabbing with it, he bends it forward, sometimes making a fist, and when climbing upward, he doesn't grab with it he uses it to push himself up. The foot is definitely weaker and this is hindering his climbing ability. Pics attached.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Are you sure it isn't fractured? The first picture looks as if the carpal joint (wrist) bends above where the joint normally is.

Did the vet do an x-ray?

Regardless, I doubt there is too much a vet would want to do to treat it.

 

[zlew]

No X-Ray. What do you mean by not treating it?

 

[repdog]

I think it means if its fractured or broken there is no way to set it. But hay I just heard they put wheels on a turtle as it has MBD and can't hold itself up. Caught the story on the radio this am. I would have an x-ray done to confirm what is going on though.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I think it means if its fractured or broken there is no way to set it. But hay I just heard they put wheels on a turtle as it has MBD and can't hold itself up. Caught the story on the radio this am. I would have an x-ray done to confirm what is going on though.

Turtles are different. Epoxy goes a long way!

I'm like you, I would want an x-ray, partly because if it broke a leg, I would want to know if it broke it because it had MBD.

I just had an x-ray done on the wc quad that was imported a month ago. I found a swelling on the underside of his femur very near or at the hip joint. I needed to rule out that the hip was dislocated. It's not cheap, though.

While speaking to the vet, he told me that 6 months seems to be the time when chameleons seem to start to go downhill, usually with nutrition/MBD. We talked in generalities about things like the breeding facility and how the early care impacted the chameleon down the road.

I do not believe any vet is going to do surgery to pin a leg, no would they a cast on them, either. The cure is worse than the disease. Bones can heal fine without casts.

 

[repdog]

I guess from what I heard that the wheels went on the turtles feet so the turtle could hold himself up. Anyone close enough to WI and gets 102.9 Lazer/the hog, that's where it came from.

 

[BobS346]

I thought the wheels went on the bottom side of his carapace to hold him up, then he could still push himself around with his legs? I would think putting them on his feet would just cause his legs to splay out, and with MBD be likely to cause fractures in the legs.

 

[repdog]

Did you hear more of what I heard? I just caught part of it but that is what it sounded like for the wheels.

 

[Nutbeam]

Hello, My cham is suffering from the same thing, took him to the vet which just said give it some time, just wondering how your cham is doing now?