Hi there! Just going to jump right in here since you’re in my neck of the woods and I went through follicle removal/spay procedure with my 3 yr old female recently. I’m going to agree with the others here in that it sounds more like am impaction/blockage situation that could be coupled with parasites so a second option is a good idea, imo. It’s very important that you drop off a fecal sample for a slide and float to test for different strains of parasites so they know exactly which medication to give her to treat them properly and eradicate the problem. Parasites can be passed from reptile to reptile so be sure to take precautionary measures and wash your hands thoroughly after handling each of them.
Aside from that, it’s of utmost importance that you have an accurate diagnosis as to whether she’s in follicular stasis or if this is a digestive/intestinal issue or impaction/obstruction. You don’t want to have this kind of intrusive procedure on a delicate reptile if it’s not necessary, especially if she’s in a decline and showing signs of illness.
Unfortunately, Dr Bogolosavsky is not currently doing this procedure any longer due to failing vision and is referring patients to a vet in Savannah, Ga. After extensive research and gathering recommendations from Dr Bruce, friends and professionals in the field, I was lucky enough to find Dr Santiago Diaz. I was excited to read that you’ve visited his clinic because he was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend that you see him, not an associate, and explain what’s going on in depth. Not that they aren’t good, I just can’t speak to their level of expertise with this kind of surgery. Dr Diaz has done this procedure many times and sees chameleons on the regular. He was able to successfully remove all of her reproductive tissue so it will not grow back and form follicles/eggs in the future.
You can communicate with him via email and express your concerns, he is very kind and patient and will explain everything in detail of what to expect. You can explain that this is an emergency situation and ask to be seen asap, the doctor and clinic staff are very professional and accommodating. If she does need spay surgery, she will need to be as healthy and as strong as possible to recover from it completely.
It’s important that you correct any husbandry issues now so she’s as healthy as possible for whatever lies ahead in the near future for her whether it be spay surgery, parasite treatments or surgery to remove a blockage. Any of those will weaken her immune system and can cause her to take a turn. I’ll be keeping Charlotte in my thoughts, I wish you both the best of luck and a positive outcome!
i dont deel good about spaying her as im not convinced thats the real problem when i asked the doc couldnt this just be part of her normal cycling based on the last clutch she laid she said its possible yet she is saying she needs surgery someone please help
