Jake's rehab

[tdismang]

I don't have any pictures yet, but I've created a cozy, uvb/uva abundant, clumsy cham proof cage for Jake until he is 100%. Which, by the way, he's making a lot of progress on. I've sequestered him to about the top third of his enclosure, using plastic chicken wire at the bottom as a safety net of sorts. I also replaced the top panel aluminum window screening with the chicken wire, to allow more uv rays to penetrate the cage. I lined the uv tube light fixture with aluminum foil. All of these have seemed to make a huge improvement in his overall well-being.
We spent about an hour outside this afternoon. Jake hung out in his hibiscus, a little while in the sun, and then I moved him to dappled shade when he started gaping. He was quite content. My daughter and dear sweet chihuahua accompanied us. It was awesome.
I have very high hopes for Jake. Again, I really appreciate all of the support and advice from everyone.

 

[SaintJimmy]

Safety net is a great idea. I'm glad he is on his way to full recovery. I wish you and him the best!

I might have to steal the net idea while Monty is recovering from MBD

 

[tdismang]

Indeed. Our vet advised us to keep him in a shorter enclosure to prevent any fractures our breaks in the event that he falls. How advanced is Monty's mbd? We caught issues before any visible signs showed up, thank God. This second cat situation was unfortunate, but we would have never known that Jake was developing mbd if it hadn't happened.

 

[kinyonga]

Glad to hear Jake is doing better!

What did the vet tell you to do to help him?
BTW...its easier for us to follow the "story" if you keep information the same thread.

 

[jannb]

Glad that Jake is improving.

 

[SaintJimmy]

Indeed. Our vet advised us to keep him in a shorter enclosure to prevent any fractures our breaks in the event that he falls. How advanced is Monty's mbd? We caught issues before any visible signs showed up, thank God. This second cat situation was unfortunate, but we would have never known that Jake was developing mbd if it hadn't happened.

Monty has had advanced MBD ever since we got him.

His casque has definitely improved since we got him at around 3-4 months old, but now even with additional supplements and calcium on everything he eats his arms are not improving

 

[kinyonga]

What ever damage occurred already can not usually be corrected (crooked arms, etc) but appropriate supplementing to correct the imbalance and then property supplementing to keep the imbalance from returning will strengthen the bones even though they are crooked....and help the muscles and other things in the chameleon's system too.

What additional supplements are you using? What additional calcium are you providing? Do the supplements contamination D3 or prEformed vitamin A? Does your chameleon get UVB light that does not pass through glass or plastic??

 

[tdismang]

Glad to hear Jake is doing better!

What did the vet tell you to do to help him?
BTW...its easier for us to follow the "story" if you keep itinerary the same thread.

The first vet (er vet) diagnosed him with advanced mbd, and completely failed to address the issue of the cat scratches/bites. I knew he didn't have advanced mbd, so I took him to an exotics vet I found through this forum. He examined Jake and said his bones feel a little soft, and gave me baytril to inject every other day. So he is on that, and liquid calcium, twice a day. He is gaining strength in his hind legs daily (trauma from the cat) and, as previously stated, I've made improvements to his enclosure to further facilitate not only his recovery, but his long term well being.

 

[kinyonga]

I asked about the D3 and vitamin A because the two of them along with phos and calcium need to be in balance for good bone health. Even if you correct the calcium its still important to make sure they are in balance too. PrEformed vitamin A and D3 from supplements can build up in the system so it's important not to overdo them.

 

[tdismang]

I supplement with a multivitamin every two weeks and calcium with d3 every two weeks, alternatively.