jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Luie is now stable after 3 blood works and an x-ray. No gout and kidneys are good. He has bone spurs on his back left leg. Dr. Ivan Alfonso said they can cause an inflammation of the periosteum similar to growing pains in people. Therefore it would make sense that he is dangling his leg a bit if he is feeling pain at times. So right now it is a treatable issue but we still have to watch the uric acid levels to make sure we have nothing else happen. He is on Metacam an anti-inflammatory drug.
Camille’s medical issues are very serious. I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out for keeping chameleons. It's going to kill me when something happens to these guys. I just love them so much. I have cried so much the past few days my eyes are swollen.
Camille had been steadily gaining weight. I suspected eggs but it had been ages since she's laid eggs. I had asked Ivan if they stop laying when they get older and he said they often do so I thought she had gone through menopause. I normally keep her weight in the 130's and she was getting up to the 170's and 180's. I keep the laying bin ready and I freshen the sand once a week. She showed no interest in the bin, no roaming either like she normally does when she wanted to lay eggs. Then she was looking dark all the time and less active so I emailed Ivan. He wanted me to take her for a digital X-ray. Well the X-ray was inconclusive so we went for another and then another and all inconclusive. Ivan thought he might see unshelled and malformed eggs and recommended an ultra sound. I had a hard time finding a place to do an ultra sound on a chameleon but finally found a Specialty Vets clinic in Melbourne, FL that had a vet that had done ultra sound on several reptiles before but never a chameleon. She was our best choice. We took Camille in and she was a wonderful and very caring vet. She got some great pictures but wasn't sure how to read them. She had the vet from her local zoo come in and try to read them and he thought Camille had Yolk Coelomitis which is not the same as egg reabsorption. Yolk coelomitis or yolk peritonitis is a condition where the uterus ruptured and the yolk spilled into the abdomen causing an inflammatory and infectious response. Ivan said those cases are hard to treat in any species and surgery is indeed the only option, just not an option that means success or recovery for that matter. Issues with egg reabsorprtion are not very different except for the fact that the issue is limited to the uterus and not to the abdomen and could still need surgery. Another difference is that sometimes, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory help with the egg reabsroption, where they are not as efficient with the yolk coelomitis.
Since the Zoo vet was not conclusive the ultra sound vet then called around to find a radiologist to try to read them. The radiologist was also inconclusive. I finally thought about contacting Dr. Mader, the reptile vet that does the articles in the Reptile Magazine every month. Dr. Mader has an ultra sound machine, knows how to read them and sees chameleons. Dr. Mader thinks this is a classic issue of egg reabsorption and that the treatment we have her on is good, especially since she is showing improvement. The bad news is that he thinks in a few of the pics it shows eggs that already formed a slug which basically is a solid yolk egg with no shell. If that is the case, the only treatment is a spay. He said he has done them quite a few times and that the chameleons do great. So if the situation gets to that point, Ivan recommends I take Camille to Dr. Mader. Dr. Mader did say it was ok to finish the 10 day treatment of antibiotic and steroids and take a follow up X-ray to see if the eggs are still there or if she reabsorbed them and to see if the slugs remain. So today she had the follow up X-ray and still not conclusive. Dr. Mader said it’s a tough call but there appears to be soft tissue opacity in the coelom and he suspect pre-ovulatory stasis.
PLEASE pray or keep your fingers crossed for Camille. I am worried sick and hope that she will be able to get through this on, her own without surgery because the surgery is very risky. Right now I am torn. I don’t want to wait and do surgery after she gets too weak but I’m afraid she may die from the surgery. She may die if we don’t have the surgery and she could live with or without the surgery. I may take her back for another ultra sound. I honestly don't know what to do.
Along with everything going on with Luie and Camille their little daughter (my preemie, Elly) lays 23 eggs and breaks her arm digging. She was always so tiny I think I over fed her and caused her to form a clutch of eggs. I dusted her feeders with calcium every day until ten months old and then went to every other feeding and that was a big mistake because that is when she probably started forming the clutch. Ivan has me give all the girls a drop or two of liquid calcium once a week but it still was not enough for Elly. The eggs must have drained all the calcium from her and caused her to break a bone. So Elly has also had X-rays and a heavy dose of liquid calcium for 10 days. She had a modified tree until the makeshift cast came off and seems to be doing much better now.
Camille’s medical issues are very serious. I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out for keeping chameleons. It's going to kill me when something happens to these guys. I just love them so much. I have cried so much the past few days my eyes are swollen.
Camille had been steadily gaining weight. I suspected eggs but it had been ages since she's laid eggs. I had asked Ivan if they stop laying when they get older and he said they often do so I thought she had gone through menopause. I normally keep her weight in the 130's and she was getting up to the 170's and 180's. I keep the laying bin ready and I freshen the sand once a week. She showed no interest in the bin, no roaming either like she normally does when she wanted to lay eggs. Then she was looking dark all the time and less active so I emailed Ivan. He wanted me to take her for a digital X-ray. Well the X-ray was inconclusive so we went for another and then another and all inconclusive. Ivan thought he might see unshelled and malformed eggs and recommended an ultra sound. I had a hard time finding a place to do an ultra sound on a chameleon but finally found a Specialty Vets clinic in Melbourne, FL that had a vet that had done ultra sound on several reptiles before but never a chameleon. She was our best choice. We took Camille in and she was a wonderful and very caring vet. She got some great pictures but wasn't sure how to read them. She had the vet from her local zoo come in and try to read them and he thought Camille had Yolk Coelomitis which is not the same as egg reabsorption. Yolk coelomitis or yolk peritonitis is a condition where the uterus ruptured and the yolk spilled into the abdomen causing an inflammatory and infectious response. Ivan said those cases are hard to treat in any species and surgery is indeed the only option, just not an option that means success or recovery for that matter. Issues with egg reabsorprtion are not very different except for the fact that the issue is limited to the uterus and not to the abdomen and could still need surgery. Another difference is that sometimes, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory help with the egg reabsroption, where they are not as efficient with the yolk coelomitis.
Since the Zoo vet was not conclusive the ultra sound vet then called around to find a radiologist to try to read them. The radiologist was also inconclusive. I finally thought about contacting Dr. Mader, the reptile vet that does the articles in the Reptile Magazine every month. Dr. Mader has an ultra sound machine, knows how to read them and sees chameleons. Dr. Mader thinks this is a classic issue of egg reabsorption and that the treatment we have her on is good, especially since she is showing improvement. The bad news is that he thinks in a few of the pics it shows eggs that already formed a slug which basically is a solid yolk egg with no shell. If that is the case, the only treatment is a spay. He said he has done them quite a few times and that the chameleons do great. So if the situation gets to that point, Ivan recommends I take Camille to Dr. Mader. Dr. Mader did say it was ok to finish the 10 day treatment of antibiotic and steroids and take a follow up X-ray to see if the eggs are still there or if she reabsorbed them and to see if the slugs remain. So today she had the follow up X-ray and still not conclusive. Dr. Mader said it’s a tough call but there appears to be soft tissue opacity in the coelom and he suspect pre-ovulatory stasis.
PLEASE pray or keep your fingers crossed for Camille. I am worried sick and hope that she will be able to get through this on, her own without surgery because the surgery is very risky. Right now I am torn. I don’t want to wait and do surgery after she gets too weak but I’m afraid she may die from the surgery. She may die if we don’t have the surgery and she could live with or without the surgery. I may take her back for another ultra sound. I honestly don't know what to do.
Along with everything going on with Luie and Camille their little daughter (my preemie, Elly) lays 23 eggs and breaks her arm digging. She was always so tiny I think I over fed her and caused her to form a clutch of eggs. I dusted her feeders with calcium every day until ten months old and then went to every other feeding and that was a big mistake because that is when she probably started forming the clutch. Ivan has me give all the girls a drop or two of liquid calcium once a week but it still was not enough for Elly. The eggs must have drained all the calcium from her and caused her to break a bone. So Elly has also had X-rays and a heavy dose of liquid calcium for 10 days. She had a modified tree until the makeshift cast came off and seems to be doing much better now.
