Mr.Pink's Vet Visit / Update

Tyaeda

Established Member
Mr.Pink was having eye trouble yesterday : https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-sudden-eye-problem-115984/

Last night I went to the pharmacy to find saline. The pharmacist and I could not find a pure saline solution for eyes / contacts. They had ph balanced formulas, and they all seemed to have extra chemicals in the ingredient list. We did find one for wounds with the only ingredients being Water and 0.9% sodium chloride (saline). I rinsed the outside of his eye with it, using a liquid medicine syringe. He wouldn't sit long enough, or keep his eye open long enough to get any inside.

We just got back from the vet, and he seems to be doing better. The vet said that there are no signs of infection, and believes that Mr. Pink is having a hard time shedding. He wiped his problem eye with a cotton swab to rub the loose shed from it. Mr.Pink responded well by opening his eye for the first time this morning. On the way home he only closed it occasionally.

I'm hesitant to listen to some of the advice he gave though. I told him about the gutloading we do (Carrots, Oranges, Strawberries, Romain, Collard Greens, Oats, Kelp, Sesame Seeds, Basil, and Garlic Powder) and he said that the crickets (and thus Mr.Pink) were not getting anything from it, and that we should switch to a commercial gutload. He said all that we're doing is pleasing the crickets.
He mentioned that crickets do not gutload well at all, and that mealworms are much better for him. This contradicts a lot of what is common knowledge on these forums. I want the best possible gutload for him, and so I'm going to try and feed him and his crickets the most nutritious fresh food as I can. If there is a supplement or commercial gutload that I can add to my current menu, I will, but I've heard nothing but good things about fresh diets here to get rid of them completely. Unfortunately, I live in Canada, making roaches inaccessible, otherwise I'd be getting some right now. (I'd glady rid my house of the constant chirping :p)

He also prescribed some drops for his problem eye. It's called Ciloxan .3%.
(Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride) Ophthalmic Solution, Antibacterial Agent. There is no infection, but he told me to try and get 3 drops a day in there, to prevent a possible infection, or to treat anything that may have started (before symptoms show up). I haven't been able to get any in there yet, but I thought I'd talk to you guys about it before I start traumatizing Mr.Pink... again. He also instructed us to stop using the saline, saying that if it's not for eyes, don't use it. And that the stuff with all the extra chemicals (because it's for eyes) is probably the best bet. I thought the ingredients were the most important aspect, but I don't have enough eyeball washing experience to argue.

Other than that, he tells me to up his humidity, which is something we're definitely doing. It can sometimes get low in there (around 20-30 % ambient) and usually only climbs to 40-60 during mistings. We'll probably resort to a cool mist humidifier, or a fogger, whichever Mr.Pink is the most ok with.

I'm anxious to see how he's like after the shed is complete. Some symptoms are what I see when he sheds normally (minus the closed eye) so it's hard to see if his behavior is shed related or not. I'm wondering if I should do what the vet did, and occasionally, and lightly rub some of the really loose skin off for him? It might keep him from grabbing at it with his feet.

Thanks everyone for the advice yesterday! It really calmed my nerves! I'll let you all know how he's doing after his shed, which should be done by the end of the day :)
 
Kudos to you for your dedication to Mr. Pink's care (and his cool name). Steve Bushemi's eyes do somewhat resemble a chameleon :)
 
Aw, thanks for the kind words. Mr.Pink is my first chameleon, and I'd really like to make sure I'm doing everything right. I don't have kids, Mr.Pink and my cats are my babies :)

Right now, Mr.Pink is ok. He's almost done his shed, but his eye is still bothering him. I just gave him a bunch of crickets in a cup, and he opened his bad eye in order to track them down.

I know the saline says it's for wounds, but the ONLY ingredients are saline and water, unlike the other kinds that all seem to have a bunch of unpronounceable additives, moisturizers, and ph inhibitors. I plan to keep cleaning the outside of his eye with it, before I do his drops.
 
I have to say that I agree with you on the questionable advice from the vet. I dont want say you shouldnt listen to the vet, but his advice on gutloads and mealworms would make me keep looking around for someone else. I still havent found a really good reptile vet in my area. The last one we went to asked me what species of chameleon our jackson was. My boyfriend and I just looked at each other like "is she serious?" then she proceeded to look up caresheets online and read them to us. I decided that she may not know as much about chameleons as she says she does. And the search goes on.

Hopefully he just has a minor issue that will resolve. I have just been treating my lizards for minor issues at home and buying their meds online since we havent found a vet we trust yet.
 
I have to say that I agree with you on the questionable advice from the vet. I dont want say you shouldnt listen to the vet, but his advice on gutloads and mealworms would make me keep looking around for someone else. I still havent found a really good reptile vet in my area. The last one we went to asked me what species of chameleon our jackson was. My boyfriend and I just looked at each other like "is she serious?" then she proceeded to look up caresheets online and read them to us. I decided that she may not know as much about chameleons as she says she does. And the search goes on.

Hopefully he just has a minor issue that will resolve. I have just been treating my lizards for minor issues at home and buying their meds online since we havent found a vet we trust yet.


I took him to the only one around. There is one other vet who will take reptile patients, but doesn't specialize in them. The one he saw today was referred to me by both the local reptile zoo/rescue/store and the vet I currently trust with my cats (unfortunately she isn't a reptile vet).

The one thing I did like about him is that he didn't try and milk us for everything we have, financially. I've dealt with vets like that for my cat, and it was a nightmare, and something I was afraid might happen again.

What I really didn't like about him was his assumption that we didn't know what we're doing. I know there's a lot of people out there with chameleons who simply haven't done the proper research, but I'm not one of them!

At the end of the day, I would much rather trust the experienced chameleon owners here, who have personally and successfully kept chameleons for a long time. There seems to be a general consensus on a lot of aspects of care, and I'd take the words of many over one guy who may not know what the hell he's talking about. :D

The entire visit and meds only cost $90, which was surprising. To take my cat to the vet, the visit alone cost $80. So I'm happy with that. I'm going to look for some commercial gutload with calcium in it, to mix with that I'm already using. I also pulled up sandrachameleons calcium ratio chart and will be getting rid of a few food items, and replacing them with food that has an increased calcium ratio.

I am soooo happy that this website exists! You people are the best!
 
Yes, I too would question some of this information. Gutloading is key to your chams health. There are tons of good recipes and info on gut loading in the blog section. Fresh fruit and veggies is the way to go with gut loading. Cricket Crack is a commercial gut load that is pretty good. I have only used it once but people on here use it and really like it. I try and stay away from commercial products as much as possible and just make my own. Crickets are a better feeder than super worms but a variety is the way to go.

From your earlier post, it sounds like lighting may have contributed a little to the eye issue. Young chams can have bad reactions to new or bright light. It is recommended to use a slightly "used" 5.0 bulb because new ones can cause eye problems. not sure if this is applicable but thought I would bring it up
 
Yes, I too would question some of this information. Gutloading is key to your chams health. There are tons of good recipes and info on gut loading in the blog section. Fresh fruit and veggies is the way to go with gut loading. Cricket Crack is a commercial gut load that is pretty good. I have only used it once but people on here use it and really like it. I try and stay away from commercial products as much as possible and just make my own. Crickets are a better feeder than super worms but a variety is the way to go.

From your earlier post, it sounds like lighting may have contributed a little to the eye issue. Young chams can have bad reactions to new or bright light. It is recommended to use a slightly "used" 5.0 bulb because new ones can cause eye problems. not sure if this is applicable but thought I would bring it up


I believe you're right. He's back to his old bulb setup which didn't bother him at all, now. I feel like a ******* for switching his uvb to begin with. I'm just glad that he didn't go blind in that eye.... I would have been devastated.

It should heal, without becoming infected with the antibiotics we have. I just have to keep the humidity up a bit higher. I put a warm humidifier near his cage (not in it cause of the steam), and that's helping maintain the humidity. Before, it would often start to go down immediately after misting, and now it's staying at a steady 40, 60 after misting.
 
Back
Top Bottom