Plasmalyte & shipping?

[biffle]

My vet gives a dehydrated chameleon a 1.5 ML injection of Plasmalyte underneath the skin. It seems to really work if administered early enough. the issue is that chams don't show major symptoms until its close to too late.

My question is around proactive measures... could an exporter give a seemly healthy chameleon a 1.5ml injection before the cross continent shipping?

Should the same chameleon get another 1.5 ML dose at home a day or two after he/she arrives? Taking a newly shipped animal to the vet can take a heavy stress toll. Is this a better solution until to help the cham settle in?

My vet trained me to give these injections. I’m not trying to dodge a vet just trying to improve the survival % of a delicate import.

Jason

 

[CarlC]

To be honest I don't know if an exporter would really care to go through the process. The time needed to dose lets say 100 chameleons would be cost prohibitive. The objective is to move them out fast to prevent loss's. I don't even want to think about how many times the same needle would be used on already sick and weakend animals.

Carl

 

[kdc5019]

To be honest I don't know if an exporter would really care to go through the process. The time needed to dose lets say 100 chameleons would be cost prohibitive. The objective is to move them out fast to prevent loss's. I don't even want to think about how many times the same needle would be used on already sick and weakend animals.

Carl

Sadly this is all too true

 

[Carlton]

My vet gives a dehydrated chameleon a 1.5 ML injection of Plasmalyte underneath the skin. It seems to really work if administered early enough. the issue is that chams don't show major symptoms until its close to too late.

My question is around proactive measures... could an exporter give a seemly healthy chameleon a 1.5ml injection before the cross continent shipping?

Should the same chameleon get another 1.5 ML dose at home a day or two after he/she arrives? Taking a newly shipped animal to the vet can take a heavy stress toll. Is this a better solution until to help the cham settle in?

My vet trained me to give these injections. I’m not trying to dodge a vet just trying to improve the survival % of a delicate import.

Jason

IMHO I would rather have the seller make sure any chams are in good condition through careful husbandry BEFORE they are shipped. Also make sure their buyers are prepared for their new arrival too. Tell them what to expect and what signs of trouble to watch for and what to do about them if they do come up. Giving a cham any sort of unusual treatments (which is also a physical shock) right before they are subjected to a major stress could backfire. The injection site could be wrong or damage an internal organ. As Carl said, the needles could be dull or dirty, solutions not correct, the cham could react badly to the solution if it had some other health problem going on, etc. If the shipping happens to go wrong (cold, heat, delay) that medication might add to the cham's problems. If a cham is already well hydrated and eating properly there's no need for a big dose of electrolytes or sugars loaded on to its system.