please help me and my vet!!!

PicassoTheVeiled

PicassoTheVeiled

New Member
so, regarding picasso's eye (he has an absess behind the eye which is being treated) it looks like he has a nasolacrimal duct blockage due to the build up of goop draining from the absess... i read that there is a nonsurgical procedure to clear the nasolacrimal duct, but i cant figure out how its done and my vet is having trouble finding it as well.

for those of you who dont know: the nasolacrimal duct is the duct that takes fluid from the eye and drains it to the roof of their mouths... but when there is an infection, that duct can get clogged causing the fluid to build up around the eye.

does anyone know, or can anyone find how the procedure is done? please!!!! we, well i am just about ready to pull my hair out

here is one site talking about a nonsurgical procedure to clear the duct http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2008/3/Treating-eye-infection-Dwarf.htm it says there is medicine, but id much rather a nonsurgical, nonmedicating option, i feel really bad for the stress he is being put through with all these meds... and frankly it worries me because i dont want to overload him with drugs
 
I understand that what works for humans won't necessarily work for reptiles, but in humans, massaging the area several times a day can break it up.

I know you're worried that every medication adds stress, but in some cases, that's not true. A general broad spectrum antibiotic might not be a bad idea at this point. Picasso has a lot going on.

Just so we're all on board, here's what the link says:
There is a non-surgical procedure that an experienced reptile vet can perform to clear the duct.
Click to expand...

Yet...it doesn't tell the procedure.
Hopefully someone with a load more experience will chime in with an idea of what that procedure might be.
 
This might be what the original link is discussing.

It sort of screams "expert" to me...and as your vet hadn't heard of it, it might not be feasible. (yes...human reference, lacking a reptilian resource, I fall to this and think it's not a good idea).

I'm wondering if upping the humidity a fair amount (maybe use a humidifier) and the temperature a little bit (maybe 3 to 5 degrees) might not open that up. It seems like an idea that is cheap and not terribly invasive.
 
Increased chance of infection..........

What you are describing is basically the human equivalent of a sinus infection. And the situation can turn into an infection that spreads through the cham's body just like it does in humans. I had a big WC male Ankaramy years ago that had the same issue. My vet did the surgical procedure to remove the blockage and put him on antibiotics. The impaction/blockage had caused an infection which was detected by a high white blood cell count.

I don't have information on the non-surgical procedure to offer. I would be concerned about infection and would consider putting him on an antibiotic. If the blockage is minor you might be able to resolve it with higher humidity, frequent showers, etc. If the blockage is severe I don't think it will resolve without some sort of veterinarian assistance. If the eye makes a dramatic change for the worse you may have to go the surgical route.

The cham I mentioned earlier had an eye that popped out so that it looked like a huge bubble. This was what caused me to take him to the vet. He did not have any real symptoms prior to the eye popping out one night after the lights went out. On examination you could actually see that the nares in the roof of his mouth were blocked.

Let us know what happens with your boy. I hope you can get it resolved soon!
 
thank you for all the replies, and i will be sure to read all of the links in deapth tomorrow... very tired at the moment and about ready to head into bed.

he is on an antibiotic at the moment and a calcium supplement. the vet thought the calcium supplement would be a good idea since the previous owner wasnt doing such a hot job with his care. the antibiotic he is on is called neocalglucon elixer. he is drinking very well, i have to hand feed him cause the meds make him not hungry, but he is eating the ones i give him well. hes still active, and is shedding well. his eye did have a cloudiness to it, but that seems to be going away as well as the size of the eyeball seems to be improving. overall, his health seems to be about 80% bertter than when i first got him... its just that last 20% that is proving to be a big hurdle.

i will try to up the ammount of showers i give him. he seems to enjoy them anyway :D this is turning out to be a full time job lately with him, but as long as he makes it, im okay with it... hes a pretty cool little, *ahem* big guy lol (about 20" long)
 
It sounds like things are going well now. I'm happy for you. I know that there are still hurdles to get over, but it seems like you are on the right path.
 
<3 thanks :) hopefully this doesnt drain my bank account... but even if it does, what can i do ya kno? lots of people ask me why im throwin so much money into him. they say "its not like its a dog" but to me, he might as well be... even if it were a hamster... just because an animal is not well doesnt mean it should suffer because it doesnt show you love and affection... which btw, i dont believe dogs show love and affection, its purely the fact that you are their source of food and they see you as their pack leader, they are being submissive to you... anyway, dont get me started on that lol... btw, i train dogs, if you have a problem with a pooch, i may be able to help ya out :) just to kind of repay everyone for all the help and knowledge you have shared with me in your area of expertiese... i can share mine if you have an issue youd like to solve... just throwin it out there... i love training dogs, its a passion of mine... even if theres a cool trick youd like him to learn, id love to help :D
 
I've heard that..I've been questioned on preparing gutload for the feeders...

Just because the animal does not express love for you, does not mean you do not love it.

I cried like a baby when George Harrison died. He didn't love me. He didn't know me. I loved him.

I've spent much more on pet health in the last 5 years than I have on human care...that's what was needed...
 
Sounds good :)

Sounds like things are going in the right direction. Are you sure the "neocalglucon elixer" is an antibiotic? That sounds a lot like a liquid calcium suppliment. Is he taking any thing else? If so, what is the exact name? I think the showers would really help him after hearing your recent post :)
 
I thought she said that that was the calcium since his previous owner didn't supplement so well...
 
I would contact Dr Greek. He lives in CA but he has helped me over the phone a lot. He is the only vet I know that I trust. Im sure he will know the procedure and or a different solution.

Dustin
 
PicassoTheVeiled said:
he is on an antibiotic at the moment and a calcium supplement. the vet thought the calcium supplement would be a good idea since the previous owner wasnt doing such a hot job with his care. the antibiotic he is on is called neocalglucon elixer.
Click to expand...

I was commenting on this post. I am thinking that the calcium supplement is indeed the Neocalglucon and that the above was just an error. I was wondering what the antibiotic was, if one was really being given.....
 
whoops... sorry guys... i think his antibiotic is called metronidazole and the calcium is called meocalglucon elixir. i looked it up... i must have gotten them mixed up. well, his next vet apointment is in 2 hours, wish us luck! and i have a ton of info to bring her (some posted by u guys, and thanks btw) im hoping something good will come... i cant believe how much he is drinking though... is it a bad thing or a good thing? the previous owner said he will drink every 4 days, but i mist him 2x a day and when i mist him i spray it on his face and he will drink once a day lately... does that mean hes getting more energy or that hes lacking something? i think i mist him well enough, i just dont know what to think of his increased appetite for water (for lack of better term)
 
ok. so he went to the vet today... got one more antibiotic and some food to help fatten him up a little. if this one doesnt work, i have been referred to a reptile optomologist who is willing to take on picasso's mystery eye problem.... *sigh* hope this stuff works... i have to give him an injection once every 3 days... which im nervous about, but seems pretty clear cut... ive just never given injections before

o and his poo was very very watery today i had it tested and she said there was no parasites... could it be because he has been drinking more lately? she said his poo looked fine when she did the tests but wasnt sure why it looked so odd :( all this is making me very sad
 
I don't think one day of watery poo is an issue...I tend to think that the more they drink the better. They aren't stupid like humans who will over drink and die from it. It's likely his system is just getting used to being treated well.

I know you'll keep an eye on that and report it to the vet if it is ongoing.

As long as the vet showed you the technique, don't worry about the injections.

When I was young and single I was a prized "pet sitter" because I didn't balk at giving injections. Just do it quickly and be done with it...of course, the tinyness of your baby is an issue, but maybe you can get shorter needles?

I'm sure you'll do great.
 
AWE, thanks eliza... youre so uplifting and give me some hope that he will make it :)

maybe the watery poo is just his body adjusting to the increased water intake? the last time he made poo before today, i had just got done doing a fairly heavy mist, i have linoleum lining the cage floor so water will sit on the bottom for a while before evaporating. he went poo when i wasnt looking... so im not sure if the poo mixed with the water and softened it up a bit or if it really was watery... but im assuming it was just the water because it also had shape to it. well, anyway, im babbling and thinking out loud now lol... time for bed nite nite. ill keep an eye out the next time he makes poo

EDIT= oh, the best part.... we were on our way to the vet when he went poo.... ON MY CARPET DASHBOARD COVER!!!!! now i have cham crap in my car ick! hes pretty good about going just before he goes for a vet visit, which is awesome lol... last time we were just about ready to get him out of the cage to take him lol... hes got awesome timeing
 
would it be okay to put a warm compress on his eye like maybe a paper towel since they are soft? im hoping to help his eye drain... on the ride to the vet he was rubbing his eye on the car window to help get the fluid out, which was helping... so i know it can come out, but im wondering if a warm compress would help soften the duct blockage and help fluidize the goop a little bit so it can drain out easier.... is this a bad idea? not hot, just warm
 
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