Mika...i didnt quite understand those threads, they didnt seem to be about eye problems. The last vet visit, the vet said Louie was VERY strong, and no sign of MBD. Im still trying to get a vet visit for Louie some time this week. Im not sure if i should give him the Vit A capsules without consulting the vet or not.
Hi, I'm not sure if you read the thread specifically the responses from Jim Flaherty of the Chameleon Company in regards to eye problems & Vit A in the form of retinyl palmitate.
Those threads are not about just MBD's. There's very good discussion in regards to using Vit A (retinyl palmitate) not Omega 3.
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These are some of the responses on the thread:
Have you thought about a possible vitamin A deficiency? I cant seem to find the thread now, but Jim from Chamco posted some good info about it the other day. Interesting enough for me to copy it to my pocket pc for saving. Here is the text ...
1.
"How sure was the vet that the closed eye was due to an eye infection ? If it was first one eye, and then the other, and an eye infection was not confirmed, it could easily be a deficiency of Vitamin A. Most other internal problems that eventually cause death will also have eye closings as a component, but its almost always both at the same time. One eye at a time, if not an infection, is Vitamin A about 75% of the time. It may be too late already. If not, go to GNC and get some Vitamin A (retinal palmitate) gel caps. Cut one, and moisten a Q-tip. This may put the equivelent of a drop in the Q-tip. Touch it somewhere inside the mouth of the animal, so that you estimate you have left 1/100th of a drop there (each cap usually contains 10,000 to 15,000 iu per cap). It doesn't take much, as you want your animal to get 100-150 per dose. Do it daily for 5 days when the animal looks symptomatic of Vitamin A deficiency. Normally, an animal with one eye closed, which is still relatively early in the problem, will have it open again in about 3 days. If the animal seems to recover, do it once every 7-10 days after that. Do not dose the animal with a whole drop under any circumstances. Likely any vitamins you use lists beta-carotene as the Vitamin A source. Doesn't get the job done in chameleons. Good luck."
-roo
2.
I hope not to miss anything, but you may need to reread my last post. I say there in the very first part of it that, in answer to an earlier question, a single eye closing is the first outward sign of Vitamin A deficiency. As to what you have read about one vitamin being antagonistic towards the other, some times you have to trash what you read, and start to tinker with what works. Baseline place to start is that Mother Nature gets it right. That is always proof number one. Label it antagonism, etc, but she gets it right, and she does it without "antagonism". I wish it were easy, but you have to find that balance, that is automatic in the wild, within your environment. I cannot guarantee success for you if you will just follow what I do. I can't even guarantee success for myself, as admittedly I am modifying Mother Nature. But don't get too hung up on other people's use of the word "balance". In the wild, I do not believe that a chamneleon has to count calories, iu's of vitamins, etc. What I have come to believe is that there are broad windows for some of these things, and that in the wild at least, it is easy for chameleons to stay within them. If not, that species would be extinct. The problems lie with our bringing them into our alternative environment. I think that the windows of tolerance regarding the use of D-3 are broad enough such that commercial products are both safe and recommended by me. What is not tolerated well by the animal is a complete ommision or gross under-supplementation of a Vitamin. I have said this many times in many places, but real sun is the best first thing for a chameleon. Without it, the problems mount. My best advice for any hobbyist is to go with the Vitamin A as I have outlined, and dust with a calcium with D-3 2-3 times per week.
Dr. Ferguson et al concluded in the '90's that chameleons need pre-formed Vitamin A. To my recollectoin, as I don't feel like pulling out the study, Scott Stahl worked this one as well, and it was reported by Ardi Abate in The Journal of The Chameleon Information Network. My work with far more chameleons than they had to work with confirms that with a gold star. A single eye closing is the first outward sign for the layman (or laywoman) hobbyist. My results have been confirmed by others independent of my critters.
The suggestion to put the dash of Vitamin A on a cricket etc that could then be given directly to a chameleon would work just fine. Hope I got it covered. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC
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There's more information on those threads that I thought would give you more info because Ibesok is also suggesting the same thing.
I thought it would give you more info on Vit A in the form of retinyl palmitate.
Information on omega 3:
The three most nutritionally important omega 3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Dietary sources of alpha-linolenic acid include flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, soybeans and some dark green leafy vegetables. Linoleic acid is found in high concentrations in corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil. Most people consume a much higher amount of linoleic acid than alpha-linolenic acid, which has important health consequences.
The body converts alpha-linolenic acid into two important omega 3 fats, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). These fats can also be derived directly from certain foods, most notably cold-water fish including salmon, tuna, halibut, and herring. In addition, certain types of algae contain DHA. EPA is believed to play a role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, while DHA is the necessary for proper brain and nerve development.
