Skin Sore

[watchmefly901]

Hello,

First time posting. Thank you all in advance for your help!

I have a 1 yr old panther in a screened enclosure. He developed a sore on his back leg that was green and oozy. Took a few trips to the vet, and it remains undiagnosed. We have decrusted it and bandaged with silver sulfamide, triple antiobiotic and anti fungal cream but nothing seems to be having a positive effect. Also tried Baytril to no avail. Open to suggestions!

 

[MelissaB]

Poor guy. I've never seen anything like that before, but I haven't been keeping chameleons for that long. I hope your vet can figure it out and help him. Did the vet take a sample of the infected tissue and run a culture on it?That might be the best way to figure out what is going on.

 

[watchmefly901]

I have not resorted to ordering the expensive culture as the bills have been so high already. So I was hoping to diagnose the issue here... but 40 views and no ideas?

Where are the experts in the room?

I appreciate any and all input. Thanks!

 

[carol5208]

I can tell you right now, you hare going to have to have it cultured. You have to have the right antibiotic. You need to see if it is fungual or bacterial. Chameleons also get cancer, but I am not a vet and I am sure if your vet knows anything, he would have spotted that from looking at it. You can see from the pic it is spreadinig to other parts of the body. There are little growths on his side. He is going to die if you do not get the proper meds. If it is fungual it can go into his lungs and other organs. My chameleon had a a tiny growth on his side and I had two cultures done on it,one bacterial and one fungual. I got lucky and it was bacterial. I used a couple of topical treatments and it went away but it took a long time. That thing looks like it has been there a while. I would not wait any longer and get the culture done and get the proper meds. How long as it been there? It couldn't have popped up overnight.

 

[froggielog]

Please get a culture. Certain things don't respond to the general meds prescribed. Poor boy

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!

I have not resorted to ordering the expensive culture as the bills have been so high already. So I was hoping to diagnose the issue here... but 40 views and no ideas?

Where are the experts in the room?

I appreciate any and all input. Thanks!

I'd say that 40 intelligent people took a look and rather than speculate, did not respond.

Although many people here have quite a number of years of experience with chameleons and often can recognize many health problems just as well as many vets, there is simply no substitute for an "expensive culture" or biopsy in some instances.

It is only reasonable to acknowledge that it is beyond the abilities of the best keepers to diagnose things which seem to have thus far eluded your vet's ability to diagnose--particularly since you mention having spent a lot on treatment already.

Just in the very small area you've shown there are at least 2 other areas of skin with problems.
Are they related? Are they burns that are healing? Are they worsening?
You would know better than anyone here, as you know when they appeared and how they have changed.

Perhaps it started out as a bacterial infection, then became something else after a few unsuccessful treatments
The "skin sore" could now be a benign tumor such as a keloid, a growth caused by a virus or cancer, as well as an encapsulation of some sort or a fungal or bacterial infection.

Sometimes you just have to have tests run to make a valid determination.
If you don't have confidence that your vet is familiar enough with chams to be helpful, then you can let people know where you're located and someone may know of a good cham vet in your area.

 

[carol5208]

Lovereps, if you look closely at the other suspect areas, the little growths look like the same thing on his leg, atleast to me anyways. Bottom line is that thing looks horrible and it needs to be properly diagnosed. I just hope he is not in too much pain. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like that in all my years on the this forum.

 

[Lovereps]

Lovereps, if you look closely at the other suspect areas, the little growths look like the same thing on his leg, atleast to me anyways. Bottom line is that thing looks horrible and it needs to be properly diagnosed. I just hope he is not in too much pain. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like that in all my years on the this forum.

I don't know if they are the same or aren't but I agree with you the cham needs to have some testing done and be properly diagnosed.

Like you, I hope the poor cham isn't in a great deal of pain, either.

watchmefly901, I understand how frustrating it must be to spend money and get no real diagnosis.
The usual treatments have failed, so testing seems like the only real option at this point.