Swollen foot

MrColors

New Member
My Jackson's is missing a few claws--i don't know how. He has a ReptiBreeze cage (all mesh) and his perches are repti-rope. I never handle him, but my sister claims he "crawls right into her hand" whenever she visits (which is bogus because he's super shy), so I'm thinking that maybe he lost a couple while being pulled off of a perch (which she denies). Anyways, his back right foot is completely ballooned out (it is missing all claws). I noticed it yesterday. I put VERY gentle pressure on it and it burst, and a bunch of yellow fluid and blood came out. It happened again today but there was puss. The swelling goes way down when I ease the pressure that way and he seems to be more able to walk on it. However, I know that it is infected and I know that this is very serious. The closest reptile vet is three hours away, and I am unable to bring him there. There are two other vets here who accept reptiles (one was completely bogus---used google to treat him) and I am going to take him in to try the other on Monday morning. His perches are super clean and I have the Aqua Zamp Rain Dome which rains clean water on him for 5 minutes every 3 hours, so cleanliness is not an issue. Besides rushing him to the vet, is there anything else I can do for my poor little guy? Is expressing the puss the right thing to do? Anything I can do until Monday to help him feel better? Thanks.
 
Sorry about your little guy.

I have treated many infected chameleon feet due to lost nails and wounds (rescues and WC) and I have found a few things that work very well.

first, yes, clean the feet and remove as much pus as you can. You can use an iodine solution but I have found that chlorhexidine solution works very well.

For treating the infection I use Vetericyn Hydrogel Spray - it has really worked extremely well on wounds and infections.

Both these products are available on line (links below for reference) but if you have a farm/feed store they are likely available there as that is where I bought them locally.

A vet would likely clean it out and supply antibiotics and a topical cream but I prefer to not use antibiotics on such a simple thing since antibiotics can be harsh on chameleons, especially the rescues and wild caughts I have had to treat.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-40337

http://www.amazon.com/Vetericyn-Hyd...1355613130&sr=8-8&keywords=vetericyn+hydrogel
 
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