Swollen throat, need advice ASAP!!!

[Slages26]

4-5 month old RBBB panther seems to have a pretty swollen throat and I know everyone wants to know Specs and what not but I just want some expertise on what this could be because it looks like it could possibly be edema. Do I need to bring him to vet or is there some advice you guys can give me. Feeding roaches and crickets and dusting mon-fri with calcium wout d3, sat nothing and then Sunday I switch with rep cal multivitamin and then calcium w d3. I gutload and everything else so I’m clueless as to what it could be so please help.

 

[Slages26]

And I know I’ll probably get torn apart for having a clear feeding cup but he always comes down to the top and picks them off one by one and I’m waiting fort magnetic feeder I bought off of a guy on here to come in. I have a mistking that runs 5 times a day from anywhere between 3-5 minutes and a dripper running most the day so he has plenty of access to water. Animals are my life so I want to make sure I give this guy then best life I possibly can and just want to ask advice from the experts or those who breed them. Thank you!!!

 

[kinyonga]

There are a few reasons why they develop gular edema...certain nutrients are overdosed, sometimes it happens when a female is gravid and then disappears after, something in the gutload can cause it and then sometimes it can be due to things like kidney failure or other organ issues. If it's the nutrients we might be able to figure it out here. If it's organ failure then you will need a vet...but it's young so I'd be surprised if that's what it is.

What did you uses to gutload the insects specifically? Does anything you are dusting with or feeding the insects with have prEformed vitamin A in it?

 

[Slages26]

Honestly he acts as if there is nothing wrong with him and he can shoot his tongue with pin point accuracy just fine and moves very quick and definitely no signs of broken limbs or gout. It literally happened over a night so I was wondering if in the pics it was normal for panthers to get that because I've only had a veiled and flap neck before. As far as gut loading I use the cricket crack and I use carrots, strawberries every one in awhile and collard greens and such. I never use anything Im not supposed to because I read up a lot on sandrachameleons posts. Nothing I use has preformed vitamin A at all.

 

[Slages26]

Like I said im clueless as to what it is and if it is life threatening because I've never had to deal with it before and as far as money goes it would be difficult for me to bring him to a vet and cover the bills so that kind of sucks.

 

[Slages26]

And also I was told by the seller that it was a male and not a female.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."And also I was told by the seller that it was a male and not a female"....I never said it was a female only listed the instances where we see gular edema.

 

[Slages26]

Oh I know I was just saying, I wasn't saying you said that but I was familiar with females that even at a young age it is possible for them to become gravid and can cause edema. I woke up this morning and most of the swelling was gone so I am clueless as to what it is. Just a thought, could it be when they eat they don't give themselves enough uvb and the food doesn't break down like it should and settles into their lower throat area? It seems no one has an exact answer as to how it forms but I figured I would just throw in my two cents to see if that could ever be a possibility.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."could it be when they eat they don't give themselves enough uvb and the food doesn't break down like it should and settles into their lower throat area?"...the UVB has nothing to do with breaking down the food...it has to do with calcium transport to the bones and muscles, etc.
The basking light provides heat which helps the chameleon digest the food in it's stomach. Edema is fluid build up...not food build up.

"It seems no one has an exact answer as to how it forms"...there is no exact answer unless we figure out why it's forming....and there are many reasons for it. One way it forms is when the kidneys or heart, etc don't function properly the fluids build up and are most noticable in the throat in chameleons. It comes from hypervitaminosis A too. Sorry...the battery in my tablet is down and I have to recharge....back with more later.

These articles might help...
clinician™s approach to the chameleon patient - IVIS
http://www.vetlocator.com/newsarticles/chameleons.php

 

[kinyonga]

There's a list of reasons edema develops in this site ....
http://www.uvma.org/chameleon/edema.htm