Temporal gland infection on my Jackson chameleon!!!!!

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

Please help. Today I noticed a lump un the side of my Jackson chameloens mouth and found a boogery looking substance in the corner of his mouth. I've read that this is probably a temporal gland infection, and could lead to starvation of the chameleon. I really need answers quick. I know I may need to take him to the vet but I have really good connection at a local pet store that breeds chams and they could possibly get me any antibiotics that might help solve the problem. If it requires surgery that is more than the chamelon is worth them my parents will more then likely not take me. Please help I don't know what to do.

 

[Lathis]

Don't panic just yet. Yes, you will need a vet visit, but it should just take some antibiotics to clear up. Definitely schedule an appointment as soon as possible. In the mean time, he won't starve. Can you post a photo?

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

I was reading another thread about this and somebody was using a cotton swab to get out the boogery stuff so I tried this and put slight pressure on the lumb and more booger-puss came out, so I wiped it all out of his mouth and it decreased the swelling a little bit but it is still very noticeable. I've heard to try neosporn and hydrogen peroxide should I follow the advice to use that or could it be toxic to the chameleon? He is still drinking but he wasn't eating when I tried earlier but this could be from stressing him out with the cotton swabs. Also I gave him a short shower and I am gunna keep his cage fairly damp so he can drink whenever he needs to and also so he can wash out the booger-puss.
I will try to attach a photo as soon as I can.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

His infected temporal gland. it has gone down a little bit.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

This is him three days ago. You can kind of see the start of the infection, now that I look a little closer.

 

[kinyonga]

It's quite likely if you don't have the gland cleaned out by a vet it will return or the bacteria won't be killed by the antibiotic.

 

[Lathis]

Yeah, he's going to need antibiotics. Poor little guy.

Jax are prone to infections of the temporal gland. After my Jax had a pretty nasty infection, I keep an eye on his mouth and clean out the corners with a damp qtip when junk accumulates. So far so good.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

So is this a common thing in chameleons? How does it happen and is it fairly easy to cure if you get them to a vet quick?

 

[Lovereps]

Not all chams have a temporal gland but Jackson's do and it is not uncommon for it to become infected.

A vet who really knows how to treat chameleons would definitely be the best thing to do for him.
It's great that you have a friend at a place where chams are bred, since they probably know a good vet to use.
Early treatment can often prevent the need for surgery and make the likelihood of faster, full recovery much greater.

The problem with the temporal gland infections is that they can spread to the sinuses, eyes and bones of the jaw and skull if not promptly and properly treated---which does include getting all of the thick pus out of the gland.

I would not use Neosporin and peroxide.
It would not be good for him to be swallowing Neosporin and peroxide is very hard on healthy cells.

You can dilute some chlorhexidine gluconate sold at animal supply stores for wound treatment (sold as Hibiclens in pharmacies) and apply it with cotton swabs until he sees the vet but without the right antibiotic, it will most likely just get much worse, as I described.

Chams do their absolute best to hide all signs of illness , so it is very important to get medical care ASAP.

I hope you'll keep us up to date on his health.

This forum is a great place for cham discussions and all of us can learn things from others.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

Thank you all so much for the advice and comments! I am going to try to get him into the vet tomorrow. I'm only 14 and it is hard for me to convince my parents to spend a lot of money on a reptile, partially because they don't find them as fascinating as I do, and because sometimes going to the vet is more than the animal is worth, but my mom seems to be ok with trying to get me to a good vet tomorrow. Once again thank you and I will keep you updated.

 

[Lovereps]

I'm very glad your mom is willing to help your cham because you care about him.

It is very important that the vet knows how to treat chameleons---ones who don't know enough about chams can cause harm.

For 14 you must be pretty smart to have asked good questions on a forum with a lot of knowledgeable people and plenty of people who are new to chams, too.

 

[Lathis]

Definitely keep us posted. He's a handsome little guy, so I hope he gets better quickly. Lovereps is very right that you need to be sure that the vet has CHAMELEON experience, not just reptile experience. Chameleons are very unique, and the vets here on the forum often share how chams present illness differently from other reptiles.

Where are you located? We might be able to help you find a vet.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

I am located in Derby, Kansas. Just south of Wichita. I went to a vet for my other chameleon and the lady knew less than I did about my chameleon. I read that some vets will use Zymox to cure the infection. Is this something that can be bought over the counter at local pharmacys?

 

[Lathis]

Cimmaron Animal Hospital claims to treat exotic reptiles. You should call and ask about specific chameleon experience.

There is a registered herp vet in Topeka, a bit of a drive, but FYI:

http://arav.allenpress.com/arav/findavet#stateHeadKS

I am in KCMO, so I understand it can be tricky to find an experienced vet in the Midwest.

 

[Lovereps]

I am located in Derby, Kansas. Just south of Wichita. I went to a vet for my other chameleon and the lady knew less than I did about my chameleon. I read that some vets will use Zymox to cure the infection. Is this something that can be bought over the counter at local pharmacys?

I do understand about not wanting to go to a vet who knows less about chameleons than you do.
That's the type who can harm your cham, instead of curing him.

I keep mostly Jackson's and so I've had this problem occur. Like you, I'd like to be able to solve all cham health issues at home but it isn't possible much of the time.
With very mild infections, diluted chlorhexidine (at feed stores)/Hibiclens (at pharmacies) has cured it but that is only for the mildest cases when caught very early.
Your guy looks like he already must get an antibiotic.

Unfortunately, the Zymox is used in addition to an antibiotic, not instead of one and is used after the swelling is cleaned out.
The vet is also using a prescription strength Zymox that is not available to the public.
As I mentioned before, you can apply some hibiclens with a QTip to help the area until he gets to the vet (hopefully soon).

Hopefully, mom and dad will change their minds.
With chams, sooner is much better than later when it comes to vet care.

People sometimes hesitate to take their cham to a vet because it is expensive--but these people probably wouldn't hesitate to take a free puppy to a vet because it costs more than the puppy cost.
It's simply the humane thing to do.

Doesn't your friend at the pet shop know of a good vet to use?

Here are a few links to pages with vets who care for reptiles in Kansas, maybe one of them will be good with chameleons.
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/kansas.html
This place in Wichita says that some of their vets treat reptiles and to call them for more info http://allcreaturespetvet.com/about-us/services.html

Finally, this next thread simply seems to have a listing of Wichita vets, not necessarily ones who treat reptiles or chams.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/i-need-vet-chams-wichita-ks-35938/

You may also want to start a new thread called Help--need a cham vet near Wichita or Derby, Kansas --or something like that.
Hopefully, someone who knows of a good cham bet nearby will repond.

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

Thank you all very much! I did not get Monty to the vet, I was told to use betadine by the same person at the petstore who also breeds veils and panthers, and just after one night of treatment the swelling had decreased down to about half. I am using a Q-tip to apply it on the infection. He also said I should use smaller crickets. So I will just be feeding medium small crickets and medium dubia roaches. I am still going to try to get him to the vet as soon as possible because everybody was closed today. I was trying to get him to Cimarron Animal Hospital but they were booked on saturday, and I didn't even ask about monday.

 

[Lovereps]

I'm glad the home treatment has helped a little til he gets to the vet.
I know that diluted Betadine/Povidone iodine can be helpful but you need to be sure he doesn't swallow it--that's why I suggested the dilute Hibiclens/Chlorhexidine .

If you haven't already read it, this is a great caresheet for Jackson's chamkeepers https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

It tells you important things, such as to only use calcium with D3 1x a month, multivitamins 1x a month and to use calcium without D3 for most feedings because crickets and Dubias, like most feeders have too much phosphorus so you need to dust them to increase the calcium.
Your Jackson's will probably appreciate some juicy, wiggly Phoenix Worms, which are actually one of very few feeders which don't need to be dusted with calcium.
I order them for my Jackson's from here
http://www.phoenixworm.com/servlet/the-Phoenix-Worm-Sizes--Place-Order-Here/Categories

 

[Chameleonsthecoolest]

Could it kill them if they swallow just a tiny bit? I think he may have got a little in his mouth, and yes I have read the care sheet and I follow the exact supplement schedule. I have been giving him showers and swabbing out anything in the corners of his mouth.

 

[Bush baby]

You can also apply an anti-bacterial cream like neosporin to the corner of his mouth as well.

 

[Lovereps]

The iodine should be diluted before using it. Usually it is 10% iodine that you buy, so add 9 parts of water to dilute it to 1%.
If you use this very diluted iodine it will be less of a problem if he does swallow some.
If you can point his head down or to the side so gravity will carry things away from the inside of his mouth while cleaning , he will be less likely to swallow much iodine or pus.

I'm not a vet, so I don't know how much iodine is too much to swallow.