The Karma Progress Thread
- Thread starter GoodKarma19
- Start date
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Oh my goodness!!! He is so handsome!!! My Godrick eats his shed lol I wonder why they do that?I believe Karma shed at some point late yesterday/early today. His colors are much brighter/clearer, and he wasn't nearly as cranky this morning as he has been for the last couple days! I can't see any evidence of shed skin anywhere in his enclosure, but he does still have a couple flakes around his eyes and a bit or two around his feet so he may very well have eaten it.
Karma's starting to show some lovely warm earthy tones. What a handsome little boy!I love the little "freckles" around his casque and turrets.
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From what I read it is a sign of good health in reptiles to eat their own shed because of the minerals that are in it. But I dunno for sure. Beman did it a lot when he was little now he does it here and there.Oh my goodness!!! He is so handsome!!! My Godrick eats his shed lol I wonder why they do that?
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Yes, I read that too, but I'm not sure how accurate it is...I just wish I could somehow hear what they're thinking. LoL pretty sure my boy has a foul mouth though and if he had a middle finger, I'd see it often.
OMG your sooooo funny. Thanks I needed that this morning LOLYes, I read that too, but I'm not sure how accurate it is...I just wish I could somehow hear what they're thinking. LoL pretty sure my boy has a foul mouth though and if he had a middle finger, I'd see it often.
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Aw I'm glad I could help...I'm just a goofball raising a grumpy boy. LoL
Calypratus
Established Member
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Y'all are hilarious !
I appreciatethe continuing support! I'm glad that Karma's showing more signs of improvement, and had what appears to be a clean shed. It was worrying me that he was being so quiet and ornery the last few days. I hope he keeps it on the up and up!
I appreciatethe continuing support! I'm glad that Karma's showing more signs of improvement, and had what appears to be a clean shed. It was worrying me that he was being so quiet and ornery the last few days. I hope he keeps it on the up and up!
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Under your care, I have a feeling he's just going to get better and better! Amanda, I really am so happy you took him in. And yeah I'm kind of a goofball lolY'all are hilarious !
I appreciatethe continuing support! I'm glad that Karma's showing more signs of improvement, and had what appears to be a clean shed. It was worrying me that he was being so quiet and ornery the last few days. I hope he keeps it on the up and up!
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Under your care, I have a feeling he's just going to get better and better! Amanda, I really am so happy you took him in. And yeah I'm kind of a goofball lol
I'm really hoping so! I'm giving Karma the best possible chance at recovery I can, and the rest is up to him.
The world needs more goofballs, I figure!
Thehippie
Chameleon Enthusiast
great job Amanda thanks to you Karma had a second chance at life, im so glad that you made this thread i really am looking forward to seeing Karma continue to grow and thrive under your care!! as for @GodricktheVeiled you are too funny!!! this is what i love to wake up to in the morning
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
I arrived home yesterday evening from my mini vacation, and come bearing many gifts for the critters! It was a great trip and I had some much needed family time away from the critters. I don't get the option of going to Vancouver often and I don't like ordering things that I haven't seen in person, so it was a perfect opportunity to stock up on bird supplies as well! I'm happy to report that the house did not, in fact, burn down while I was gone despite what my worrywart tendencies were telling me!
I managed to visit an aquarium/reptile specialty store while I was in the city, and made arrangements to have an ExoTerra 36x18x36 glass terrarium delivered at some point. It's such a good looking enclosure in person! I was initially worried about shipping due to the expense and potential for damages, but it turns out that the owner makes frequent trips up my way and would be able to bring it here personally without additional charge! So, anything that I can't get through the clinic/can't be shipped easily I now have a source for. They also have silkworms on occasion, so I'll be sure to get some of those!
I also met a lovely female panther chameleon while I was there, and instantly fell in love. She was just so sassy, and walked right up to me! It's one thing to see these animals in pictures, and another entirely to meet them - that rosy peach with darker patterns is gorgeous! My next chameleon will likely be either a female veiled, or a panther. I was originally toying with the idea of a male (ambanja or ambilobe), but after seeing this girl... I don't know! It's far off in the future, in any case. I've definitely been bitten by the "chameleon bug", though! Ah, to have unlimited resources...
Karma's no worse for wear, and his eye even looks a touch better! It's getting more mobile, so I'll count that as a win. We're nearing the end of his proposed Vitamin A regimen, so I'll have to sit down with my vet and see if it would be safe to continue. Karma's still not gaining weight as quickly as I'd like and his ribs are much more visible than I'm comfortable with, so I may try feeding him twice pending my work schedule.
~Amanda
I managed to visit an aquarium/reptile specialty store while I was in the city, and made arrangements to have an ExoTerra 36x18x36 glass terrarium delivered at some point. It's such a good looking enclosure in person! I was initially worried about shipping due to the expense and potential for damages, but it turns out that the owner makes frequent trips up my way and would be able to bring it here personally without additional charge! So, anything that I can't get through the clinic/can't be shipped easily I now have a source for. They also have silkworms on occasion, so I'll be sure to get some of those!
I also met a lovely female panther chameleon while I was there, and instantly fell in love. She was just so sassy, and walked right up to me! It's one thing to see these animals in pictures, and another entirely to meet them - that rosy peach with darker patterns is gorgeous! My next chameleon will likely be either a female veiled, or a panther. I was originally toying with the idea of a male (ambanja or ambilobe), but after seeing this girl... I don't know! It's far off in the future, in any case. I've definitely been bitten by the "chameleon bug", though! Ah, to have unlimited resources...
Karma's no worse for wear, and his eye even looks a touch better! It's getting more mobile, so I'll count that as a win. We're nearing the end of his proposed Vitamin A regimen, so I'll have to sit down with my vet and see if it would be safe to continue. Karma's still not gaining weight as quickly as I'd like and his ribs are much more visible than I'm comfortable with, so I may try feeding him twice pending my work schedule.
~Amanda
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm sad to report that Karma has taken a turn for the worse this week. He has been regurgitating almost all of his feedings, is completely uninterested in eating on his own, and he continues to have limited to no weight gain. While he's still drinking and thermoregulating, I've caught him hanging out on the bottom of his planters with his eyes closed during the day. Karma always perks up when he realizes that I'm watching him (since I'm a predator and he's trying to look tough), but when left to his own devices he really doesn't look too hot.
My vet and I agree (in addition to two other vets and several exotic technicians) that there really isn't much else I can do to give Karma a boost. It's looking more and more like a case of failure to thrive, and too much damage might have been done to his organs during his formative period to be fixed. I'm going to try reducing the volume per feeding but upping the frequency, and including some of the probiotics that finally arrived in an attempt to reestablish his gut flora. His GI tract is almost certainly damaged.
I'm going to keep a chart over the next month to keep track of "good" days and "bad" days and get a better perspective of his daily trends, and I'll talk it out some more with my vet. At the end of the day I don't want Karma to suffer, and I won't let him slowly waste away. I'm unselfish enough to let him go when it's time, and it really looks like he's starting to give up the fight.
~Amanda
My vet and I agree (in addition to two other vets and several exotic technicians) that there really isn't much else I can do to give Karma a boost. It's looking more and more like a case of failure to thrive, and too much damage might have been done to his organs during his formative period to be fixed. I'm going to try reducing the volume per feeding but upping the frequency, and including some of the probiotics that finally arrived in an attempt to reestablish his gut flora. His GI tract is almost certainly damaged.
I'm going to keep a chart over the next month to keep track of "good" days and "bad" days and get a better perspective of his daily trends, and I'll talk it out some more with my vet. At the end of the day I don't want Karma to suffer, and I won't let him slowly waste away. I'm unselfish enough to let him go when it's time, and it really looks like he's starting to give up the fight.
~Amanda
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Oh Amanda,
I'm so so sorry
I really hope he improves, but I agree that it seems like he's just tired of fighting. Poor baby boy. I admire you so much for doing everything you can humanly attempt to save him. I also agree that when the time comes, I know you have done the right thing. Here for you if you ever need a shoulder. <3
I'm so so sorry
I really hope he improves, but I agree that it seems like he's just tired of fighting. Poor baby boy. I admire you so much for doing everything you can humanly attempt to save him. I also agree that when the time comes, I know you have done the right thing. Here for you if you ever need a shoulder. <3
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Oh Amanda,
I'm so so sorry
I really hope he improves, but I agree that it seems like he's just tired of fighting. Poor baby boy. I admire you so much for doing everything you can humanly attempt to save him. I also agree that when the time comes, I know you have done the right thing. Here for you if you ever need a shoulder. <3
I appreciate the ongoing support more than I can say. I'm feeling pretty down about the whole situation right now, even though I knew from the get go that this could happen. Sometimes - especially with younger animals - it seems that they get better to a point and then start rapidly declining. Even if I took Karma to the reptile specialist in Vancouver (I don't drive, so it would be difficult but doable), I don't think there's anything more that can be medically done. His body seems to be just giving up at this point, even if he's still trying to fight.
Karma was looking pretty bad when I left the house. I have a really awful feeling that I should have brought him to work with me today, if only to end his suffering. I'll see how he looks when i get home/tomorrow morning... I think I'll have to accelerate my timeline in terms of making a decision.
I gave it my all, and I have no regrets. I gave him a fighting chance that he never would have gotten otherwise. If Karma passes (and it's looking more and more likely), I imagine I'll end up bringing home another chameleon sooner or later. Possibly sooner, as I definitely caught the "chameleon bug"! This community has been a lifesaver, and I'll be sticking around for sure, one way or the other.
~Amanda
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
You really are an awesome person for doing everything possible for him. I'm glad to read that you're going to stick around!
Awww Amanda I am so sorry to hear about this. I know how you have fought for him and he was so lucky to end up with someone like you that would do everything to try to assist him in a recovery. I completely understand the possibility of ending his suffering is one hard decision but in the end you will do what is best for him. I am holding a safe supportive space for you and karma. Sending you both so much love. Wish I could give you a hug hun. Xoxox
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, I have potentially positive news!
I took an extended break yesterday and hitched a ride home with a coworker to pick up Karma and bring him back with me to the clinic. Thankfully it was a slow day (at the time, it blew up later lol), so the doctor on duty was able to spend some time with me and Karma. She's not my regular exotic vet, but she does have a fair bit of reptile experience and has been to many seminars recently. After discussing Karma's current list of problems and what approaches we've tried, we decided to take a couple quick xrays to check Karma's bone density. (The pic itself is a little grainy due to me snapping a shot of the monitor)
The positioning is far from ideal, but we were mostly just interested in density. There's evidence of mild MBD in the slight thinning of his cortical bone structure, but it's very early stage and should be easily reversible. However, it did prompt us to take a look at the nutritional breakdown of Karma's handfeeding formula as he had no signs of MBD before (I cheated and took an xray that I didn't save to the system, with permission from my vet). Critical formulas such as Emeraid IC Carnivore aren't necessarily good for long term use (>1-2 weeks), and after looking closely at the calcium content it's very possible that with Karma's current malabsorption issues he hasn't been getting enough calcium! This would potentially explain the plateauing and eventual deterioration of his condition, though I'm sure multiple factors are at play.
I've been prescribed a pretty aggressive regimen of calcium gluconate, and the doctor says that I should see an improvement within the next couple days if MBD is contributing to his current bout of listlessness and inappetence.
Fingers crossed! It's early days, but Karma seems a bit perkier today.
~Amanda
I took an extended break yesterday and hitched a ride home with a coworker to pick up Karma and bring him back with me to the clinic. Thankfully it was a slow day (at the time, it blew up later lol), so the doctor on duty was able to spend some time with me and Karma. She's not my regular exotic vet, but she does have a fair bit of reptile experience and has been to many seminars recently. After discussing Karma's current list of problems and what approaches we've tried, we decided to take a couple quick xrays to check Karma's bone density. (The pic itself is a little grainy due to me snapping a shot of the monitor)
The positioning is far from ideal, but we were mostly just interested in density. There's evidence of mild MBD in the slight thinning of his cortical bone structure, but it's very early stage and should be easily reversible. However, it did prompt us to take a look at the nutritional breakdown of Karma's handfeeding formula as he had no signs of MBD before (I cheated and took an xray that I didn't save to the system, with permission from my vet). Critical formulas such as Emeraid IC Carnivore aren't necessarily good for long term use (>1-2 weeks), and after looking closely at the calcium content it's very possible that with Karma's current malabsorption issues he hasn't been getting enough calcium! This would potentially explain the plateauing and eventual deterioration of his condition, though I'm sure multiple factors are at play.
I've been prescribed a pretty aggressive regimen of calcium gluconate, and the doctor says that I should see an improvement within the next couple days if MBD is contributing to his current bout of listlessness and inappetence.
Fingers crossed! It's early days, but Karma seems a bit perkier today.
~Amanda
GodricktheVeiled
Established Member
Ohhhh Amanda!! I'm hoping with all my hopers!! I really want him to get well!! (I know you do too)
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