Very sick Veild Chameleon please help !

[Reece]

I have a approx 6 month old male veild cham recently diagnosed with having coccidia parasites in his feces (6000) per gram of feces to be exact) currently on Sulfatrim 0.01ml one a day for 14 days. I just heard a thud and rushed over to the viv turned the light on and he had fell 36 inches from the top of the viv to the bottom and was laid there motionless. So i got him out and syringe fed him water which he gulped down and is now laid flat out on a heat mat with some damp tissue under him. He is so weak and barley has the strength or grip to stand up and hasn't really been eating, I am so worried anyone have any suggestions ?

 

[Lathis]

I'm sorry to her your little guy isn't doing well. Coccidia is a nasty parasite that can be very, very difficult to get rid of. Did the vet give you direction for sterilizing everything your cham has come in contact with and throwing away those things that cannot be sterilized? You have to be very aggressive with cleaning, and some keepers still report that the infections reoccur. I recommend researching sterilizing after coccidia for directions. I have heard that either ammonia or hydrogen peroxide are needed and that bleach may not be effective enough.

Coccidia is supposedly species-specific, but be really careful to protect yourself and any other animals you have from cross infection.

Since he seems to be doing so poorly, for now, he should be in a "hospital cage" where he can't climb too high and put down some towels in case he falls again. Other than keeping him hydrated, following his medication protocol, and sterilizing everything multiple times, I don't have much advice. :/ I really do wish the best for luck for your cham.

 

[Reece]

Thanks for the advice i will sterilize every thing tomorrow morning hopefully he pulls through

 

[carol5208]

I have dealt with Coccidia, and was lucky my chameleon pulled through. Mine had it when he was only 6 grams so it was quite a task administering the meds to such a small little creature. I used Ponzuril on the recommedation of other members. 3 days on, 3 off and then repeated in a week if I remember righty.. I actually ended up doing 3 rounds and he made a full recovery. Make sure if he does pull through, that you continue to get fecals done to check for reinfestation. I don't really know the purpose of you having him on a heating pad. I am not sure if that is going to more harm than good.

 

[kinyonga]

Looks like he has a bump by the back leg....did the vet says anything about it? Wonder if he has something else going on in addition to the coccidia?

 

[Lathis]

I saw that - the swelling at the base of the tail at the spine? I wonder if it's a secondary infection?

 

[MissLissa]

I saw that too- looks bilateral, and like the tops of his hipbones to me. To my eyes he looks kinda underweight, which would explain why they are sticking out so much. I can't imagine that any good vet would miss a "lump" of that size during an exam. It does look a bit weird in shape, though that could be the angle of the picture. Maybe a side view and close up of the tail area would help?

 

[Reece]

I will defiantly do fecal samples after to make sure, I was thinking that the lump was hind leg muscle attaching to the spine as it is symmetrical on the other side. He is under weight he wont eat much.

 

[Reece]

Note: He has a respiratory infection now as-well.

 

[Andee]

Is he eating by himdself at all? Have you thought about supplementing his feedings? I have used things such as reptaboost or carnivore care (carnivore care is one you have to get from the vet but it's the better of the two), with a lot of success. I have fed chameleons who could not feed themselves with a liquid diet until they were healthy enough to feed themselves, and they ended up gaining weight. With Veileds I also fed organic baby food.

 

[Reece]

He hasn't been eating I never thought of liquidizing foods what is your recipe ? He is now also being nebulized for respiratory infection twice a day

 

[Andee]

Reptaboost or carnivore care are two pre-made foods you can get that are specially made for insectivores, they are your best bet to keep his vitamins where they need to be.

 

[kinyonga]

How do you know he has a respiratory infection now too?
If he was thinking the tail bones would be prominent IMHO.

 

[Reece]

Thick excess saliva, crackling coming from his nose, wheezing all night and day. My vet said it was respiratory infection.

 

[Reece]

Having trouble getting im to swallow any food or water he just holds it in his mouth any suggestions ?

 

[kinyonga]

Did your vet run a culture and sensitivity test?
What are the temperatures in the cage?