Very Worried.

UrbanChameleon

UrbanChameleon

New Member
I'm at the vet right now and I'm freaked out. I'm worried because as the vet was handling Loki, his eyes got sunken in, he started wobbling, and his tongue won't go back in. I don't know if this is normal from stress. They were grabbing all over his face, opening his mouth, and massaging his neck. His the front of his tongue came out, and she said it would go back in. He looks like he's knocking on deaths door after this whole ordeal. I'm waiting on her to come back in the room. She didn't seem to know what she was talking about half of the time, and I don't understand why he can't pull his tongue back in. His eyes look awful!! I've never seen him like this. Is it normal for him to have this kind of reaction, or is this bad? I'm afraid he won't go back to his normal self.
 
I'm so sorry you and your baby are going through such a distressing time. Keep calm if you can and let us know how he is after vets.
 
Thanks for the support guys.

I just got him back home. His eye's are looking better, and he is able to close his mouth/keep his tongue in now. I'm trying to let him chill out and warm up. His face looks a little "deformed" or different after the manhandling.

I took him to the vet (for the first time) because he was missing feeders, and a few times he could get his tongue out only an inch. I STILL don't know what's wrong. She basically didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

He started acting "drunk" (disoriented) while she was grabbing his face. I expressed my worry with how he was acting after she was done. She then said "Oh.. he doesn't do this all of the time"? I was like.. crap no lady! The first time I talked to her, she treated me like I didn't know anything. The nurse asked me if the vet had hurt my feelings, and I told her no, that I was just nervous. When the vet came back in, she told me she'd never treated a Chameleon with such a knowledgable owner. She also said that I really wasn't doing anything wrong, but made a few suggestions. She basically apologized for assuming that I was an idiot.

She checked him for parasites. The test came back negative, and she stated that she'd never had a Chameleon come back negative. So she checked his fecal a second time.. still negative. Her suggestions were: Get a Reptisun 5.0 (because all others don't have any UVB), bring his humidity up to 80%, and give him a "bath". I think I'm going to order a Reptisun online anyways. I've been working on keeping him hydrated, but I think I'm going to start giving him showers. He wasn't extremely dehydrated or anything, but could be better. She said that screen cages are perfect for Veiled's, but Panther's are tropical, so they need different cages. She didn't really seem to know where she was going with that statement.

Even though he came back negative (twice) for parasites, she gave him Panacur. I'm supposed to go back in 3 weeks for his other dose and check-up. I feel much better knowing that A) He doesn't have parasites and B) He's being treated for it just in case. I'm still kind of baffled that he doesn't have them, considering he was sick when I got him. I always thought it was Parasites.

She didn't tell me anything about his tongue issues. I still don't know what's going on there. She mentioned at the beginning of the visit, that his diet could have too much protein. I said that he is supposed to be 8-9 months old, but he's always been small for his age. She told me that he could actually be growing too fast. I'm not sure if she is correct on that or not. Maybe I'm gutloading him to well?

All in all, I walked away with mixed feelings. I don't think she was horrible, but doesn't have much experience with Chameleon's. I'm going to take more drastic measures to make sure he stays hydrated. I'm going to stop giving him Calcium Plus, and go back to the old school method. Calcium w/o D3 or Phos. daily/every other day, Cal w/ D3 once/twice a month, Multivitamin twice a month.

I asked the nurse about Panacur side effects. She told me that she had no idea what they were with Chameleons, but cats and dogs do fine with it. Could anyone tell me what I should be watching for? Will it affect his appetite or anything like that? Also, is it correct to give him a dose today, and then 3 weeks from now? She didn't do any tests for infection or x-rays to see what was up with his tongue. Hopefully it will go back to normal once I change his supplement schedule. I think I'm going to give him just plain Calcium for the rest of this month.
 
????

Why would she treat him for parasites if he was negative both times? I think I personally I would question her experience with chameleons before second guessing myself. Think about it why did she give him something he doesn't need.... that is just my thoughts. I really hope she didn't do any harm to him by manipulating his jaw.

Best wishes to you and your little guy....

Amy
 
I absolutely would would not give him panacur if he does not have anything to treat. Why put your chameleon on something he does not need? I don't get it? From what you have stated from your visit, if it were me, I would be looking around for a new vet. You seem to know more than they do. I hope you get to the root of the problem with the tongue issue. Hopefully it is just temporary. Let us know how things go.
 
A new friend:)

I'm new to this site keep me posted please I will add you as a friend I hope he's okay I'll pray for him.
 
Now from reading all the replays from everyone else and someone please mark me if I'm wrong but, I use to have a 4 year old female veiled and her tongue started decreasing in extended length. I believe it could be a respitory infection. You should google it. My female veiled passed away 6 years ago. I believe it said that I had to put her in her tree and run warm water so she could drink to take care of the tongue problem also it said for me to give her a bit of whole milk because it's high in calcium. The calcium level could be low Aswel. If no one knows the answer google it but beware some people absolutely do not know what they are talking about. Please do not take my advice 100% I'm just sharing information from my research that I've studied.
 
she could have a vitamin dificiancy my cham has a vitamin b difiecency and it causes her tongue to not stick out as far as it could she can only get it out 4 inches at most and thats if shes trying really hard, i give her the proper vitamins everyday but due to previous bad care from previous owners its permanent, that could be the issue as well.

and if parasites came negative your doing everything right and i wouldnt have let the vet give your cham whatever it was called to take care of it, shes probably just trying to get as much money from you she can and it sounds like you know more than her anyway.
 
Oh my gosh. I am in tears right now.

I don't know what to do! Loki is worse off than he was before I took him. He is not acting like himself and keeps moving his tongue. I put a cricket in his cage and he wouldn't eat it. He would look at it like he wanted it, but then ignore it. I took the back legs off of one, and set it in front of him. He didn't know how to use his tongue, and tried to grab it like a Bearded Dragon. I'm so distraught right now. I was freaking out while he was eating it, worrying he would choke. It's like his tongue is sore or swollen.

He's keeping the tip of his mouth open a little bit too. I've read so many horror stories and every bad possibility is going through my head. My mom is trying to rationalize and calm me down. I paid $100 to make him worse.

My only other option is to drive him 3 1/2 hours away to Louisville, I will have to call them tomorrow. I'm heartbroken. I don't know what I'd do if he started choking or dies.
 
Natalie I know you are upset buy try and calm down. I know you love your chameleon and it is hard to see him like this. I would not feed him anything else until you find out what is going on. Worst scenerio, and he cannot use his tongue again for whatever reason, he can still survive and eat. My chameleon will not shoot for crickets but will for worms.It is strange So the only way I get him to eat them, is to hold them right up to his mouth. He eats them like a dog. Don't lose hope. I think finding another vet is the way to go. I hope things work out for you and he gets better. I also would not give him the panacur. I think that will just be adding insult to injury so to speak especially when there is no real reason to take the panacur. jmo.
 
I agree

don't get yourself in a panic. However do find another vet!!! I really hope he is ok. I wonder want could be the issue to his tongue problem. I believe feeding him now could do more harm then good if his tongue is swelled. I am thinking bug juice or some sort of liquid reptile diet till he is better but hold off till you find an experienced reptile vet. I will be keeping both of you in my prayers and thoughts....
 
Wow, Jordan, I'm so sorry to hear this. :( I agree with the others, to hold off on feeding him until you get him to another vet. Give his tongue a chance to settle a bit. Give him a chance to drink plenty of water. The moisture may help. I'll keep on checking up on you! Chin up...
 
Thank you guys.

I'm not going to feed him anything else tonight. I just watched him drink. It's incredibly sad, because he doesn't know what he's doing. I'm afraid he's going to bruise up his nose by trying to maneuver himself.

I just found a thread with the exact same issue. The person took their Cham to the vet, and it wouldn't use his tongue afterwords. I'm hoping Loki recovers tomorrow, or the next day. He got manhandled pretty bad, so he's probably sore. I'm just praying that this isn't permanent.

It looks like he's heading to bed now. He's all curled up in his sleeping spot. That poor baby. Everyone keep Loki in your thoughts and prayers. I will update this thread tomorrow.
 
Is he sleeping now? It sounds like he just had a total stress overload. I would give him as much space as possible and absolutely no handling tomorrow. Give him a full day to just relax and recover from his stressful ordeal. I probably wouldn't feed him either, but make sure he has the option to drink several times over the course of the day. The stress of traveling and being restrained and having his mouth opened could easily just put him over the edge. I would not give the Panacur unless there is a reason to do so, especially right now while he is stressed. You can hold on to it for later.

Unfortunately we vets are used to seeing completely ignorant or clueless reptile owners. I get people all the time that swear up and down their husbandry is superb and they're doing nothing wrong when very clearly their reptile has MBD or other signs of abysmal care. And when questioned about husbandry details they get defensive and rude and of course are doing everything wrong. Those are hard because I want to help them take better care of their pet without making them feel really guilty, or they just fight me the whole way thinking they know better. I always give them the benefit of the doubt first...but I've yet to have someone truly knowledgable yet. My most recent was someone who thought their 10 year old tortoise was geriatric. But I digress...

Did you have a UVB light on him before the vet visit? Lack of UVB and thus lack of calcium can cause tongue issues. If for some reason he does not regain function of his tongue he can still live a normal happy life like my veiled does. He'll just need to cup feed. But it may just be temporary so no need to fret just yet.
 
kinyonga said:
Peacenlove...what vitamins do you give yourself every day???
Click to expand...

i give her a drop of b12 like twice a day and always dust her cricket im going to get d3 to. shes fine just when she was little didnt have the proper calcium and vitamins shes doing a lot better but i think its just forever scared her. or she just doesnt know how to stick it out all the way anymore i dk :confused:
 
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