No, not mine.

We have a female Veiled Chameleon at work. Awhile back they got 3. They are only like 2in big if that. The first two died a few days within arrival from shipping stress and we got credit for them. On the other hand we have not sold our last one(maybe the $99 price is why). Well, she has been doing great. Eating, drinking, shedding. Now, she's doing horrible. She started in the early week getting this bump on her eye. Not the black dot, but the round eye part. Now it's super swollen and she can't open it. It looks like a puss gooy white bump. And it's soft and squeshy. Everyone at the store thinks it's a calcium deposit. It seems shes in pain and now won't open either eye. Won't drnk or eye. And is extermely weak and falls when she climbs and acts if she has a seizer on the ground.

What do I do to help her? I forced water down her last night. We try force feeding ALL the time. But she just stores it in her pouch and spits it out later.
I know we REALLY need to take her to the vet. It's been to long to replace her or get vet credit or anything. So of cuorse they don't want to take her, because it will be around $100-$150.

They are thinking of lowing her price to what we paid, around $30 and gving a setup cage with her. So someone will buy her.
My boyfriend is upset about it and wants to get her if thi shappens. We really don't have the money to do this, I mean I would def get her and take her to the vet and then find a good home if I was sure this would happen. But I'm scared of spendng all this money and then her dying. As horrible as that sounds.

I'm sorry for venting. Bu does anyone have advice on how to make her comfortable or even what this could be?

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*Cassie*
cmk2005@alltel.net

Is this bump on her eyelid? Or the eye itself? Sounds like the eyelid from your description.

Since you said it's a "puss gooy white bump" I would think that it's an abscess of some kind. Is the wound open or closed? Is it actually oozing a puss like material or just looks like it's full of puss?

Does the eye have any mucous or crusty material around it? Like "sleep"?

If it's an open wound I would try to treat it several times a day with betadine and perhaps a topical antibiotic ointment (triple antibiotic, neosporin, polysporin).

if it's a closed abcess treating it topically with betadine and antibiotic ointments won't work. The cham needs something systemic- like oral or injectable antibiotics. The only topical that I can think of that will penetrate through depths of tissue to treat a wound or abcess is silvadyne cream or fucidine.

Does the store have a vet that it does business with, or refers customers to? Maybe you can talk the owners into at least getting a perscription of oral baytril or some silvadyne cream from the vet? (both would be best)

She really does need to see a vet ASAP. I do understand that you are in a difficult position. If they don't treat her it sounds like she might not make it. If I were you and wanted to have this cham as a pet and help it out I would try to talk to the pet store owners and ask them just to give you the cham. You don't want them to put the price down to the orginal $30 that they paid and then have to take it to the vet ... days from now .. the longer the cham waits the worse it's chances for a recovery, meanwhile you'll have paid the store for it's purchase price and have paid a vet for treatment ... better to start out just paying a vet.

Does the cham have proper lighting and heating? I would see if you can raise the cage temp a little bit to give her more heat. It might help her immune system cope with the disorder.

As for the seizure like behaviour that happens when she's weak and falls ... I'm not sure if this is a side effect of the pain she's in from her eye, due to the infection that might be becoming systemic (bacteria in blood stream) or if she's also calcium deficient (seizures are common with calcium deficiency).

I hope this helps a little bit. Please let us know how the cham is doing and what you are able to do to help it.

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Tricia

Thanks for the answer Tricia!

I'm still doing all I can. I right now can't take in another Chameleon. So, I'm doing my best at work. We have been force "watering" her. We try to force feed her, but it still does not work. Another girl I work with has been given her eyletcrolytes(sp) off the self. I' not sure if those work, but I guess it's better than nothing.

We don't have a "vet" and the vet we do see we have already spent our monthy amount on - birds. Since birds are "more important", because they are worth more.

She has all the proper care, except a wire cage, it is glass. But I don't think this would affect it.

Is this bump on her eyelid? Or the eye itself? Sounds like the eyelid from your description. Yes eyelid.

Since you said it's a "puss gooy white bump" I would think that it's an abscess of some kind. Is the wound open or closed? Is it actually oozing a puss like material or just looks like it's full of puss? Yeah it looks like an abscress but it is gooy, not hard like a bump. And the wound is not open at all. Someone tried to "squeeze" it uot thinking calicum will flow out. =-/ And it never ripped open, so her skin is still tight, not weak.

Does the eye have any mucous or crusty material around it? Like "sleep"? Nope.

She is opening both eyes again, even the bad one. But still no eatting and is SUPER weak from that. And we did raise the temps some. She also seems to be on the cage floor more now.

__________________
*Cassie*
cmk2005@alltel.net