HELP veild blister cancer?

[chamitch]

on teh top of my males veil he has like a traslucent bubble almost. could it be from rubbing on things? any ideas. he seems fien other wise

[J-Man]

the top? mine used to get this bubble by their eye... it reminded me of a frog's throat. It would inflate then deflate and inflat then deflate and so on. Is that what you're talking about? If it is, then I don't think you have to worry.

Any pics?

Jeremy

[Trace]

Hard to explain, maybe I'll look around my hard drive for some pics, but does he have any white areas along or close to this blister? White areas that look different from the rest of the colouration on his casque?

Blisters to me indicate severe burns. My first chameleon I ever got was a rescue case that had burns on his casque, arms, spines and shoulders. When all was said and done, he lost the spines, had scarring on his body and he lost the veil.

I could be way off base in my theory here, but check his basking spot temperature. Check to see how far the light is away from the spot he usually sits. If it is a burn, I think a vet trip is warrented. My fellow was prescribed oral antibiotics and a topical antibiotic/burn creme to get him better.

Trace

[chamitch]

ok thanks. its very small. and just looks like a blister. coudl it be from rubbing? i jsut noticed it last night. and ill go check on it again right away. im just sick right now.

thanks.

[Trace]

Is there enough space between his casque and the lid of your tank? Can he sit normally under the basking light or is his head tilted back in any way? I just wondering why he would rub the top of his veil against something.

If he was rubbing his casque on something, intentionally or not, I would think it would look like an area of missing skin or scales, not a blister. Now some of the scales are enlarged across the front of the bone of the casque, could you be seeing that and mistaking for a small blister? Again I'm still concerned about a possible burn in that area.

Trace

[chamitch]

perhaps it is a burn. ****. if it doesnt break will he still need antibiotics. i dont think there is a herp vet around saskatchewan

[Trace]

First of all you shouldn't panic. I know it's not hard not to, but try. I have not seen any pics or the chameleon in question so I still could be way off base in my prediction. My guy was BADLY burned and he also had a broken leg, so the prescriptions and treatments may be a little different that what you have.

Now Garrett lives out your way, perhaps he could post or PM you the name of the vet that he uses. Apparently she is quite good.

Here are some short term solutions for you though. Please double check the temperatures under his basking light. It should be 90F maximum. Also check that he can't get too close to that light. The pain receptors in chameleons are not at the skin level like in humans. It does take a while for them to realize they are getting burned and at that point it's too late. A dab of polysporin on the area twice a day is not going to hurt whether it's a blister or not. Do not pop that blister!

I know your guy lives in a modified tank which isn't the best way to house a chameleon, so do him a favour and double check to make sure your husbandry is correct.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Trace

[chamitch]

ok thanks.

[Trace]

Hey Mitch!

It's been a few days... has the area gotten better? Worse? Still the same? Just curious.

Trace

[chamitch]

well it went down. might have popped i washed the area. looks better though. :)

but now he is climbign on teh roof and he broke a nail. is that normal? i dotn think it will grow back grrr. veilds are to rambunkious.

thanks for yoru concern.
mitch

[Trace]

Glad to hear he's feeling better! That's great.

The nail? Is it broken or actually pulled right out? Either way, not TOO much of a concern. If it's just broken, well it will keep growing and form a point again. If it's actually pulled out of the foot (like completely gone) then you want to watch that foot. Keep the area clean and watch for swelling, infections etc. Much to my disappointment, one or two of my guys have pulled claws out in the screening of their cages but eventually the nails do grow back... it does take a LONG time though. Again, watch the area and dab of Polysporin on the toe won't hurt either, if you are worried.

Cheers!

Trace

[chamitch]

thanks so much. yea just in teh past 3 days. seen one gone 2 and then 3 nails gone. from teh screen im guessing. i put some antibiotics and mixed it in with soem bactroban and put a little on his nails and his veil.

thanks again
mitch