Kiwi's assessment was bad. :( She has severe Metabolic Bone Disease which has caused multiple long, lateral fractures in her arms and legs. She has limited mobility currently because her legs are so broken. Poor baby! Because her bones are so empty of calcium, every climb and movement broke them further.
Kiwi got a shot of calcium and a shot of Calcitonin (a miracle med that helps pull calcium back into the bones). The vet also measured a tube for her so we can tube feed her nutrition daily.
Here at my house, Kiwi is in a 10 gallon tank. I had her in a screen cage, but she wouldn't stop climbing the walls. She mostly just sits on her belly or side during the day. I'm sure it is almost impossible for her to walk without pain.
She has a long road of recovery ahead of her. It's going to take awhile for her bones to heal and for her calcium levels to become normal again. So far she's not eating on her own, so I'm still tube feeding her.
Her last owners provided a UVB light for her, but it was a coil bulb and not very effective. Young chameleons particularly need a high powered, quality bulb to help them metabolize calcium as they grow so much in the first year. Perhaps an adult chameleon with strong bones who is done growing would be okay with a coil UVB, but never a baby. Kiwi will be handicapped for the rest of her life and will not likely grow very big either.
Kiwi has really struggled the last few days and I've found myself wondering if we did the right thing by keeping her alive and trying to help her heal. I'll keep watching her and discussing her with my vet. If it becomes unkind or unfair to keep her alive, then I will let Dr Folland put her down. To force her to live because I want her to isn't humane at all. Without my intervention, she would have already died, but that doesn't mean I now have to keep her alive at any cost.
Poor Kiwi. :(
