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Surgical
Removal of Mandibular Abscess in C. Johnstoni
Chameleon
Photos 1 and 2 - A Chamaeleo johnstoni
was presented with the complaint of a swelling in its mouth
that the owner believed was a temporal gland infection. Upon
examination a large swelling was noticed on the left side of
the mandible but not where the temporal gland should be. It
was actually growing in the lower dental arcade and seemed
to be an oral abscess.
Photo 3 - Upon examination of the oral
cavity a large amount of green/yellow material was noticed
in the area of the mass and a very foul odor was coming from
it. Surgery was recommended to debride the area and obtain a
sample for culture and sensitivity.
Photos 4 and 5 - The chameleon was
anesthesized with 5% isoflurane and a good sample was
obtained for culture. There was a lot of pus obtained and
only some was used to be sent to the lab for analysis. It
was of doughy consistency and very bad smelling.
Photos 6 and 7 - After the area was
cleaned and disinfected it looked much better and the
underlying tissue still looked viable. The mandibular bone
however was missing. Seems like the infection actually ate
the bone and now the Johnston's chameleon had an incomplete
mandible. This made things worse for the recovery.
Photo 8 - After the surgery was
finished, the chameleon recovered quite quickly and started
to move around the cage. The swelling in the lower jaw was
still present but without any debris. Broad-spectrum
antibiotics were started while waiting for culture results.
It was advised to monitor the chameleon while he recovered
to make sure he did not fracture his jaw completely.
Photo 9 - After 3 days, the culture
results showed a heavy growth of Klebsiella and Aeromonas
which were both susceptible to Baytril (this was the
antibiotic of choice used after the surgery). With this
results the treatment was continued for 14 days and the
chameleon seemed to be doing better every day. He ate
normally and learned to chew only with his right side. What
is even more important, the swelling on the mandible went
down dramatically after the first 7 days of therapy.
Ivan Alfonso, DVM
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