Please help me save my babies
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That's a photo of my best friend Bames as a tiny baby napping on my finger. He grew from a tiny little bean of a chameleon into a massive Trex in the year I spent with him. Then, a week and a half ago he passed away from a rare and hard to treat fungal infection called Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) or known simply as "yellow fungus". It is a flesh-eating disease that eats away at the chameleon's skin rapidly and causes death. He was unlucky- CANV is rarely documented in chameleons is almost always fatal. It therefore requires aggressive treatment and quick detection- which also requires an experienced exotic vet, as it is so difficult to diagnose.
Here are photos of what CANV has done to my once happy, energetic babies:
Bames had been recovering from a burn from his basking lamp when he became infected with CANV. He became dehydrated as he would not eat or drink, and went downhill rapidly. By the time I had taken him to an emergency vet, his heart had stopped:
Baby Lilac resting with half open eyes at the bottom of her encousure on a wire platform I left in case she became too tired to hold on to her vines. The black marks are bruises from her bleeding internally, and you can see yellow patches from the CANV fungus:
Up close photos of baby Rose's chin and the fungus using a USB microscope. As you can see, the CANV eats away the keratin in the flesh of reptiles, causing holes to form that are only visible upon magnification:
Because CANV progresses quickly, once you realize a chameleon is infected, it is still almost always too late for them. Initially, I did not realize Bames had passed away from an invasive fungal infection, and his passing was so fast that it did not leave time for me to bring him to a vet. By the time I realized how sick he was, it was too late. I had lost my best friend. A few days later, a yellow fungus showed up on my second oldest veiled chameleon Rose, along with my tiny translucent baby veiled Lilac. I immediately made a vet appointment with an experienced vet, Dr. Brent Jackson, who has worked with exotics for years. He was highly reccomended by everyone in the chameleon-keeping community. I could not see him immediately, so because I recognized the infection was fungal (note that I am completing a Bachelor of Science in infectious disease) I began to treat it with over the counter anti-fungal cream to try and limit the spread. Once the week had rolled around, I saw Dr. Jackson and he confirmed my worst fear- Lilac and Rose had yellow fungus. However, even he has not seen yellow fungus in chameleons before, as it is so uncommon. He prescribed topical treatments for Rose and Lilac, but unfortunately underestimated the fungus- two days later I lost little Rose to the infection.
Immediately after Rose passed away, I knew I had to get oral anti-fungal medications. Lilac had begun to turn black due to internal bleeding from the fungus. I had also noticed that my Jackson chameleon baby, Poke, had begun to develop CANV lesions on her skin. I took my bearded dragon Boop to a friend's home due to the fungus being extremely infectious and not wanting her to die too. CANV most commonly affects bearded dragons, so she was not safe in my home anymore. Very few people online have reported having chameleons infected with CANV, and from those people's experiences, as well as primary scientific articles I decided that the only option to treat the fungal infection was medication called Itraconazole, or as an alternative, another anti-fungal, Voriconazole. I called Dr. Jackson and told him that the infection was worsening and he agreed- we needed to act fast and treat with oral anti-fungals. He admitted to having underestimated the fungal infection. But, I had another obstacle: the Itraconazole would have to be ordered from a drug compounding company in Ontario and would take four or five days to arrive at the clinic. This is time that baby Lilac and Poke do not have. Our only option for now is to treat the fungus with oral Fluconazole until the correct drug arrives from Ontario. However, this may not be effective, as conflicting reports in primary scientific literature suggest it often does not kill the fungus.
That brings me to today. I'm sitting here typing this after having spent over $800 on medical treatment for my chameleons and bearded dragon. I want to culture the CANV fungus to determine the exact subspecies and what drugs can kill it- a feat that will cost $60. The Fluconazole that I bought, which is only a temporary treatment until the Itraconazole arrives, cost me $75 for 5 days worth of medicine. As I sit here after spending this much time and effort caring for my babies, two have died, one is away from me for a month, and two are dying. I can't do this anymore- but I refuse to give up while my babies are still breathing. They mean the world to me. I struggle with mental illness and do not have support from my family, but Bames and my baby chameleons mean the world to me. When I lost my place to live and life felt hopeless, some nights I would just cry and snuggle Bames until I felt better. Just knowing he depended on me was enough to keep me from acting on the suicidal thoughts I had at the time. Even if I can't save the chameleons, I refuse to stop trying if there is even a tiny chance that we can make it through this.
However, I need help. I am fighting to keep baby Lilac and Poke alive, but I will need more money for medicine. I currently almost can't pay rent next month because I have been so desperate to save my small family of chameleons. I know it is irrational to spend so much when it is probably futile, but when someone means this much to you, money is nothing. Life is priceless. I cannot bear to lose Lilac, Poke, or Boop. I have probably spent about $900 on my chameleons and Boop, and will likely end up spending around $1000 for more medicine and vet bills.
ie. Initial vet bills: $406
Cost of Fluconazole: $75
Cost of additional medical supplies (ie. Betadine, syringes, supplies for Bames necropsy, bandaids,
gauze, Pedialyte, etc.): >$150
Cost of custom-ordered Itraconazole: >$100
Cost of new supplies for the enclosures (as I had to throw a lot out): >$100
Cost to culture the fungus and determine drug
sensitivity: $60
Cost of my babies lives: Priceless
Total: Approximately $900
Please, if you have even a small amount to spare, I would be endlessly grateful. I cannot give much in return currently, but I truly hope that the world returns the kindness and empathy you choose to have for my chameleons. Then one day, when I am able to, I promise to return the kindness to each and every one of you somehow.
Thank you for reading.
Update: Baby Poke has passed away, but baby Lilac is still trying her best and so am I. As long as she is still breathing, I will not give up on her. She is still drinking and moving around, but she is covered in bruises due to internal hemorrhaging caused by the fungus damaging her body.
Bames as a baby when I first got him as a two week old baby:
A selfie of my best friend Bames and I:
Baby Rose:
Baby Lilac:
Baby Poke:
The tiny dollars (my nickname for the babies because they are so small) on creepy "Daddy" Bames (my nickname for Bames when he turned into a scary horny chameleon):
That's a photo of my best friend Bames as a tiny baby napping on my finger. He grew from a tiny little bean of a chameleon into a massive Trex in the year I spent with him. Then, a week and a half ago he passed away from a rare and hard to treat fungal infection called Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) or known simply as "yellow fungus". It is a flesh-eating disease that eats away at the chameleon's skin rapidly and causes death. He was unlucky- CANV is rarely documented in chameleons is almost always fatal. It therefore requires aggressive treatment and quick detection- which also requires an experienced exotic vet, as it is so difficult to diagnose.
Here are photos of what CANV has done to my once happy, energetic babies:
Bames had been recovering from a burn from his basking lamp when he became infected with CANV. He became dehydrated as he would not eat or drink, and went downhill rapidly. By the time I had taken him to an emergency vet, his heart had stopped:
Baby Lilac resting with half open eyes at the bottom of her encousure on a wire platform I left in case she became too tired to hold on to her vines. The black marks are bruises from her bleeding internally, and you can see yellow patches from the CANV fungus:
Up close photos of baby Rose's chin and the fungus using a USB microscope. As you can see, the CANV eats away the keratin in the flesh of reptiles, causing holes to form that are only visible upon magnification:
Because CANV progresses quickly, once you realize a chameleon is infected, it is still almost always too late for them. Initially, I did not realize Bames had passed away from an invasive fungal infection, and his passing was so fast that it did not leave time for me to bring him to a vet. By the time I realized how sick he was, it was too late. I had lost my best friend. A few days later, a yellow fungus showed up on my second oldest veiled chameleon Rose, along with my tiny translucent baby veiled Lilac. I immediately made a vet appointment with an experienced vet, Dr. Brent Jackson, who has worked with exotics for years. He was highly reccomended by everyone in the chameleon-keeping community. I could not see him immediately, so because I recognized the infection was fungal (note that I am completing a Bachelor of Science in infectious disease) I began to treat it with over the counter anti-fungal cream to try and limit the spread. Once the week had rolled around, I saw Dr. Jackson and he confirmed my worst fear- Lilac and Rose had yellow fungus. However, even he has not seen yellow fungus in chameleons before, as it is so uncommon. He prescribed topical treatments for Rose and Lilac, but unfortunately underestimated the fungus- two days later I lost little Rose to the infection.
Immediately after Rose passed away, I knew I had to get oral anti-fungal medications. Lilac had begun to turn black due to internal bleeding from the fungus. I had also noticed that my Jackson chameleon baby, Poke, had begun to develop CANV lesions on her skin. I took my bearded dragon Boop to a friend's home due to the fungus being extremely infectious and not wanting her to die too. CANV most commonly affects bearded dragons, so she was not safe in my home anymore. Very few people online have reported having chameleons infected with CANV, and from those people's experiences, as well as primary scientific articles I decided that the only option to treat the fungal infection was medication called Itraconazole, or as an alternative, another anti-fungal, Voriconazole. I called Dr. Jackson and told him that the infection was worsening and he agreed- we needed to act fast and treat with oral anti-fungals. He admitted to having underestimated the fungal infection. But, I had another obstacle: the Itraconazole would have to be ordered from a drug compounding company in Ontario and would take four or five days to arrive at the clinic. This is time that baby Lilac and Poke do not have. Our only option for now is to treat the fungus with oral Fluconazole until the correct drug arrives from Ontario. However, this may not be effective, as conflicting reports in primary scientific literature suggest it often does not kill the fungus.
That brings me to today. I'm sitting here typing this after having spent over $800 on medical treatment for my chameleons and bearded dragon. I want to culture the CANV fungus to determine the exact subspecies and what drugs can kill it- a feat that will cost $60. The Fluconazole that I bought, which is only a temporary treatment until the Itraconazole arrives, cost me $75 for 5 days worth of medicine. As I sit here after spending this much time and effort caring for my babies, two have died, one is away from me for a month, and two are dying. I can't do this anymore- but I refuse to give up while my babies are still breathing. They mean the world to me. I struggle with mental illness and do not have support from my family, but Bames and my baby chameleons mean the world to me. When I lost my place to live and life felt hopeless, some nights I would just cry and snuggle Bames until I felt better. Just knowing he depended on me was enough to keep me from acting on the suicidal thoughts I had at the time. Even if I can't save the chameleons, I refuse to stop trying if there is even a tiny chance that we can make it through this.
However, I need help. I am fighting to keep baby Lilac and Poke alive, but I will need more money for medicine. I currently almost can't pay rent next month because I have been so desperate to save my small family of chameleons. I know it is irrational to spend so much when it is probably futile, but when someone means this much to you, money is nothing. Life is priceless. I cannot bear to lose Lilac, Poke, or Boop. I have probably spent about $900 on my chameleons and Boop, and will likely end up spending around $1000 for more medicine and vet bills.
ie. Initial vet bills: $406
Cost of Fluconazole: $75
Cost of additional medical supplies (ie. Betadine, syringes, supplies for Bames necropsy, bandaids,
gauze, Pedialyte, etc.): >$150
Cost of custom-ordered Itraconazole: >$100
Cost of new supplies for the enclosures (as I had to throw a lot out): >$100
Cost to culture the fungus and determine drug
sensitivity: $60
Cost of my babies lives: Priceless
Total: Approximately $900
Please, if you have even a small amount to spare, I would be endlessly grateful. I cannot give much in return currently, but I truly hope that the world returns the kindness and empathy you choose to have for my chameleons. Then one day, when I am able to, I promise to return the kindness to each and every one of you somehow.
Thank you for reading.
Update: Baby Poke has passed away, but baby Lilac is still trying her best and so am I. As long as she is still breathing, I will not give up on her. She is still drinking and moving around, but she is covered in bruises due to internal hemorrhaging caused by the fungus damaging her body.
Bames as a baby when I first got him as a two week old baby:
A selfie of my best friend Bames and I:
Baby Rose:
Baby Lilac:
Baby Poke:
The tiny dollars (my nickname for the babies because they are so small) on creepy "Daddy" Bames (my nickname for Bames when he turned into a scary horny chameleon):
Organizer
Nicole Brianne Crux
Organizer
Edmonton, AB
