Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a ambilobe panther chameleon a few weeks back
that was sick and had worms in his skin,He was pretty weak also
When i took him to the vet, She told me that i should wait untill he was gaining weight to do anything,
It wasnt looking like he was going to get better ,actually he was getting weaker
so i gave him a oral dose of (Fenbendazole) a horse dewormer
since she refused to do anything!
This is where it gets interesting,the day after i gave him the medicine he looked alot worse i thought i'd lose him for sure
he became dark almost brown and was noticably weaker!
the next day he seemed alittle better so i figured id put him outside in a cage i built for him (he loves the outdoors) i gave him warm showers and food ,hoping for the best i tried every trick that i know of and read of to baby him
well on the third day i noticed worms for the first time in his feces and the same on the fourth
Now this is what i dont understand,all the worms in his skin have disapeared and he is gaining strength
From what i have read and heard the only way to rid him of the skin worms is to be cut out right?
well they are all gone from his skin where'd they go?
if anyone knows about this please let me know !
i will be using this vet. for fecal exams and check ups untill i can find another
I beleive that since he was a w.c. chameleon ,putting him outside has alot to do with him getting better

DISCLAIMER;
I IN NO WAY ENDORSE MEDICATING A PET YOURSELVES I ONLY DID IT OUT OF NECCESSITY AND ONLY AFTER A LOT OF RESEARCH AND T.L.C.AND PREVIOUS CHAMELEON EXPERIENCE
SINCE THE VET (HERP SPECIALIST) PRETTY MUCH SAID HE WAS A GONNER
SO IF I OFFEND ANYBODY I APPOLIGIZE IN ADVANCE

Whether the subcutaneous worms moved in response to the drug, died and now look deflated, or that they are sensitive to the drug if they haven't been under the skin for as long I don't know. I'm glad he's better. I know it can be a hard decision for a vet to medicate if the cham is in bad shape...the drugs are hard on kidneys and liver so I can understand their hesitation. I had an oustaleti rescue who was dehydrated, skinny, and in bad shape. The vet was determined to de-worm right away, and I lost him literally hours later. He was very obviously sick from the meds. There's probably no single answer to this as so much about the individual cham is unknown at that point. I've also heard of seemingly healthy wc chams dying from de-worming even when the dosage was correct. It can go either way.

Yeah i heard the same things
thx for the reply

Dennis