Tongue Amputation
A female CB F. oustaleti was presented with the complaint of having a damaged tongue. The owner reported that the female tried to catch a cricket from a far away distance and the tongue went flaccid. The chameleon bit her tongue several times while attemting to retract it and close her mouth. The owner moistened the tongue and tried to place it back inside the chameleon's mouth the best he could. The chameleon's husbandry was very good and she was kept in a screened cage.
Upon physical examination it was noticed that the chameleon swallowed her tongue and was having slight difficulty breathing due to this. Part of the tongue was obstructing the trachea making it hard for the chameleon to breathe.
Surgery was recommended to amputate the tongue. The owner agreed and the patient was taken to the surgical roon to be anesthesized. 5% isoflurane was used for anesthesia. Once the patient was under anesthesia, the tongue was extracted from the esophagus. The tip revealed ulcerated lesions and the area attached to the hyoid bone showed several bite marks. These vital areas of the tongue were moderately discolored and necrotic. Absorbable suture material was used to tie off the tongue at the level of the hyoid bone and it was amputated. Bleeding was minimal and the patient recovered from anesthesia very fast.
Systemic antibiotics were used to prevent secondary infections. The owner was advised to either hand feed or bowl feed the chameleon since she did not have a tongue any more and would not be able to hunt her food. Prognosis was guarded since it was up to the Oustalet's to learn how to drink and eat without a tongue. A few days passed and the female struggled to adapt but eventually did and is now doing fine. The owner was very happy with the results and trained the chameleon to eat from a bowl and to drink in a vertical position to prevent choking.
Trauma is usually the most common cause for tongue damage. It is very important to furnish the cage properly to prevent the chameleon's tongue from getting entangled in any of the cage's accessories. If you know your chameleon is a voracious eater, make sure you place the insects at a normal distance from him/her to prevent any overextension of the tongue that could lead to damage of the tissues.
Ivan Alfonso, DVM