# Tortoise bladder stone cost



## Joy2000 (Jan 27, 2017)

Anyone know how much a tortoise bladder stone removal is? I may have to get that done on my tort and worried about the cost breaking the bank, thanks!


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 27, 2017)

@maggie3fan had this done.
So have a few others.
I think that there might be financing options offered by some vets or "GO FUND ME" type things


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## Yvonne G (Jan 27, 2017)

It's pretty expensive because it's major surgery. Call your vet and ask for an approximation.


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## Thury (Mar 28, 2018)

Joy2000 said:


> Anyone know how much a tortoise bladder stone removal is? I may have to get that done on my tort and worried about the cost breaking the bank, thanks!


*Please, make sure that you have an excellent Vet team if you are looking into this*. I am not sure how large your Tort is. I have a 70 ld Sulcata who needed a stone removed but it was just too large. I had the best team, latest technology but because of my boy's size and the size of the stone, it was impossible to remove. God bless the vet team, they tried for 5 hours to break it up into small pieces using a laproscoipc procedure. (Not exactly the technical term :/ ) It was very costly, but he is our baby and we wanted to give him a chance at having the best life ever. The procedure was not successful but he lived another two years! Today, we are preparing to say goodbye. He has stopped eating or trying to get to his favorite sunny spot in the yard and we fear that the stone is finally taking it's toll. We meet with our Vet team today. If we had caught the stone sooner he would have had a much better chance of having at least some of it removed. Especially if you have a young tort, I would recommend it as long as you have a team that knows what they are doing. The fact that my Shelldon is only going to live 1/10th of his life expectancy breaks my heart. Good luck to you and you tortoise. If you start a go fund me, my husband and I will contribute!


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

A big stone like that is very painful for the tortoise. In my opinion, the best option is surgery to remove it. Of course, a qualified vet is a must. My sister's tortoise's stone was about the size of a soft ball. I'll copy/paste the picture she posted of it sitting in her hand:


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

. . . and a VERY helpful hint to all tortoise-keepers:

*MAKE SURE YOUR TORTOISE IS WELL HYDRATED!!!!!*


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## ZEROPILOT (Mar 28, 2018)

@Yvonne G 
Is this most common in Sulcata?
It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.


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## vladimir (Mar 28, 2018)

ZEROPILOT said:


> @Yvonne G
> Is this most common in Sulcata?
> It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.


Would xrays be the best way to catch it early ?


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## ZEROPILOT (Mar 28, 2018)

vladimir said:


> Would xrays be the best way to catch it early ?


That's what I'm assuming.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

ZEROPILOT said:


> @Yvonne G
> Is this most common in Sulcata?
> It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.


Sulcatas and desert tortoises.


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## Jay Bagley (Mar 28, 2018)

Yvonne G said:


> Sulcatas and desert tortoises.


That thing was huge. I was wondering, my tortoise right now is still small enough where I can soak him. But when they become so large and you can't just put them in a tub of water anymore, what options do we have to help keep them hydrated. Is constructing a shallow body of water outside with a plastic liner or something the way to go?


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## vladimir (Mar 28, 2018)

Last year I ran a lawn sprinkler outside over part of Vlad's yard so he could get some extra moisture while he was out grazing [emoji16] I plan to continue that once the weather here warms up and he can get out

Not saying it's as good as a soak but it's one way to get some extra hydration


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## Jay Bagley (Mar 28, 2018)

vladimir said:


> Last year I ran a lawn sprinkler outside over part of Vlad's yard so he could get some extra moisture while he was out grazing [emoji16] I plan to continue that once the weather here warms up and he can get out
> 
> Not saying it's as good as a soak but it's one way to get some extra hydration


Thats a great idea, does the temperature of the water coming out play any kind of role? The water in our tap when it when it comes out is always super cold.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

Jay Bagley said:


> That thing was huge. I was wondering, my tortoise right now is still small enough where I can soak him. But when they become so large and you can't just put them in a tub of water anymore, what options do we have to help keep them hydrated. Is constructing a shallow body of water outside with a plastic liner or something the way to go?


My sister has a dug out spot in the back yard she keeps filled with water. I have a lid from a garbage toter I use for my large tortoise. He drinks on his own every day (I see him).


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## vladimir (Mar 28, 2018)

Jay Bagley said:


> Thats a great idea, does the temperature of the water coming out play any kind of role? The water in our tap when it when it comes out is always super cold.


Same here - I typically only did this when the temperature was in the 80s or so. Vlad didn't seem to mind the cool water, but I didn't want to risk anything if it wasn't warm/hot out


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## Jay Bagley (Mar 28, 2018)

Yvonne G said:


> My sister has a dug out spot in the back yard she keeps filled with water. I have a lid from a garbage toter I use for my large tortoise. He drinks on his own every day (I see him).


Thats a good idea. I have kind of wondered what I would use for a water dish when he gets huge. The lid from the garbage toter sounds like it would work great. I'm a little ways away from where he will be too big to soak yet, but I figured I better start getting a game plan together since he is growing like a weed.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

Just to give you a perspective on how big stones are, this is a Texas tortoise, about 9" SCL. The stone is too big to pass through the opening between top and bottom shell:




This rescue was given to me because he wouldn't eat and had lost a whole lot of weight. His arms had no meat on them at all, just skin draped over bone. Needless to say, it was way too late to save him.


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## Melis (Mar 28, 2018)

Thury said:


> *Please, make sure that you have an excellent Vet team if you are looking into this*. I am not sure how large your Tort is. I have a 70 ld Sulcata who needed a stone removed but it was just too large. I had the best team, latest technology but because of my boy's size and the size of the stone, it was impossible to remove. God bless the vet team, they tried for 5 hours to break it up into small pieces using a laproscoipc procedure. (Not exactly the technical term :/ ) It was very costly, but he is our baby and we wanted to give him a chance at having the best life ever. The procedure was not successful but he lived another two years! Today, we are preparing to say goodbye. He has stopped eating or trying to get to his favorite sunny spot in the yard and we fear that the stone is finally taking it's toll. We meet with our Vet team today. If we had caught the stone sooner he would have had a much better chance of having at least some of it removed. Especially if you have a young tort, I would recommend it as long as you have a team that knows what they are doing. The fact that my Shelldon is only going to live 1/10th of his life expectancy breaks my heart. Good luck to you and you tortoise. If you start a go fund me, my husband and I will contribute!


I’m so sorry to hear this. This is what happened to my 10 year old sulcata. We didn’t get to the surgery stage. We had to get her a little stronger for the surgery and she didn’t make it. Again, so sorry to hear this but what a great effort you made for him


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## Jay Bagley (Mar 28, 2018)

vladimir said:


> Same here - I typically only did this when the temperature was in the 80s or so. Vlad didn't seem to mind the cool water, but I didn't want to risk anything if it wasn't warm/hot out


I imagine the size of the tortoise pry plays a role in it too. Seems like I have read in other post, the larger the tortoise, the longer they can retain their core body temp.


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## Jay Bagley (Mar 28, 2018)

Yvonne G said:


> Just to give you a perspective on how big stones are, this is a Texas tortoise, about 9" SCL. The stone is too big to pass through the opening between top and bottom shell:
> 
> View attachment 234503
> 
> ...


Holy cow, that poor thing. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to try to pass something like that. Is it more dehydration, or diet that plays a role in this?


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## Yvonne G (Mar 28, 2018)

Pain causes them to stop eating. The stone blocks the urethra (?) plus the sheer size of it causes the colon to be compressed so waste can't pass through, and the size of the stone presses on the nerves, which may cause temporary back leg paralysis.


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## Amydillo (Mar 28, 2018)

1. What are the symptoms of a bladder stone?
2. If a Sulcata had a bladder stone removed in the past, are they more susceptible to developing them in the future, or is it totally management related?
3. Any veterinary teaching University (ie Texas A&M Vet School) would have all the necessary exotic specialists and equipment to deal with tort issues and are very good at working with you financially.


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## Thury (Apr 18, 2018)

ZEROPILOT said:


> @Yvonne G
> Is this most common in Sulcata?
> It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.



My tortoise had a CT SCAN which revealed he had a bladder stone. Not cheap, but had I known about this sooner, he would probably still be alive today. Good luck to you. These beautiful creatures deserve the best!


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## Thury (Apr 18, 2018)

Amydillo said:


> 1. What are the symptoms of a bladder stone?
> 2. If a Sulcata had a bladder stone removed in the past, are they more susceptible to developing them in the future, or is it totally management related?
> 3. Any veterinary teaching University (ie Texas A&M Vet School) would have all the necessary exotic specialists and equipment to deal with tort issues and are very good at working with you financially.



We took our Tort for a check up and the vets noticed him straining and they did a CT SCAN which identified a bladder stone. He had been having daily bowel movements but, we too, had noticed that he seemed to strain a bit. If you suspect anything at all, I would encourage you to talk to a vet, one who specializes in exotics. We ultimately lost our beloved 11 yr old because of the baldder stone. He had a procedure to try to remove it but it was unsuccessful due to the size. Two years after the procedure, he passed. He stopped eating and didn't attempt to go to his favorite sunny spots in the yard. One final blood test revealed that he had kidney failure. Once we started to see the decline, it was within a week that we helped him pass, with dignity and love. The sooner you get something like this diagnosed, the better your chances of success although; there is no guarantee that the tort won't develop stones again. Sulcatas are the best!


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## vladimir (Apr 18, 2018)

@Thury I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story.


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