# Tortoise bleeding wound on neck



## jess12 (Sep 8, 2013)

My tortoise has a wound on his neck what was bleeding this morning, there was a scab on his neck the other day but was nowhere near as bad as this , i don't know what to do apart from go to the vets tomorrow , he is in a box with tissue paper for now so the aspen bedding and soil in his enclosure doesn't infect the wound. 
P.S he did have a respiratory infection and did lose a lot of weight.
I would appreciate any help/ info given.


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## Yvonne G (Sep 8, 2013)

From the looks of the picture, you might be thinking that the shell is sharp and has cut the tortoise?



You can try first aid for a week or so, and if it doesn't heal up, you probably ought to take him to the vet. But put a piece of masking tape or something over that area of the shell so he doesn't continue to injure the spot. You might also run your finger over the shell in that spot and see if it's sharp. If so, you can take a piece of emery cloth and gently sand the edge smooth and round. Don't go too deep.


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## johnreuk (Sep 8, 2013)

I think it's less likely a traumatic wound, and more likely related to a more generalised skin condition.... the skin around the wound doesn't look normal either, or is that just the photo.
Out of interest, how was your torts resp infection treated? 
John


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## jess12 (Sep 10, 2013)

His shell isn't sharp anywhere near the neck area, that is the first thing i looked for.

He was treated on Baytril but after no improvement the vet moved me onto Betamox at 0.2ml twice daily. None really worked well so i taken him off the meds and he started eating and coming out of his hide to bask. The vets here are specialised in farm animals really not so much reptiles but there isn't anywhere else for me to take them , they told me his skin was pigmentation unless you have noticed something else?.

He has access to uv which i change every 6 months and is housed in a tortoise table with another tortoise. 

I went to the vets today and they gave me some more betamox and also some cream called Dermisol , said it would take around 4 weeks to heal and that there isn't much else they can do to help, they also said that i shouldn't let the wound dry up as it will just keep cracking. 

Thank you for your replies so far .


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## sibi (Sep 10, 2013)

You know, even if your vet is a farm animal vet, he can still do blood work and fecal analysis that can be sent to a specialized vet anywhere in the country. if I were you, that's what I'd do.


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## jess12 (Sep 10, 2013)

sibi said:


> You know, even if your vet is a farm animal vet, he can still do blood work and fecal analysis that can be sent to a specialized vet anywhere in the country. if I were you, that's what I'd do.



The wound looks like he has split the loose skin ( his neck) and it's revealing the inside of it. 

I'm having difficulty applying the cream as it won't stick to the exposed flesh just the skin around it :\ , no idea what's going to happen to him. 

And do you know how much a blood/ fecal test costs?, i had to pay Â£56 today for the consultation and the antibiotics as they aren't licensed for Tortoises.


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## johnreuk (Sep 12, 2013)

It won't do any harm to use a topical antibacterial cream on the whole area.... I would get either F10 barrier cream, OR flamazine cream OR bactroban.
With my preference being the f10.
It may help if this is bacterial/fungal origin, and will certainly help prevent secondary infection. 
I guess you are in the UK since you said Â£56..?! Whereabouts? Is there not a good reptile vet near you that you can see? 
You can buy the f10 cream online/in some shops without a prescription, so you should be able to get hold of this either way. It's useful stuff to have around.

Good luck
John


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## ascott (Sep 12, 2013)

If a cream is not sticking them use a spray antibacterial and a spray antibiotic ....it is better is you are not touching the spot to chance any further bacteria on the spot...


You say he is housed with another tort....how is/has the health been of the other tort? I would separate the two and keep this guy in his own quiet enclosure for now---I don't know that I would keep him in a paper towel environment though...that can be a bit drying....

I would do warm water flushes (use a small squeeze bottle or a spray bottle) for several minutes each day....

I would then spray the antibacterial on the spot---let it soak in then I would spray the antibiotic on the spot and let it soak in a bit....then I would place him back in his enclosure...

I would also make sure that the temps in his enclosure are never below 85 degrees (f) (day and night---use a night time black heat lamp if needed to keep the night temps up) increasing the temps will aid in the immune system vamping up and healing quicker--for the RI as well as any wounds...also continue to provide a basking spot of 100 degrees (f) that he can easily access....then let him try to destress----he has likely been through alot with the shots and vet visits and stress can take a huge toll on such a private animal as a tortoise....let him have some places to easily hide under/in so he can get a sense of security---and leave the handling time to that for treatments for now and not too much more than that until he recovers...in my opinion that is...

I also would not have a livestock vet treating the tort...and I mean no disrespect to any livestock vets...but we are dealing with a tortoise here and their needs are different than that of a mammal...that is all I mean ...


Also, if this tort has been on and is still on antibiotics then I would als be sure to offer long warm water soaks (clean warm water is imperative so as not to dirty the wound area, so if he soils the water then change it out)...antibiotics are very harsh on a tortoise kidneys and so the added warm water soaks will help with the large load on the kidneys..


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