# Please help!! (antibiotics, now ill)



## George red foot (Mar 11, 2014)

My tort was given antibiotics for a skin wound yesterday. Since then he has been off his food and he's been very quiet and now has been sick! What shall I do?! Please help!


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## Yvonne G (Mar 11, 2014)

*RE: Please help!!*

Do you know the name of the antibiotic?

Antibiotic medicine is actually poison. Some tortoises take it better than others.

Give him a daily warm soak for about 15 minutes in water that comes up to the middle of the sides of his shell (where the top meets the bottom). This will help to flush out his system.

It is helpful to put sick tortoises into a smaller hospital tank while they are getting well, so you can heat up the tank overall to about 85F degrees. This also helps him shake off whatever ails him.


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## George red foot (Mar 11, 2014)

*Please help!!*

Baytril. Do I stop the medicine or shall I continue to give it him, he is lethargic. I'm really worried about him, I'm trying to call an emergency vets


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## Yvonne G (Mar 11, 2014)

I don't like to second-guess a vet, because he has had the education, and I haven't. But my gut is telling me that Baytril is for a respiratory infection, not a skin wound. I'm sure it is used for all kinds of infections, but if the wound wasn't infected, I would have just done first aid on it. That is, unless it was a very bad wound.

I think you should do what your vet advised you to do, but if it were my animal, I wouldn't be using Baytril. It is very harsh, and stings like crazy. Many tortoises have bad reactions to it.


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## George red foot (Mar 11, 2014)

Thank you, I'm ringing an emergency vet now


They said to take him off the antibiotics and just use the antibiotic cream. Since being sick he seems to have perked up a bit. I gave him a long warm soak and he's now basking under his lamp. But he is moving around a bit more now (he's usually always very energetic). He's still not eaten though but I suspect he'll be eating again soon (I really hope) he is usually such a pig!


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## DobbyRed (Mar 11, 2014)

Hi, Andy here, last sept my Redfoot got sick with a pneumonia and the vet prescrip 6 injections of the same antibiotic baytril and made her very different, she stops eating for days, being inactive, didnt poop, we prepare for the worst. What we did was that we reduce the space of her habitat, only having a hide,water dish and the food dish and put all kinds of foods at the same time so she decide what to eat, we keep her warm during the day and not too cool in the night and warm soaks two times a day and plenty of sunlight. The side effect of the baytril on my redfoot took 2 months to go and also made one of her front legs to go numb until 2 weeks ago that the leg came alive again. 
If your RF dont eat much the only thing that made Dobby start her appetite was a zooMed food for forest tortoise with a appetite stimulator. 
Hope it helps in someway


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## George red foot (Mar 11, 2014)

Thank you so much for all your guidance and help. I am so worried about him! Did you stop the antibiotics? George is always so active and eats so much! I hope they wear off fast


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## DobbyRed (Mar 11, 2014)

I did want it to stop cause how Dobby was reacting to it but my wife insisted on givin all 6 and we did. We give it to her on injections one a day on each different front leg. but here in the forum told me that if there will be another ocations in which I have to use baytril again ask the vet to give it orally not using and injection.


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## ascott (Mar 12, 2014)

What is the injury from? Picture?


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

I'm giving the antibiotics orally, but it's still having a negative affect on him  he's still not eating.
I'm not sure what the sore is from... I'll show you a picture


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Been back to the vets, they've advised taking him off the oral antibiotics and just use the cream. They've also given me 'critical care' good which is a dry powder I'm mixing with water, they said he should eat it as it's very sweet but he still wasn't eating it so they said to syringe feed him to keep him hydrated and keep nutrients in him. So hopefully now he's had some he will start to feel better. So horrible to see him poorly  x


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## Orpexo (Mar 12, 2014)

George red foot said:


> Been back to the vets, they've advised taking him off the oral antibiotics and just use the cream. They've also given me 'critical care' good which is a dry powder I'm mixing with water, they said he should eat it as it's very sweet but he still wasn't eating it so they said to syringe feed him to keep him hydrated and keep nutrients in him. So hopefully now he's had some he will start to feel better. So horrible to see him poorly  x



I am on the same boat. I hope your tort gets better fast.
what do you feed him via the syringe?


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Thank you! I hope your tort is better soon too! 
The vet gave me some powdered food called 'critical care' but I think it's very similar to zoomed food. If you soak it in water it should be runny enough to syringe feed. It's just a temporary way to get some nutrients into him while I wait for him to get better and be his usual piggy self! He does already seem a little more active, not back to normal but a bit better than last night. I was preparing myself for the worst last night, he looked so poorly!


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Update:
George has started eating!! His appetite is not as great as it usually is but it's hardly surprising! I'm so glad he's perked up a bit! Iots of warm baths and small amounts of food often and he will be back to his normal self! Was so horrible to see him so poorly!


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## DobbyRed (Mar 12, 2014)

Glad to hear he is eating again!!!!


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Me too! Such a relief! I always get him out his viv and let him wander around the house for a bit but I haven't the past couple of days as he has had no energy! He's out now exploring everywhere! So nice to see! I can't believe how much antibiotics affected him. He had one dose then I gave him another dose the next day and he puked up straight after so he only really had one dose and it knocked him back so much!





Having a little cuddle


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## DobbyRed (Mar 12, 2014)

Good looking tort!!! In a few days he'll be back to normal


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Thank you  thanks for all your support and reassurance


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## katrvt (Mar 12, 2014)

Glad to hear that your kiddo is doing better. Baytril is a Great antibiotic and good for both respiratory and skin. That said, it has negative side effects, just like all medications can. Injectable Nautilus is very caustic and is notorious for causing sterile abscesses and can(and will) even discolor the skin at injection sites and cause scarring sometimes. Oral baytril is very potent and can kill too many good bacteria in the gut along with the bad sometimes. We typically put our patients on a probiotic at the same time, and this alleviates that problem. There are also some kiddos who just don't tolerate certain meds, similar to people who can't take penicillins etc. There is no way to predict those who just won't handle it well. Just be sure to remember that George can't have it, in case they didn't stick a flag in his chart, though I am sure they did.


Also, critical care is awesome stuff. Made by a top notch company. Love it for syringe or even tube feeding sick exotics. They make both herbivore and carnivore versions, and a fine grind with smaller fiber particles for tube feeding. On par with zoomed for quality.


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## George red foot (Mar 12, 2014)

Thank you so much! Surprising how much 0.6ml of baytril can knock a tortoise back! My poor little guy! So happy to see him better. Xx


The critical care food is amazing!! Perked George up so fast!!


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## ascott (Mar 13, 2014)

As shared, Baytril can and is a good antibiotic...but it should not be handed out like a cure all....alot of times a tort is brought into the vet, the vet asks a few questions and decides to diagnose RI (without actual testing for accurate diagnosis) and offers up this very strong med...when it is not necessary....

I would check the torts shell around the leg and make sure that there is not a rough or sharp edge---if there is, you can ever so gently take a human nail file and, did I say ever so gently?, smooth that edge...I also would flush the area a couple times a day with warm water from a squeeze bottle...this will help to keep the area clear and free of debris...


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## George red foot (Mar 13, 2014)

His shell appears smooth. I've been cleaning the wound regularly and I have been given an antibiotic cream to put on once a day. He doesn't seem at all bothered by the wound. He's back to his usual self now, it's so great to see  just gotta get this wound healed up!


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