I need so much help (sick tortoise)

KristaAZ

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Hi everyone!

My sweet tort Morticia and I need help from the tortoise experts. You guys are so smart, sweet, and know everything lol. Morticia has a recurrent respiratory infection. In the past the shots I gave her worked. Now we are on a second antibiotic (every other day) and she is still so congested. You can hear her breathing. Her nose sounds plugged. I am switching Vets, but more on that later. I am so discouraged.

I have spent about $1000 in the past month on her at the vet. She had an exray looking to see if she has pneumonia and we found out she has a metal washer in her. She doesn't poop every time she eats like she used to. The vet gave me lactulose to give her daily to help it pass. It has been about a week and a half and no luck yet. She told me to give her until the end of the summer and if she has stopped eating/declined before then, then we need to talk about surgery. There is NO WAY we could ever afford surgery so I am very stressed.

Lastly...the other day I gave her the injection and I accidentally stuck my finger with the needle after I had injected her! I called the vet and 6 hours later the girl that answered the phone told me the vet said she has no advice to give me and to contact my doctor. I was LIVID as you can imagine. I have googled and I am just concerned if tortoises can give humans diseases. She would tell me NOTHING! So that is why I need to find a new vet. It's just very unfortunate timing seeing as how there is so much going on with her.

If you made it this far thank you. I love her so much and am so upset and scared for her future. If you have any feedback on anything I would love to hear it.

Thank you! <3
 

TriciaStringer

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Hi. Poor thing. I recommend feeding her cactuses, opuntia and aloe vera are great to help slime up the intestinal tract and get things moving. What kind of tortoise, I may have missed that? Are you soaking? I would soak daily for 30 minutes in warm water to be sure she is very hydrated to help her digestive tract and her infection. We also need to know her enclosure temps and set up. I’m not one of the experts. They will chime in soon.
 

wellington

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What kind of tortoise is she?
What I have for you to do is too keep her temps day and night at 85 never lower and still a basking spot of 95-100. Soak her daily in warm water and keep it warm the whole time and add piedialyte to the soaking water. You can add baby food carrots too, it won't hurt.
I don't think you need to worry about being stuck with the needle. Maybe a tetanus but ask you doc about that.
Keep up the meds and if you can find a reputable vet that has experience with tortoises see that one. Good luck and don't forget. Tortoises do everything slow, which includes getting better.
 

ascott

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Hi everyone!

My sweet tort Morticia and I need help from the tortoise experts. You guys are so smart, sweet, and know everything lol. Morticia has a recurrent respiratory infection. In the past the shots I gave her worked. Now we are on a second antibiotic (every other day) and she is still so congested. You can hear her breathing. Her nose sounds plugged. I am switching Vets, but more on that later. I am so discouraged.

I have spent about $1000 in the past month on her at the vet. She had an exray looking to see if she has pneumonia and we found out she has a metal washer in her. She doesn't poop every time she eats like she used to. The vet gave me lactulose to give her daily to help it pass. It has been about a week and a half and no luck yet. She told me to give her until the end of the summer and if she has stopped eating/declined before then, then we need to talk about surgery. There is NO WAY we could ever afford surgery so I am very stressed.

Lastly...the other day I gave her the injection and I accidentally stuck my finger with the needle after I had injected her! I called the vet and 6 hours later the girl that answered the phone told me the vet said she has no advice to give me and to contact my doctor. I was LIVID as you can imagine. I have googled and I am just concerned if tortoises can give humans diseases. She would tell me NOTHING! So that is why I need to find a new vet. It's just very unfortunate timing seeing as how there is so much going on with her.

If you made it this far thank you. I love her so much and am so upset and scared for her future. If you have any feedback on anything I would love to hear it.

Thank you! <3

Hi....is the metal washer smaller than the exit spot? If yes, then perhaps you can aid in getting it out...
Hi everyone!

My sweet tort Morticia and I need help from the tortoise experts. You guys are so smart, sweet, and know everything lol. Morticia has a recurrent respiratory infection. In the past the shots I gave her worked. Now we are on a second antibiotic (every other day) and she is still so congested. You can hear her breathing. Her nose sounds plugged. I am switching Vets, but more on that later. I am so discouraged.

I have spent about $1000 in the past month on her at the vet. She had an exray looking to see if she has pneumonia and we found out she has a metal washer in her. She doesn't poop every time she eats like she used to. The vet gave me lactulose to give her daily to help it pass. It has been about a week and a half and no luck yet. She told me to give her until the end of the summer and if she has stopped eating/declined before then, then we need to talk about surgery. There is NO WAY we could ever afford surgery so I am very stressed.

Lastly...the other day I gave her the injection and I accidentally stuck my finger with the needle after I had injected her! I called the vet and 6 hours later the girl that answered the phone told me the vet said she has no advice to give me and to contact my doctor. I was LIVID as you can imagine. I have googled and I am just concerned if tortoises can give humans diseases. She would tell me NOTHING! So that is why I need to find a new vet. It's just very unfortunate timing seeing as how there is so much going on with her.

If you made it this far thank you. I love her so much and am so upset and scared for her future. If you have any feedback on anything I would love to hear it.

Thank you! <3


So in the xray is it clear that the metal washer is physically able to move through the tort to the exit...and get out without a problem? If yes, I would offer that tort romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuce to get lots of hydration in as well as some bulk to get moving behind and around that metal wash.....what makes you think it is metal and not some other material...like the rubber or plastic?

You have a species that is native to your state....have you ever posted a pic on this forum for us to help you confirm that the tort is indeed a SonoranDT?

I would stop spending money at the vet for recurring treatments that are not working....I believe there may be other things you can do to help aid in clearing the tort of the active RI...I mean, once these guys get a RI...it is with the tortoise for its entire life, you can only squash the active RI and help aid the tort so the RI goes dormant again.....
 

KristaAZ

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Joined
Jun 28, 2017
Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Hi. Poor thing. I recommend feeding her cactuses, opuntia and aloe vera are great to help slime up the intestinal tract and get things moving. What kind of tortoise, I may have missed that? Are you soaking? I would soak daily for 30 minutes in warm water to be sure she is very hydrated to help her digestive tract and her infection. We also need to know her enclosure temps and set up. I’m not one of the experts. They will chime in soon.

Hi! Thank you so much! I have been soaking her about 10 minutes almost every day. I put her in my sink and when she starts trying to climb out I take her out lol. She lives outside.
 

KristaAZ

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Joined
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Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
What kind of tortoise is she?
What I have for you to do is too keep her temps day and night at 85 never lower and still a basking spot of 95-100. Soak her daily in warm water and keep it warm the whole time and add piedialyte to the soaking water. You can add baby food carrots too, it won't hurt.
I don't think you need to worry about being stuck with the needle. Maybe a tetanus but ask you doc about that.
Keep up the meds and if you can find a reputable vet that has experience with tortoises see that one. Good luck and don't forget. Tortoises do everything slow, which includes getting better.


Hi! Thank you so much for the response. She is a Sonoran Desert Tortoise. She is outside in the backyard. She is outside and it’s so hot here already. The vet told me to leave her outside and not to bring her in. I am going to call my doctor this morning. I hope the needle stick is no big deal.
 

KristaAZ

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Joined
Jun 28, 2017
Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Hi....is the metal washer smaller than the exit spot? If yes, then perhaps you can aid in getting it out...



So in the xray is it clear that the metal washer is physically able to move through the tort to the exit...and get out without a problem? If yes, I would offer that tort romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuce to get lots of hydration in as well as some bulk to get moving behind and around that metal wash.....what makes you think it is metal and not some other material...like the rubber or plastic?

You have a species that is native to your state....have you ever posted a pic on this forum for us to help you confirm that the tort is indeed a SonoranDT?

I would stop spending money at the vet for recurring treatments that are not working....I believe there may be other things you can do to help aid in clearing the tort of the active RI...I mean, once these guys get a RI...it is with the tortoise for its entire life, you can only squash the active RI and help aid the tort so the RI goes dormant again.....

Hi! Thank you so much for your post! I am not sure what the washer is. She is still pooping so food is able to get around/through it to some extent. She just isn’t eating as much at a time, or pooping as much as usual. My biggest issue with her is she is a ridiculously picky eater!! The person I got her from only gave her romaine so that is all she will eat!!! She will also only eat RED hibiscus! I have offered her tons of things and even try to trick her by putting them in her open mouth mid lettuce bite and she turns and walks away ‍♀️ She won’t even eat fruit!

The RI is so sad. It breaks my heart hearing her breath so loudly. Her nose started running again yesterday and she has been on this new antibiotic for a few weeks now . Thank you for your feedback.

F460E9E4-E537-40D1-816E-19EA542A997F.jpeg
 

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Sterant

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You might want to try soaking for much longer than 10 minutes. They will eventually evacuate a lot if left in the water. Try an hour or two, just do it in a way that keeps the water warm.
 

KristaAZ

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You might want to try soaking for much longer than 10 minutes. They will eventually evacuate a lot if left in the water. Try an hour or two, just do it in a way that keeps the water warm.

Ohhhh I didn’t know that!!!! Thank you so much!!!
 

mark1

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what antibiotic is she on ? if it were a mycoplasmal infection , there are a whole lot of antibiotics that will not work ......... something like fortaz will not work , i don't believe amikacin will work either , i know baytril and related fluoroquinolones will work ......... the do do nasal washes with it to get at the bacteria in the sinuses .........
 

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If she’s will only eat red hibiscus flowers,try a little watermelon. I know desert torts are mainly grass eaters but a little fruit might get that washer and her bowels moving. Is another x-ray planned to see if it has moved?
 

Yvonne G

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Don't worry about the needle prick. you won't catch anything from the tortoise.

Bring it indoors and set it up in a small hospital tank. Keep the temperature 80-85F degrees. Soak daily in a LARGE tub for an hour or more. Scrambling to get out of the tub causes them to poop - a lot!!

I have found that mixing one part Baytril with nine parts sterile saline and flushing both nostrils works better than injecting it. Squirt it like you're trying to clean it out, not like you're just inserting it into the nostril. The other end of the nostril is in the roof of the mouth, so no danger of getting it in the lungs.
 

Yvonne G

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That looks like a rubber 'O' ring. It should pass easily.
 

TriciaStringer

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Hi! Thank you so much! I have been soaking her about 10 minutes almost every day. I put her in my sink and when she starts trying to climb out I take her out lol. She lives outside.
I know she acts like she wants out, but keep her in the water. It is what is best for her. I set my timer in 15 minute increments and scoop out the water to replace it with warmer water. Pooping in the water is one of the things they do best.
 

Yvonne G

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I don't worry too much about the water temperature when soaking. I make it very warm, and if it cools, it can only get as cool as the temperature of the room it's in. I place a light over one end of the soaking tub to help it stay a little warmer.
 

KristaAZ

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what antibiotic is she on ? if it were a mycoplasmal infection , there are a whole lot of antibiotics that will not work ......... something like fortaz will not work , i don't believe amikacin will work either , i know baytril and related fluoroquinolones will work ......... the do do nasal washes with it to get at the bacteria in the sinuses .........

First she was on Batryel. It worked, but didn't fully get rid of it. Then the vet switched her to oxytetracycline. She actually had to get the injections from another vet out of state because apparently it only comes in oral form in the US, but you can get the injections from Europe??
 

KristaAZ

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If she’s will only eat red hibiscus flowers,try a little watermelon. I know desert torts are mainly grass eaters but a little fruit might get that washer and her bowels moving. Is another x-ray planned to see if it has moved?

oh ya no, I have tried that =( She wont eat it!! It's so crazy because it's sweet so you would think she would! I will keep trying to offer it to her thank you! No xray planned yet. I kind of feel like I will know if it passes. 1. I check her poop, but also I can tell she isn't eating or pooping as much.
 

KristaAZ

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Don't worry about the needle prick. you won't catch anything from the tortoise.

Bring it indoors and set it up in a small hospital tank. Keep the temperature 80-85F degrees. Soak daily in a LARGE tub for an hour or more. Scrambling to get out of the tub causes them to poop - a lot!!

I have found that mixing one part Baytril with nine parts sterile saline and flushing both nostrils works better than injecting it. Squirt it like you're trying to clean it out, not like you're just inserting it into the nostril. The other end of the nostril is in the roof of the mouth, so no danger of getting it in the lungs.

Ok I will do that. Should I just put her in my bathtub? That may be easier lol. I have been feeling like her nostrils need to be flushed!! I need to find a new vet asap. Tortoise vets are slim around here. I am sure you can't order Baytril from Amazon can you hahahha
 

KristaAZ

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I don't worry too much about the water temperature when soaking. I make it very warm, and if it cools, it can only get as cool as the temperature of the room it's in. I place a light over one end of the soaking tub to help it stay a little warmer.
That is a great idea with the light thank you!
 

Tom

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I agree with what Yvonne said on all points. She speaks from many years of experience there.

Your vet is not legally allowed to give you medical advice. I would not hold that against her. They tread a fine line.

What I don't like about this sort of thing is that most vets treat the symptoms, but they never address, discover and correct the cause of the sickness. Wild animals don't just get sick for no reason. Something is off in the care and husbandry. If that something isn't discovered and fixed, the tortoise will not get better, and this will be a re-occurring and likely fatal problem. Why did your tortoise get sick in the first place? In most cases they get an RI from cold damp temps. It is hot now, but this is something you might need to address this fall and over winter.
 

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