Poorly Boy - do they get better easily ?

Philip Rome

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Hi,

I haven't posted before ,but I've been reading up for a few weeks now.

I took on a rescue tortoise about 3 weeks ago now, and was assured he was in tip top condition.

Philip is a Greek Spur thighed tortoise - about 20 yers old apparently.

to start with he didnt move, and we assumed he was settling in. we hand fed him and moved him to his water and also bathed him daily. tortoise table set up appears to be sound as another owner has taken a look and feeding is strictly from the tortoise table website.

We re doing our best and learning on the job.

HOWEVER - after a week, then another 2 weeks Philip still is't using his back legs, and only just using he front ones

he is eating well ( ish if we hand feed ) and was regular on poo, wee and urates....untill 8 days ago - hes hasnt pooed in 8 days.

We say the specialist vets 2 weeks ago and she said dehydrated- more baths keep going, then come back if no better.

We took him in on Tuesday and he had bloods - I got a call to day with the results and it sounds serious.

Very dehydrated
High white Blood Cell Count
Markers for Kidney issue.

He has to go back to the vets tomorrow for fluids and we are going to have to inject him ( not sure how often) with fluids. the vet wont give antibiotics at the mo as his kidney wont cope,

Review in another week, and more bloods in 2 weeks if her makes it that far.

for a newbie it is all very stressful and scary.

Has anyone had any similar health scares - how have they turned out ??? I'm bracing myself for the worst.

Im a mother of 3 children, so ive seen a lot......but seriously....Im getting tortoise related anxiety over something I've only just met !

Any positive or more realistic feedback would be really appreciated

Ta
Philips Mum Mary
 

dmmj

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To be honest the tortoise was kept in dry conditions for far to long. Kidney problems are the hardest to deal with bcuz no real research has been done for reptiles in general. Sorry can't offer more then it will be up to the tietoise's genes to survive. Hoping for the best and please keep us updated.
 

Yvonne G

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Soaking really does do wonders. Let's hope for the best. Put Philip in warm water that comes up to the middle of his sides, in a bowl/tub he can't climb out of, and just leave him there for a half hour or more, but check on him frequently to make sure he's ok. I'm thinking very highly of you for taking this on. Good job! Let's hope for the best.
 

TammyJ

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I second all that has been said by Yvonne and dmmj. Please keep us informed.
Just adding - if you put a little pedialyte in his soak water it may be quite helpful to rehydrate him.
Can you take a picture of him for us?
 

dmmj

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It's a desert tortoise isn't it? Poor little guy he does look good
 

Philip Rome

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So.... we have 30 ml to inject every other day for a week then return , then another week, then a blood test.
Uric acid is 760 when it should be more like 350..... so she is leaning towards gout, which isn’t good, but all we can do is love him and look after him with fingers crossed for 2 weeks and hope the levels come down.
 
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My heart goes out to you. I did the exact same thing....took on a tortoise that was older and the previous owner claimed he was healthy. I knew what I was getting my self into and thought about it for several months before I took the plunge. I knew that his medical bills might be quite high and I decided he was worth me trying to give him a better life. Tiki didn't poop for 10 days after I got him. He was eating plenty of leafy greens and fruit. His previous owner claimed he was addicted to mazuri pellets but I believe he was too lazy or cheap to give him anything else. The move from his old home to mine had too of been very stressful as well.

I knew he was older then 3, I knew his shell had the pyramiding that you don't want to see and I knew his previous owner would tell me whatever he had to say to sell him. Well, Tiki is well over 20 years old. I have researched and read conflicting information on red foots from the Internet and in books. I finally decided to call Bill Murray who owns Red Foot Ranch in Tampa Bay, FL. He was fantastic and his site is very helpful.

Since dehydration is such a huge issue, you might want to consider a humidifier. I had to buy one for Tiki. He has 3 areas he can choose for water but I alternate them so that I can keep them clean. One is his water dish that came with him that stays in there all the time. The other water source is part of a reptile enclosure that had a very large bathing area that I switch back and forth with a 16" plant tray. I'm still learning as well and there are people on this forum who will steer you in the right direction. This has to be one of the best sources of accurate information.

Tiki is doing really well. I hope you can say that about Phillip in the near future.
 

DesertGirl

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Soaking really does do wonders. Let's hope for the best. Put Philip in warm water that comes up to the middle of his sides, in a bowl/tub he can't climb out of, and just leave him there for a half hour or more, but check on him frequently to make sure he's ok. I'm thinking very highly of you for taking this on. Good job! Let's hope for the best.
 

Philip Rome

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Philip gets a quick dip in the morning before breakfast ( before I go to work) , then 2 long warm baths during the day with my husband.

The weather is good this week so he’s been in the garden getting natural sunlight and munching on the grass and weeds.

We literally can’t treat him any better! We joke that his outside bath is his hot tub !!! [emoji23]

2nd jab of fluids tomorrow!
 

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