CDT health scare

Kenno

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Alex gave us a good scare. He was lethargic but awake yesterday and didn’t’ move from one spot. He was doing wide yawns and alternating whistles, gasps, and hisses. I looked deep in his mouth and throat and it looked clear, but his neck seemed swollen. I fed him some tiny bites of lettuce and dandelion flower and he was interested but did some gagging and choking. He apparently did swallow the tiny bites of food. I finally determined that he was moving air, so I let him sleep through the night.
Today he was hard to wake and my wife thought he was dead. He woke for me, and I fed him a wafer thin bite of watermelon. He choked, gagged, and hissed so I rushed him to an open veterinary ER with an exotic animal specialist on duty. I waited for the exam results. The vet came in with two wafer thin watermelon rinds and said Alex was eating well, pooping, and seemed normal. Between us our best guess is that he got something stuck in his throat but eventually swallowed it.
At home, Alex has been active and normal, exploring the yard but not eating. He still makes the exaggerated yawns occasionally, but without the gagging and choking sounds. He headed to his burrow for sleep.
Tomorrow he’ll get a nice warm bath in the water dish and then a careful feeding of very thin watermelon slices, and all the grass he wants to eat.

Has anyone else seen this problem? Any advice is welcome!
 

Tom

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This is what typically happens when they live too close to the coast. Where are you?
 

Kenno

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Long Beach. Without irrigation, this would be desert.
I don’t understand why you this location would make a tort’s neck swell. Tom, can you explain what you mean?
 

ascott

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Alex gave us a good scare. He was lethargic but awake yesterday and didn’t’ move from one spot. He was doing wide yawns and alternating whistles, gasps, and hisses. I looked deep in his mouth and throat and it looked clear, but his neck seemed swollen. I fed him some tiny bites of lettuce and dandelion flower and he was interested but did some gagging and choking. He apparently did swallow the tiny bites of food. I finally determined that he was moving air, so I let him sleep through the night.
Today he was hard to wake and my wife thought he was dead. He woke for me, and I fed him a wafer thin bite of watermelon. He choked, gagged, and hissed so I rushed him to an open veterinary ER with an exotic animal specialist on duty. I waited for the exam results. The vet came in with two wafer thin watermelon rinds and said Alex was eating well, pooping, and seemed normal. Between us our best guess is that he got something stuck in his throat but eventually swallowed it.
At home, Alex has been active and normal, exploring the yard but not eating. He still makes the exaggerated yawns occasionally, but without the gagging and choking sounds. He headed to his burrow for sleep.
Tomorrow he’ll get a nice warm bath in the water dish and then a careful feeding of very thin watermelon slices, and all the grass he wants to eat.

Has anyone else seen this problem? Any advice is welcome!

Does he have any runny nose? What did the vet seem to think was the problem....I am confused at what you believe was the relief?
 

Kenno

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No runny nose at any time, extremely sudden onset. Unlikely to be a respiratory infection.
The sudden resolution makes me think he swallowed whatever was stuck in his throat.
 

Kenno

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He's a little lethargic, taking long naps but he often does that in July. He eats anything I give him and he knows where the grass and water are. The crisis is apparently passed. Thanks for asking!
 

Kenno

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And today he is fully recovered, active and hungry. He can swallow big bites and there’s no sound except the crunching of his bites. He had a long warm bath and even drank some of the water before he got out to graze.
 

TammyJ

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Me too. What's the problem with being near the coast? Apart from sunburn and tsunamis?
 
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