Blockage - Please Help

[coldskyline]

Hi guys,

My tortoise, Herman, is about 17 years old and has been very healthy and active his whole life. Suddenly 5 days ago he stopped eating and pooping. I had the vet come out right away and he thinks Herman might have a blockage. I'm taking him in for x-rays tomorrow but have any of you ever had experience with a surgery like that? Or any advice on alternative methods for helping him pass a blockage on his own? I started giving him warm 20 minute soaks and pushing in his hind legs. He peed a little bit afterward but still no pop and isn't interested in any food-- even a banana. Any info or advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. I have two of these tortoises and love them very much... I want to do anything I can to help him but if possible try to avoid surgery.


Lindsey

 

[Guggie]

I've seen posts about mineral oil. Do a search - I personally have no experience with this.

Good luck!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Lindsey:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know where you are?

Try putting a bit of mineral oil down his throat. Don't use any other kind. Mineral oil is non absorptive and just coats the inside of the "pipes" and coats whatever is causing the blockage, and helps it to slide out. You can also put a bit of mineral oil into the cloaca (the hole in the tail).

 

[ascott]

I would soak him 2-3 times a day along with what Yvonne instructed....I would try to give him some pumpkin as well.....I would try to get him to take at least a bite or two several times a day as well..... please keep us in the loop of what happens, please ....I hope all works it self out.....literally.

---

the surgery is very intrusive, you can go on line and find the ugly pics that go along with impactions that are left to fester....really icky....

 

[coldskyline]

Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate the help. I've had both of my torts for about 20 years now (essentially my whole life, I'm 23) and haven't had a problem like this before. I took Herman for the x ray today and the good news is he doesn't have a blockage-- just a lot of built up poop that won't come out. They gave him an injection of some sort of "mobility" type drug that will hopefully help. They also gave him fluids intravenously to hydrate him. They tried to give him some sort of laxative/enema but because of the shape of the bottom of his shell they weren't able to get it in. He was really stressed out after the visit to the vet (he's well over 100lbs so they have to carry him on a stretcher etc) and when he got home he went straight into his house to sleep but I'll definitely continue with the baths tomorrow. I'll try pumpkin and mineral oil as well. With the mineral oil, can I put it on the pumpkin or should I just give it to him in his mouth? It's really difficult to open his mouth because of his size, but I'll definitely try. Also, should I worry about the mineral oil going into his lungs? The vet told me not to give him water in his mouth unless he takes it himself because he doesn't want it to go into his lung.

Thanks again guys!

Lindsey

 

[ascott]

Lindsey, if you are not 100% comfortable with giving him the mineral oil in his mouth....then don't do it, now if possibly pm Yvonne about her mineral oil method I bet she will give you step by step so that you can feel a bit more comfortable....

The soaking (2-3 times per day) should be 20-30 minutes long and those you can easily do
The pumpkin should not be the pie filling but just plain ole pumpkin....
also, you can even do seedless watermelon as this is a huge water/fluid intake treat (while this is not an everyday food, it is good to up the hydration) and is great as this is the warm time of the year....just make sure to keep in sight so that when he is done you remove any left overs and give him a rinse off to make sure he does not seem yummy to ants....

 

[coldskyline]

Thanks Angela! He loves cantaloupe so I've been trying to give him that but he won't eat it. He hasn't had anything except the kale the vet put in his mouth just make sure he was able to swallow (which he was). Hopefully within the next few days he'll be able to poop and maybe then he'll start eating even a little bit and I can try the pumpkin! Just really hoping something moves soon...

 

[ascott]

Sounds good......soak soak soak him, really is a wonderful aid in the dry and backed up....really

 

[Torty Mom]

The hard part is that your tort is not eating, if he were eating you could just mix the mineral oil into his food. Have you tried putting it into his butt? I did it twice with my tortie who is 18, well actually I didn't my friend Lisa did, it's wasn't any fun but I feel it really helped a lot. I am also able to open his jaws very easy, so I was able to gently squirt a little on his tongue and he would swallow it, then I would squirt a little more. He was able to pass a very LARGE stone and tons and tons of smaller stones because he was well lubed. We were originally told he was going to need a very expensive surgery. Does your tortie like mazuri? I mixed the mineral oil into the mazuri and he never even noticed! Keep us posted, I hope he poopies soon!

 

[coldskyline]

Hey guys, very sad news today... Got the blood tests back and Herman is in renal failure. The vet thinks the poop build up is a result of it and probably not a symptom. I bought the mineral oil today and will still try it tomorrow, but I don't have much hope. Vet is going to continue his antibiotics in case it's a severe infection, but again- not too hopeful. So sad. Have any of you had a tort with renal failure who survived?

 

[Weda737]

Looks like you already got the best advice, ( I love these people ^.^ ) I can only say I wish you the best, it's so hard not to panic when you really have a bond with your pets.

 

[Tom]

Warm water soak him for two hours. Just leave him in there. When he starts struggling to get out, all the exertion and locomotion will help push everything through. I use 3x5' giant cement mixing tubs for soaking, but any vessel will do.

I would wait for surgery. A 100 pounder can go a long time with out eating, so there is no rush. If you flip a 5 gallon bucket upside down and set his plastron on top of it, like this:

Once he's up there a vet, or someone with some experience, can easily grab his head and get a feeding tube down his throat, away from his small windpipe, and into his stomach. Then larger quantities of mineral oil can be shot down there. It can take a week or more for things to work there way through a big sulcata, so be patient. I would exhaust all possibilities BEFORE resorting to surgery.

Once he's eating again, aloe is another good laxative.

 

[coldskyline]

Very sad news... Got the blood test results back yesterday and it appears Herman is in renal failure. I picked up a bottle of the mineral oil and will try it today, but I don't have much hope... When putting it in his mouth, how much do you give them? The vet is coming on Saturday to give him a few more injections on the off chance that it's an infection, but if not Herman probably only has a a little while left Have any of you guys had a tortoise that was a little bit older like Herman who suddenly got renal failure and lived through it? They think the poop build up was a result of the renal failure, which seems much worse than had it been the other way around because then at least I'd have something to treat to stop the kidney problems. So sad about all this... thank you all for your suggestions and help. It's been really beneficial to me to have a place to turn and ask questions.

 

[Torty Mom]

Just wondering how your tortie is doing???? Any poopies yet?

 

[coldskyline]

Just wondering how your tortie is doing???? Any poopies yet?

No poop yet but he seems to be a little bit better. During his bath this morning he passed about 20 seconds worth of gas. No poop but at least *something* is moving! He also drank while he was in the bath (which he wasn't really doing before). He seemed a little bit more interested in the food, but he didn't actually eat any on his own. The vet came by and gave him some more IV liquids and an antibiotic and a mobility shot. We opened his mouth and put some food in it which he was able to chew and swallow. Yesterday I was able to get a little bit of Mineral Oil in his mouth, but the vet said just putting it in his mouth wouldn't do much. We weren't able to get any in behind his tail because unfortunately Herman isn't being very cooperative.

I'm hoping since he's stretching his legs/passing some gas that hopefully tomorrow he'll be able to poop a little bit. I'm going to give him another bath soon but he seemed really tired after the vet left so I want to let him rest for a little while.

 

[Torty Mom]

I am sorry, I just read the post above about the renal failure. Lou had a pretty dim diagnosis at first also. I went to 2 vets because I didn't like the first vet's answer. I had an xray done and you could see all the stones in his system, it looked and was very dismal, I cried and cried. They said he needed surgery asap, I went to another vet and she said it didn't look good either. I took YVONNE's advice and started with the mineral oil. A few weeks later, back for another check up and the vet couldn't believe it. All the stones were gone and he had gained 2 pounds! Lou's urates are perfectly normal now!! We had a whole lotta ugly for a long time. Now, he is the master of his domain and KING of the back yard.

Sounds like your vet is great, however, in fun and very respectfully, am going to disagree with your vet just a little! When Lou passed his biggest stone it was covered in mineral oil. Full on covered. I swear, it was because I was putting it on his tongue and in his food. That stone slid right on out and Lou didn't make a peep. The first stone he passed, he made this sound that scared the crap out of me, it was just aweful!!! I'm sure much worse for him! This is just my experience and it worked for me. I swear by it, I think it saved my tortie from a surgery that he may not have survived.

Drinking and gas are both great, sooooooo glad to hear it!! I really hope he has a "big" event soon!

 

[coldskyline]

I am sorry, I just read the post above about the renal failure. Lou had a pretty dim diagnosis at first also. I went to 2 vets because I didn't like the first vet's answer. I had an xray done and you could see all the stones in his system, it looked and was very dismal, I cried and cried. They said he needed surgery asap, I went to another vet and she said it didn't look good either. I took YVONNE's advice and started with the mineral oil. A few weeks later, back for another check up and the vet couldn't believe it. All the stones were gone and he had gained 2 pounds! Lou's urates are perfectly normal now!! We had a whole lotta ugly for a long time. Now, he is the master of his domain and KING of the back yard.

Sounds like your vet is great, however, in fun and very respectfully, am going to disagree with your vet just a little! When Lou passed his biggest stone it was covered in mineral oil. Full on covered. I swear, it was because I was putting it on his tongue and in his food. That stone slid right on out and Lou didn't make a peep. The first stone he passed, he made this sound that scared the crap out of me, it was just aweful!!! I'm sure much worse for him! This is just my experience and it worked for me. I swear by it, I think it saved my tortie from a surgery that he may not have survived.

Drinking and gas are both great, sooooooo glad to hear it!! I really hope he has a "big" event soon!

Awww thanks so much for that story, it's very inspiring. I'm definitely going to continue with the mineral oil. I wish I could get some in from the back but Herman won't let anyone near his tail area-- every time the vet tried to insert an enema or anything he'd completely tighten. Yesterday when I gave him the mineral oil I put it in a syringe (with no needle) and put it in his mouth. How much do you give? I wasn't sure so I was a little conservative as I didn't want him to choke.

 

[Torty Mom]

I gave him .75cc not alot, but I was also putting it in his food. I am lucky, I can slightly squeeze his jaw and put the syringe up to his mouth and he opens right up. I will make a new thread and post a few pictures for you, I don't want to hijack your thread!

 

[coldskyline]

I gave him .75cc not alot, but I was also putting it in his food. I am lucky, I can slightly squeeze his jaw and put the syringe up to his mouth and he opens right up. I will make a new thread and post a few pictures for you, I don't want to hijack your thread!

That is great, I'd love to see Unfortunately Herman isn't very willing to open his mouth. It's a two person job. One person to open and another to put the food/oil in.

 

[Torty Mom]

Have you tried aloe vera or canned pumpkin?