Dog got ahold of my Sulcata tortoise.

[C0di]

My dog got ahold of my two year old Sulcata tortoise I took her to the vet and she's on baytil. What will help her shell heal? It's been almost 2 weeks since it happened. How long should it take for her shell to heal? The pictures are the day it happened.

 

[Chefdenoel10]

Try to clean the wound area softly then apply neosporin (the one with the
“pain reliever” in it. Apply a coating of that and keep those areas clean. Especially the one on the back that is a hole!!!
and I’ll try to get @Yvonne G

 

[TammyJ]

Try to clean the wound area softly then apply neosporin (the one with the
“pain reliever” in it. Apply a coating of that and keep those areas clean. Especially the one on the back that is a hole!!!
and I’ll try to get @Yvonne G

NOT the one with the pain reliever. The one without it, please. I know this was what you meant

 

[TammyJ]

Baytril is harsh and painful. Your little tortoise may not survive a course of it, but hopefully he will. What conditions are you presently keeping him in?

 

[thegangof5]

My dog got ahold of my two year old Sulcata tortoise I took her to the vet and she's on baytil. What will help her shell heal? It's been almost 2 weeks since it happened. How long should it take for her shell to heal? The pictures are the day it happened. View attachment 353912 View attachment 353913

I can't believe your vets sent him home with open wounds - is there nothing you can put over them to stop infection

 

[TammyJ]

@Yvonne G @wellington

 

[C0di]

Baytril is harsh and painful. Your little tortoise may not survive a course of it, but hopefully he will. What conditions are you presently keeping him in?

A reptile vet put her on baytril for 7 days.

 

[C0di]

I can't believe your vets sent him home with open wounds - is there nothing you can put over them to stop infection

We've been cleaning them out, applying Neosporin and keeping covered and clean.

 

[C0di]

Baytril is harsh and painful. Your little tortoise may not survive a course of it, but hopefully he will. What conditions are you presently keeping him in?

We are keeping it cleaned out, Neosporin without pain, keeping it covered. We have her on straw to prevent dirt from entering her wounds.

 

[C0di]

Try to clean the wound area softly then apply neosporin (the one with the
“pain reliever” in it. Apply a coating of that and keep those areas clean. Especially the one on the back that is a hole!!!
and I’ll try to get @Yvonne G

That's what we've been doing! Except using original Neosporin. I didn't know how long it'd take for the shell to heal. Trying to keep clean and not get infection.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Whatever you do, DON'T take it out on the dog. He/She did nothing wrong. They're just hardwired to see tortoises as chew toys.
Sometimes it takes years for it to happen. But it happens. Good dog or a very aggressive dog. Makes no difference.
Its up to US to stop this from happening.
Luckily, it looks like your tort will survive this one.

 

[C0di]

I agree. She didn't do it out of aggression but playfulness. We know that and I made sure my kids understand that. This is just a freak accident that happened. They are never together. Trust me, we know we have to prevent it from happening.

Whatever you do, DON'T take it out on the dog. He/She did nothing wrong. They're just hardwired to see tortoises as chew toys.
Sometimes it takes years for it to happen. But it happens. Good dog or a very aggressive dog. Makes no difference.
Its up to US to stop this from happening.
Luckily, it looks like your tort will survive this one.

 

[zovick]

My dog got ahold of my two year old Sulcata tortoise I took her to the vet and she's on baytil. What will help her shell heal? It's been almost 2 weeks since it happened. How long should it take for her shell to heal? The pictures are the day it happened. View attachment 353912 View attachment 353913

Tortoises heal much more slowly than humans and other mammals. It will be months before the healing is complete. Just keep doing what you are doing. The Baytril is given to prevent infections from starting, not to promote healing (other than the fact that having no infection allows for better and more rapid healing).

If the tortoise stops eating and becomes lethargic, you will need to take it back to the vet ASAP because something is going wrong.