Hello, would you help me read this X-ray?

[tomatowide]

unfortunately, my tortoises seems sick... So my family brought them to vet to check the status. And they sent some X-ray images to me. I wish the tortoises are fine, but are these really the proofs of pneumonia? One tortoise of first 3 images are seems pneumonia, but the other one seems clear, I think... The vet said both of them are in pneumonia. Is it true?

 

[tomatowide]

 

[Ink]

@zovick might be able to help??

 

[zovick]

@zovick might be able to help??

If they were human radiographs, I could help, but I am not able to diagnose tortoise X-ray films. I have not enough experience with tortoise radiographs to do that.

 

[wellington]

Google tortoise X-rays with pneumonia

 

[Megatron's Mom]

I don't know how to read x-rays but I would believe the vet. He can read them and he has no reason to lie about pneumonia.

What is his treatment plan?

 

[wellington]

I don't know how to read x-rays but I would believe the vet. He can read them and he has no reason to lie about pneumonia.

What is his treatment plan?

Oh they do have reasons and if they know nothing about a tortoise, they could very well read it wrong.

 

[tomatowide]

Oh they do have reasons and if they know nothing about a tortoise, they could very well read it wrong.

I've also heard about the case, so I ask help.

 

[wellington]

Maybe @Tom @Yvonne G @Markw84 have seen tort x-rays before.

 

[Tom]

unfortunately, my tortoises seems sick... So my family brought them to vet to check the status. And they sent some X-ray images to me. I wish the tortoises are fine, but are these really the proofs of pneumonia? One tortoise of first 3 images are seems pneumonia, but the other one seems clear, I think... The vet said both of them are in pneumonia. Is it true?

I don't know how to interpret the x-rays either, but the way to check for pneumonia in tortoises is to float them in a tub of warm water. If they have pneumonia they will float lopsided.

 

[TammyJ]

I wonder what symptoms of pneumonia you are seeing? Are the wheezing, or noses draining? Can you post some actual pictures of the tortoises and tell us about the conditions they are kept in like temperatures, humidity, lighting, substrate and diet. With pictures. Doing this will help us to help you! Thanks.

 

[mark1]

as Tammy just asked , what are the symptoms that led you to a vet ? as far as x-rays , they are the definitive method of diagnosing pneumonia, i would think mri's and ct scans are better ......... pneumonia in an x-ray looks the same in a dog, rat, snake, turtle tortoise or human ..... they're looking for fluid in the lungs , abnormal density ......... as Zovick said reading a tortoise or turtle x-ray would take some experience , your x-raying through bone to assess soft tissue, it definitely looks different .......... been my experience vets are some of the best radiologist there are , it's all they used to have to go on , until recently , and with prohibitive cost it's still mostly what they have to go on .......symptoms and an x-ray by someone who has experience looking at tortoise x-rays is without question the best diagnosis ......