Help needed! Extra holes in nose

[Kleinmanni3]

Hi all,

The thing is I bought an adult female kleinmanni couple of months ago. She should have been healthy but once I got it home I noticed that she has a fluid coming from her noe and then noticed an extra hole near the other nosethrill. I went to vet and we started antibiotics and she actually had an fistel or old wound that was still open under the dried skin. The tortoise was so stressed due to the antibiotic injections that it stopped eating. After the antibiotics she was two weeks on the care of vet who tubefeed her and operated the nose with stiches. After I got her back after one week from the operation I go her to finally eat something again. I was couple of weeks ago at the vet to remove the stiches. But the wound did not totally heal and she still has at least two little holes left and still has some fluid coming from those holes sometimes when she breaths. She is so shy that I cannot really see very well her face because she is hiding in her shell almost all the time.

Has someone had anything like this at all? The vet says we should now just wait 6 months and see what happens. Due to stress caused by the treatments I also think it is best. Can she live with the extra holes? Or is she suffering, I'm not sure. Hopefully someone could advice me what to do? I really want her to get better and I'm willing to all it takes! Here is a photo of the nose before the surgery. I haven't been able to take a photo of the current situation.

And I have contacted the seller but she claims that all has been fine with her, but that's not the truth. Even the vet said that the problem has been there quite a time as the ends of the wound had healed and it was under the dried skin.

 

[kirsty Johnston]

I'm so sorry that you and your little guy are going through this.
Unfortunately I am not 100% sure of what this could be although I have heard that torts get something called 'runny nose syndrome' which may be worth looking in to to see if the symptoms are similar.
Is your vet a qualified reptile vet? I've realised in my time that good vets for tortoises are few and far between. There is a thread that lists a lot of good vets all over the world which I'll try and dig out for you.
I hope everything goes well

 

[kirsty Johnston]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-vet-list.126/

@Yvonne G is really good when it comes to health. She may be able to help

 

[Kleinmanni3]

Thanks Kirsty! My vet is the best where I live (Finland). I' ve read about runny nose but the problem is that maybe the unusual anatomic is the reason why she has it. It might be that until the holes are healed it may be having the flu like symptoms because it is more easily affected. Hopefully Yvonne will see this!

 

[Careym13]

I hope your tortoise gets well soon!

 

[Yvonne G]

I'd be willing to bet that this tortoise had an abscess at one time. I have two right now with nose abscesses. Once you are finally able to clear up the infection, you're left with a hole that won't heal. It doesn't cause any pain or discomfort and doesn't inhibit the tortoise breathing. One of my abscess nose tortoises has had this hole going on 5 years now.

I think as long as you're aware of it, and you keep your eye on it, it should be ok, but at the first sign it is becoming infected again, take the tortoise back to the vet.