HELP Weird pooping behaviour

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Basically problem is, I am a student and my budjegt is tight. My parents still have some influence over my money matters, and my dad isn't convinced on the x-ray, he seems to be against it for now at least, these are his reasons:
1) X-rays are expensive, at least 100€ for 1-4 photos + some for the clinic visit
2) Edward pooped after all and was back to acting normal
3) He isn't convinced that this is related to the bladder stones. He thinks it was just caused by the coir and undigested food, possibly a tummy ache at worst
4) Edward had made one normal poop earlier that day and passed normal urates the previous day
5) Even though a x-ray was done, and it revealed something, there is no vet that could do anything, especially if surgery was needed. My dad basically thinks that x-ray is only needed when considering euthanasia.

Basically, even if there was a blockage revealed, would there be anything to do, as the vets around me only do soft tissue surgery? Would euthanasia be an option you would consider in my case if the x-ray revealed an blockage from the stones? I mean he is acting all normal and I don't want to give him a death sentence.

Here is a photo of the resulting poop from yesterday and the fibers I have been collecting from his substrate:

Points 2-4 are *guessings* that everything's okay. 5 is totally not true. Timely diagnostics of blockage, foreign bodies or smaller bladder stones, or any other anomalies might give you options other than surgery or an option for less invasive surgery. If there is a stone size of tennis ball - perhaps, euthanasia will be humane.

I understand, why your father is against X-ray. You can postpone it until symptoms arise again. If he is right and Edward was just impacted from excessive indigestible fibers - no problem. If it's something else, probably, it won't be too late.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Points 2-4 are *guessings* that everything's okay. 5 is totally not true. Timely diagnostics of blockage, foreign bodies or smaller bladder stones, or any other anomalies might give you options other than surgery or an option for less invasive surgery. If there is a stone size of tennis ball - perhaps, euthanasia will be humane.

I understand, why your father is against X-ray. You can postpone it until symptoms arise again. If he is right and Edward was just impacted from excessive indigestible fibers - no problem. If it's something else, probably, it won't be too late.

What would those other options be like? I would like to do some research before hand on all the options.

I will wait and observe for now. I hope that this will go away with a scare, but we will see.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

What would those other options be like? I would like to do some research before hand on all the options.

I will wait and observe for now. I hope that this will go away with a scare, but we will see.

With smaller stones intensive hydration, low protein diet, some mineral oil can do the trick. Laparoscopic surgery is also can be done. For blockages - laxatives and endoscopic procedures. Something you won't do with a healthy tortoise.

There is one thing I have overlooked and it makes X-ray less valuable - reading the films requires some experience to note small anomalies. Of course, large white blotches in the bladder area will be obvious. But more subtle signs will be missed. However, there are online vets who can interpret X-rays and other tests.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

If I end up doing the x-ray, I will probably post it here on the forum to ask whether or not I should get another vet to look at it.

With smaller stones intensive hydration, low protein diet, some mineral oil can do the trick. Laparoscopic surgery is also can be done. For blockages - laxatives and endoscopic procedures. Something you won't do with a healthy tortoise.

There is one thing I have overlooked and it makes X-ray less valuable - reading the films requires some experience to note small anomalies. Of course, large white blotches in the bladder area will be obvious. But more subtle signs will be missed. However, there are online vets who can interpret X-rays and other tests.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

My Russian was kind of kicking/scratching his tail while pooping today. He was walking in his enclousure wagging his tail like usual, but he was also kicking his tail with one of his legs like he was struggling. He pooped two small poops.

He passed some bladder stones a few weeks ago.

@Tom @wellington @Yvonne G

Noticed you are online, have you seen anything like this? @ZEROPILOT

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Noticed you are online, have you seen anything like this? @ZEROPILOT

No. But it sounds like he might be trying to pass a small rock or something like that.
Try to see if there's anything visible back there

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

No, nothing was visible yesterday and still nothing today. He hasn't done the tail rubbing today though. He pooped a normal poop today in the soak, it also had some undigested food, blueberry leaves he ate on Monday.

I hope that the mineral oil will help it to pass, whatever it is.

 

[MaNaAk]

Have you tried soaking for forty minutes?

Natrah

 

[TammyJ]

Have you tried soaking for forty minutes?

Natrah

Right. Longer warm soaks, twice per day! Can only be good.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yeah, I will try to soak him twice a day, though I might not have the time for it everyday, but at least one soak as long as I can. He seems to manage to poop, but I don't know if there is something else stuck. Yesterday he flashed while pooping in his soak, hopefully there will be no prolapse...

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I soaked him twice today, both times he pooped in the soak. First time he flashed, but otherwise there was no tail wagging for long before pooping or any kicking/tail rubbing. I still gave some mineral oil to him. He felt so heavy after his second soak, and lo and behold, when I weighed him he was 532 g, he has never before reached over 505 g. It must be all the extra hydration.

My only concern is that I can't be certain weather or not he is peeing normally, since he hasn't been passing urates for about a week. Maybe he just pees in the substrate now days, and I don't see it because he is so well hydrated?

This might be silly, but for example, according to the tBMI https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-weight-formula-tbmi.38420/

532/(12^3x0.191)=1.61188675587

He would be heavily overweight.