How quickly should I see improvement?

4jean

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This is Nelson, approximately 1 year old. I took him to the vet last Monday because he has had swollen eyes that stay mostly closed. When he would open them there was a white dot on each eye. The vet prescribed antibiotic drops. I give one drop to each eye 3x a day. Today is day 6. I am also soaking him2x a day. When I soak him now he will open his eyes and I no longer see the white dot...but I thought he would seem significantly better by now. How long does an eye infection take to heal? I have a previous post in this section titled sick tortoise where I described my temps/feeding etc. Vet has called to check on him once, I said he was slightly better. Should I take him back in? She said if this doesn't work they would try an injection which could be tricky... He is small 50grams.
 

stojanovski92113

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Im sorry to hear about Nelson! Did you try soaking him in warm water with some baby carrot food for about 20-30 min. I'm not a fan of all the injections! @Yvonne G is good at explaining her method with the carrot food soaks. Maybe he needs more vitamin A naturally from food since he's not eating.
 

Tom

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Did you and your vet discover the cause of the problem and eliminate it? They don't just get eye infections for no reason.

Are you using a coil type bulb for UV?
 

4jean

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I am concerned about this as well. I am using a MVB. Lights are on 14 hours a day. Basking temp stays around 95. Cool end is 70. Night time temps have dipped a bit since our weather here has gotten colder. Nighttime is between 68-70. I got him last December as a hatchling. His indoor enclosure is 3ft by 2 ft. Coco coir substrate, fresh water daily in plant saucer. Spider plants, aloe and clover growing in his enclosure. He eats less from the yard and more from the grocery store since the weather has changed. Mazuri 2x week. Dandelion, kale, mustard, collard, radicchio, endive, escarole....etc. Butternut squash is a favorite, have been giving a small amount 2x a week for increased vitamin A. Calcium 2x a week. The vet thought maybe the temp change was enough to stress him out/cause the eye infection. He did great last winter. Had hoped to try hibernation this year, but obviously am not. I am concerned about how he became infected, and should it take this long to heal? The only other thing I have done differently is that I recently transplanted a few plants grown in his outdoor enclosure to his indoor enclosure (testudo mix) and I noticed there are some tiny bugs on the plants. I have food grade dichotomous earth but haven't used it because he is sick. I also had switched to soaking him most days (missing a day here and there) since I see him soaking himself in his saucer. ( I have been soaking him 2x a day since the vet visit as per vet instruction).
 

4jean

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Here is a picture of his eye tonight after a soak. It definitely looks better...but he keeps them closed most of the time stillImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1415580698.338791.jpg
 

Tom

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This is unusual and I see nothing in your routine that would cause it.

I hope it clears up soon.
 

4jean

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Thanks for your input. I was feeling really confident about my tortoise care abilities thanks to all I've learned on this forum, but now my confidence is shaken. Hoping it's not a RI....but nostrils are clear, no noise or open mouth breathing. I still have 4 days left on the eye drops...
 

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