Words cannot express how miserable I feel at the moment.
Things haven't been easy here outside the world of tortoises (hence my absence for a couple of weeks)... and in the middle of all the chaos, Joe starts peeing green, going off his food and suddenly losing weight.
A phone call from the vet this morning (it's never a good sign when they call you, is it?) and his blood test has revealed liver function problems and a very low white blood cell count severe enough to require Joe to be admitted as an in-patient.
Forty one years years of zero health problems ended last February when Joe had a respiratory problem on emergence from hibernation. He was treated and he appeared to recover, only to have a blip last November and end up back on antibiotics for a mild liver problem.
He appeared to recover again and piled on weight over the winter (It's sad, but I've got a spreadsheet charting it!) and then this.
My vet is one of the best reptile specialists, so I have no fears on that front.
Sometimes you wonder if you'll ever manage to do things right again.
It's OK, I'll feel better once I've been able to break the news to the rest of the family. I just needed to share. Time to box Joe and take him over to the vet. Something very chocolatey required on the way home I think
Things haven't been easy here outside the world of tortoises (hence my absence for a couple of weeks)... and in the middle of all the chaos, Joe starts peeing green, going off his food and suddenly losing weight.
A phone call from the vet this morning (it's never a good sign when they call you, is it?) and his blood test has revealed liver function problems and a very low white blood cell count severe enough to require Joe to be admitted as an in-patient.
Forty one years years of zero health problems ended last February when Joe had a respiratory problem on emergence from hibernation. He was treated and he appeared to recover, only to have a blip last November and end up back on antibiotics for a mild liver problem.
He appeared to recover again and piled on weight over the winter (It's sad, but I've got a spreadsheet charting it!) and then this.
My vet is one of the best reptile specialists, so I have no fears on that front.
Sometimes you wonder if you'll ever manage to do things right again.
It's OK, I'll feel better once I've been able to break the news to the rest of the family. I just needed to share. Time to box Joe and take him over to the vet. Something very chocolatey required on the way home I think