Pink plastron normal?

[KimandKarasi]

I have been taking my tortoise to the vet almost every 3 days for the past 2 months, and it's aggravating that her pink plastron the vet was initially worried about STILL hasn't gotten better.. They keep injecting her (in the skin between her arm and head) with antibiotics, but the pinkness is still there. Finally I told them I couldn't afford to bring her back anymore, I'm already 3 thousand down just from the vet visits.. They also had given me this stuff called "Novasan" (I think that's how you spell it, it's this blue liquid I'm supposed to dilute in water and soak her for 5-10 minutes..) but this morning I looked at her plastron and it almost seems even more red than before.. Is all this futile? I mean her appetite is fine, her eyes are clear (they seem to swell up and itch when she's in that blue stuff, but not even 20 minutes after she's out they go back to normal.), and her activity level is great, I just worry because it's so pink... Then I read on here the lines are sometimes pink because of growth, which she definitely has grown a LOT lately.. So I guess I just want some opinions..

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Looks like growth to me Kim.

 

[yagyujubei]

It is perfectly normal.

 

[KimandKarasi]

In that case should I change vets for telling me it was an issue and charging an arm and a leg for something that didn't exist?

 

[reticguy76]

Id get a second opinion from a reptile/amphibian (or overall exotics) vet. Assuming he or she will tell you its fine, then have them fax the records to the original vet for their records. When they call you to follow up, you can verbally tell them, you dont wish to use them anymore (+/- explain why) and have them fax their record they have, to the new vet.

 

[dmmj]

+Normally a pink plastron could indicate septicemia, but in this case I think it is normal looking, especially since he is growing and eating. I hate to say but I think your vet is either inexperienced, or sold you some snake oil.

 

[Tom]

Do you feed Mazuri? I've seen them get pinkish between the plates like that if they sit in their Mazuri and then rest on damp substrate all the time. I always soak them after Mazuri feedings and give the plastron a good hand rubbing and squirt down after the end of the soak.

What substrate do you use? How damp is it? Can you tell us what her last few weights have been so we can get an idea of how fast she's growing? What are her four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night? What do you use for night heat? And finally, how many hours a day does she get to be outside in the sunshine?

 

[Laura]

also,, soaking in Nolvasan.. hmmm I'd worry they would drink it. sponging it on and letting dry would be ok.. but what I see is growth lines as well..
I think you need to change vets or maybe educate that other one, nicely.. and maybe get a few Free visits!

 

[dmarcus]

I say a new vet is in yours and your tort's furture...

 

[dmmj]

3000 for what looks like a healthy tortoise is criminal IMHO.

 

[reticguy76]

Wow, I missed that part about down 3k from the vet. Im in veterinary medicine and that is just outrageous. Either they are waaaaaayyyyyy overpriced in general or they just assumed you would follow what they "know" and keep treatment.

Go to another vet, or better yet, post of the torts history (when everything started, how it started, basically everything that the vet went on from you), many great and knowledgable people here in this forum

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and dont soak the tort anymore in the nolvasan solution. dont even know why the vet told you to do that. when you soak reptiles, even if they dont drink, the other way they get hydrated is through their cloaca. you dont want nolvason in the tort at all. at most, you would gently dab nolvasan with guaze on/around the infected area.

 

[KimandKarasi]

Wow, I missed that part about down 3k from the vet. Im in veterinary medicine and that is just outrageous. Either they are waaaaaayyyyyy overpriced in general or they just assumed you would follow what they "know" and keep treatment.

Go to another vet, or better yet, post of the torts history (when everything started, how it started, basically everything that the vet went on from you), many great and knowledgable people here in this forum

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and dont soak the tort anymore in the nolvasan solution. dont even know why the vet told you to do that. when you soak reptiles, even if they dont drink, the other way they get hydrated is through their cloaca. you dont want nolvason in the tort at all. at most, you would gently dab nolvasan with guaze on/around the infected area.

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She told me it was completely safe in case she drank it (her reason being they always give it to birds in their water..), but I still worried about how puffy her eyes got when she was in it... The 3k was from a continued visit every three days at 150 bucks a pop because ahe's and exotic, even though it IS an exotic pet hospital! And she's supposed to be a professional!! She owns all kinds of herps and birds, but not tortoises. When she spoke to me she sounded like she really knew what she was doing, and has a few other large tortoise owners that come to her, but when I actually did my own research,(which is what brought me to this wonderful site ) she just seems a bit... Wrong... :-/ And Tom, I'm actually not sure about her temps because she's now in an outside enclosure (speaking of which do they need a basking light in this Texas heat? I was thinking if anything she needs a fan on one side. ) so it's just regular grass and weeds, regular Houston humidity (I sprayed the water hose all around the grass today thinking she needed more humidity, which really I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do either..), and from 9am to 3pm she gets direct sunlight. I have been giving her mazuri lately, even though she has never laid in it.. I've been giving her normal warm water soaks twice a day just to help with hydration and keep pyramiding away. And the last few times he went to the vet he gained 10 grams give or take every time.. I'm not sure of her weight now

 

[Laura]

Nolvasan in a birds water? hmmmm
No you don't need a basking light if outside and its warm. if it was cold, you would need a heat source in a shed or something.. Pig Blanket or CHE..

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there is a lot of talk about using in Birds water to control bacteria.. there are pros/cons and people saying other things are better to use.. hmmm

 

[tyrs4u]

Gorgeous growth lines...

 

[tobyandlydia❤]

Yeah im no expert but that doesnt look like an ill tortoise

 

[Tom]

She dosen't need basking light outside as long as temps are warm and sunny each day. Does she have a heated night house? I like to keep little ones warm at night. I use a thermostat and set the night box heaters at 80. This is especially important in a humid area like Houston. When they're bigger, they can tolerate lower temps with a lower probability of problems, but there is just no reason to not be cautious with a little one.

What did your vet diagnose this tortoise with? What "ailment" did she tell you you are treating for? And Nolvasan in bird water? What?

 

[x-sully-x]

I would also go with growth lines... I have seen these on my tort... I am no expert though, but the peeps on here will have some fantastic advice up their sleeves

 

[KimandKarasi]

She dosen't need basking light outside as long as temps are warm and sunny each day. Does she have a heated night house? I like to keep little ones warm at night. I use a thermostat and set the night box heaters at 80. This is especially important in a humid area like Houston. When they're bigger, they can tolerate lower temps with a lower probability of problems, but there is just no reason to not be cautious with a little one.

What did your vet diagnose this tortoise with? What "ailment" did she tell you you are treating for? And Nolvasan in bird water? What?

She just said it was an infection, there was no real name for it.... and sometimes I wonder if it's actually too hot for her during the day..

 

[Itort]

The tort looks perfectly normal to me. For three grand the vet should be able to give you a specific infection after sending blood work to university herp vet. I assume at this price bloodwork was done.

 

[KimandKarasi]

The tort looks perfectly normal to me. For three grand the vet should be able to give you a specific infection after sending blood work to university herp vet. I assume at this price bloodwork was done.

.... I feel more like an idiot the more I think about it and read these comments.. Maybe I have sucker written all over me? Each visit was 180 dollars because she is an exotic (100), she would get a shot (50), and she would give me that little bottle of 3 doses of nolvasan (30) to tide me over until the next visit.. And since the pinkness never went away she kept asking me to come back.. They did a stool sample on our first visit and said there was no parasites, but that was the only thing beside the afore mentioned that they would do, but I went for so long it added up quick... That upsets me enough to really nit want to go back, but they were such sweet people.. But for them to charge me like that and not even know what they claim to be professionals in?? I'm too upset for words..