Respiratory infection on 9month greek tortoise

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello all
Thank you for all the advices.
Unfortunately I was in the vet before I got info on the dangerous medicines so I didn't ask. And the doctor spoke only korean so I recorded the conversation so make my boyfriend listen later.

So from what I gathered so far (my colleague translated most of it to me), the doctor did a X-ray and said the lungs are clean. So no pneumonia or lung infection it seems.

However it seems she has a lot of gas which could block the airways.
He gave me a medicine to inject orally once a day for 1 week.
I share the picture because the name of the medicine is written nowhere I can see.

But the most important is the warm bath 10min once a day.

Because my tortoise was often going to her water bowl I didn't do a separate hot bath. I sometimes put her in her water and give her some food so she can stay there a little bit.

But from now I'll do a separated one.
Doctor said the nebulizer is not going to make her worse and she can only benefit from it. So I am thinking maybe doing it once a week.

And I will look for the bark as now the coco fiber is dry and I also don't like it.

Thank you

I'm glad she doesn't have an respiratory infection. Likely gases are from blueberries. Daily bathing in warm water for 30 minutes is not the same as in the water dish.
I've looked at medication packs - it has only hospital name (or motto "We pity animals" ). So please, don't give it to your tortoise right now, until we figure out what is it.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I think the needle looks sharp but it isn't?
Maybe it is just to make it easier to insert in the mouth.

For the food. I think of 2 things :
1- I gave my tortoise blueberries. She loved it so much I wanted to give it as a treat. I decreased it to one every week.
But about 2 weeks ago I gave her maybe about 2 or 4.
2- I can find some coconut fibers in a her poop and worried if the fibers might block something inside. I give the food in a dish but the fibers stick to her body and soils the food when she goes to eat. I feel she might eat a lot of the soil fibers.

Can it be one of those?

Coco coir doesn't have much fibers, mostly small grains of coconut shell. These should pass without issues with a decent amount of exercise and plant fiber in diet. I see your tortoise has an exercise wheel - stick some anti-slip tape on it to make it more usable.

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

I'm glad she doesn't have an respiratory infection. Likely gases are from blueberries. Daily bathing in warm water for 30 minutes is not the same as in the water dish.
I've looked at medication packs - it has only hospital name (or motto "We pity animals" ). So please, don't give it to your tortoise right now, until we figure out what is it.

He only gave one to her to show me how to do it, so I will not give it today anyway.
But hopefully we can figure out. Or I will call the vet.

For the bark I found fir bark when I selected for reptile bark.
It seems like the thing I had when I first got the tortoise. The very small wood thingy 🤣

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

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The doctor apparently said it was medicine for digestion.
I think it can be this. But not sure

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

https://m.coupang.com/vm/products/1941724430?vendorItemId=71283370963&sourceType=SDP_ALSO_VIEWED

Looks like you can get some Reptibark (it is Douglas fir bark, from trees growing in US and that's why it's pretty expensive). To put a layer on top of coco coir you don't need much. Start with areas around food and water dishes.

Orchiata bark is a pine bark. I'm not sure if it's safe yet. However, if it has a distinct smell - I would not use it.

There are many pine species and not all of them toxic (Douglas fir is a pine, for example ). I didn't finish my dendrology research yet, so can not tell which pines are fine.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

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The doctor apparently said it was medicine for digestion.
I think it can be this. But not sure

If it is indeed Lactic Acid - don't use it. It probably can help digestion in omnivorous mammals, but tortoises are closer to cows, than cats.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

So to sum up:
1. Stop feeding any fruit completely. I know, she loves her precious blueberries, but definitely needs a break. There are other cool tortoise treats like hibiscus or radicchio
2. Give her daily soaks in warm (32-33C) water. 30 minutes is great, but start with at least 15 minutes. If she will try to climb out (she will ) - check water temperature and let her do the exercise. Don't leave her unattended, though.
3. Remove pine bark pieces from substrate. If you want, put a layer of Reptibark over coco coir. Coco husks, chips, bark have lots of coco fibers and not as good as coir. Things get worse, because they become "fluffy" from being in water.
4. Keep her for a week or two at higher temperature day and night (29-30C). Probably, the weather will do this job for you.
5. "Intragen" could be gentamicin (it's made in India under this name). It's an antibiotic and administered orally in cases of infectional gastritis in snakes. I'm not sure if it's beneficial to use it.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

As mentioned by the others definitely stop feeding any kind of fruit, they aren’t built to handle the sugars and it will cause issues like you’re seeing, hopefully you can get the correct uv installed, and install a CHE for night heat on a thermostat, that’s important, especially whilst they aren’t well.

Do you happen to have a picture of the packaging for the basking light you are using?

Always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour!🙂

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

What other kind of things are you feeding out of interest?

I’d also build some sort of stand for your lights, the clamps have been known to fail which can be dangerous, I’ll attach some photos for examples on how to mount both uv and bulbs😊

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

If it is indeed Lactic Acid - don't use it. It probably can help digestion in omnivorous mammals, but tortoises are closer to cows, than cats.

We called the vet.
Apparently it is a mix of antibiotics, (didn't say which one), pain relievers and gastrointestinal stimulants.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

We called the vet.
Apparently it is a mix of antibiotics, (didn't say which one), pain relievers and gastrointestinal stimulants.

Mmmm could definitely do with knowing what antibiotics they are, it all sounds suspicious to me personally and I worry about giving it them without knowing exactly what’s in it🫤I’ll see what the others think

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

We called the vet.
Apparently it is a mix of antibiotics, (didn't say which one), pain relievers and gastrointestinal stimulants.

I'm a bit sceptical about this cocktail. However, not experienced enough to challenge vet prescriptions.

I ask for help from @Yvonne G and @zovick

 

[zovick]

I'm a bit sceptical about this cocktail. However, not experienced enough to challenge vet prescriptions.

I ask for help from @Yvonne G and @zovick

Without knowing the names of the medications (ingredients) in that mixture, I cannot really say whether getting it would help the tortoise or not. Sorry.

I can say this, though: if giving liquid medications orally, one must be very careful to do it quite slowly so that the tortoise does not accidentally inhale the liquid which could cause inhalation pneumonia or even death of the animal.

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

Without knowing the names of the medications (ingredients) in that mixture, I cannot really say whether getting it would help the tortoise or not. Sorry.

I can say this, though: if giving liquid medications orally, one must be very careful to do it quite slowly so that the tortoise does not accidentally inhale the liquid which could cause inhalation pneumonia or even death of the animal.

Yes the doctor insisted I have to give it very slowly
And he said if I cannot do it I can just go there everyday and they will do it for me.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

@Happy_Tortoise Hello! Any updates on her? Does she get better?

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

@Happy_Tortoise Hello! Any updates on her? Does she get better?

Mmm I'm not sure.
In the morning she seems okay goes out a little bit and eats.
But I am stressing her a lot by trying to give her the medicine and making her open her mouth (i don't think I am giving all the medicine)
After eating a bit she goes back to sleep until the day after.

I got a UVB bulb for now to activate from 12 to 3pm... but she only goes out of her hide from 6am to 9am so I am not sure she gets UV..
In the bath and box for nebulizer she tries to run away so she seems to have energy.

But other wise only sleeps, her nose was running a little this morning. But I cannot see her enough to check more like her breathing...
I think she is angry at me now because of too much handling and struggling in the morning.
At least she eats a little.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Mmm I'm not sure.
In the morning she seems okay goes out a little bit and eats.
But I am stressing her a lot by trying to give her the medicine and making her open her mouth (i don't think I am giving all the medicine)
After eating a bit she goes back to sleep until the day after.

I got a UVB bulb for now to activate from 12 to 3pm... but she only goes out of her hide from 6am to 9am so I am not sure she gets UV..
In the bath and box for nebulizer she tries to run away so she seems to have energy.

But other wise only sleeps, her nose was running a little this morning. But I cannot see her enough to check more like her breathing...
I think she is angry at me now because of too much handling and struggling in the morning.
At least she eats a little.

Thank you for the update!

You can adjust UVB lamp timing for now so her morning basking and breakfast time happen under UVB lamp.

She is definitely stressed out with all these manipulations. Nebulizer with plain saline solution seems redundant in humid enclosure - it does nothing but some hydration on mucous membranes, which makes sense in dry and dusty environment.

I hope she will be fine soon. Please, keep us updated!

 

[Happy_Tortoise]

Thank you for the update!

You can adjust UVB lamp timing for now so her morning basking and breakfast time happen under UVB lamp.

She is definitely stressed out with all these manipulations. Nebulizer with plain saline solution seems redundant in humid enclosure - it does nothing but some hydration on mucous membranes, which makes sense in dry and dusty environment.

I hope she will be fine soon. Please, keep us updated!

Late bath, and dîner time. I turned on the uvb while she is eating. I think forcing her to have a bath woke her up.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

She is more active? That's great!

This coiled bulb doesn't "shoot" far enough to make meaningful UVB level near the food dish. Even worse - it's hard to predict what UV level will be and where (very much dependent on reflector, how it's placed - vertical or horizontal) and due to specifics of the lamp a couple of centimeters may change UVI (UV index) from 2 (too low) to 6-8 (dangerously high). More or less safe distance is 15-20 centimeters over the shell, but UV index will be between "low" and "almost too low". 15 minutes of sunbathing daily will be better (around 10-11AM or 3-4PM, on the balcony or by the open window, with shade and supervision).

You've been taking her for a walk in the park, do you still do that?