respiratory problem in redfoot help needed

[oscar]

One of my redfoots which ate two days ago but acted like she couldn't see well has got worse. I have had her for 2.5 years and I would guess her age at 5 or 6 years old. Yesterday she would not eat and last night she had a discharge from her mouth. I am taking her to vet today but have yet to find a good reptile vet. I have upped her heat and added more humidity but the more i have read on Respiratory problems the more I am confused.
(keeping and breeding tortoises in captivity) by A Highfield said in his book that ampicillin or oxytetracycline has proved satisfactory in treatment. But then reading back posts on the forum I have read that baytril is used a lot but can cause pain in tortoises. Then naxcel was mentioned and recommended. I would like to know if anyone knows of any other drug or the above mentioned one has worked well if indeed she has pneumonia or respiratory infection. She is in her enclosure with three other redfoots and they seem to act normal for now but have seperated them.
thanks in advance

 

[coreyc]

Hey Oscar you said you upped up the heat & humidity what was it at an what is it at now

 

[oscar]

temp. is 78 to 80 i raised it to 85 to 87
humidity averaged around 70 percent trying to get it to 80 percent

 

[Yvonne G]

Any time you have a sick tortoise for whatever sickness, you:

1. set the tortoise up in a hospital habitat. This doesn't have to be something big...just big enough to contain the tortoise in a not cramped situation
2. Raise the temperature overall (with no cool side) to at least 85 degrees
3. Soak the tortoise in warm water
4. Call and make an appointment with a tortoise vet.

If its a respiratory infection, Baytril works very well, and is usually the antibiotic of choice, but you MUST administer the total regime that the vet prescribes.

 

[Madkins007]

The thing is, Upper Respiratory Tract Disease (what it sounds like you are describing) is caused by a bacteria that is REALLY hard to kill with normal antibiotics. It is also VERY infectious. Please do what Yvonne said.

While Baytril, etc. really does not kill the main agent effectively, it does help fight the many secondary infections that move in and gives the tort a fighting chance.

 

[oscar]

Got tortoise to vet this afternoon. She said that there was a respiratory problem but didn't think she had pneumonia.
I Will need to give shots of baytril for 20 days she said she diluted the bayutril10 to 1 and it would be more gentle for tortoise she was given a vitamin A shot also.

 

[Madkins007]

I'm always nervous when they get an A shot unless bloodwork shows that it is needed, but I am not one to second-guess the vet who can actually see the animal.

In the meantime- isolate the ill tortoise, clean the main habitat well to kill as many germs as possible, and follow the nursing guidelines Yvonne offered.

 

[Yvonne G]

Now you have to watch carefully for any skin problems. At the FIRST SIGN of redness, peeling, cracking or weeping, take the tortoise BACK to the vet immediately and tell her/him that the tortoise is suffering from receiving too much Vit.a in the injection.

Note to EVERYONE who reads this: Please don't EVER allow a vitamin A injection (sometimes called Vitamin A, D, E). Its very easy to get Vitamin A into a tortoise via their food and an injection isn't necessary. I have seen many, many cases of tortoises with skin sloughing off because the dose injected was too high for the size of the tortoise.

 

[oscar]

From what the vet said it sounds like every tortoise and box turtle that she sees with a respiratory problem gets a vitamin A shot. I got her to eat today and soaked her three different times for about 40 minutes each time. I saw no bubbles coming from her nose or mouth until about three hours after she ate. She seemed more alert while eating but seems worse now.

 

[Candy]

I always keep my Cherryheads at 85 degrees and they very rarely will go to the cool side. I hope your little one gets better soon.