Sick tortoise

[bikerchicspain]

Looking after a sick tortoise, she is a 3 year old Tunisian tortoise. Poor girl was brought to me with Pneumonia,Dehydration, Malnutrition,lack of vitamin A,Vitamin B, and Calcium, She has now been having 4 daily baths of at least 30mins for 2 weeks and she is totally hydrated.She has been on antibiotics for a week along with vitamin and calcium jabs.We have been giving her eye drops for hers eyes as they were and still are totally dry.She is still not feeding, so tomorrow i will start with force feeding.The owner will not be getting her back if i can help it. He had her on a solarium with no water just lettuce and endives for food and in a box with sand in it from the beach, needless to say the male died before he decided to seek help.. I will keep everybody informed on the females recovery.

 

[Laura]

Add the baby food or vitamins to her soaks.
What are you going to use to force feed her? Type of food...

 

[bikerchicspain]

It will be done with a vet, the food is a home made veg pure mixed with a bit of glucose and vitamin B

 

[Maggie Cummings]

A good number of Vets are really hot about giving Vit A injections. This isn't really a good thing, most of the time what happens is the skin sloughs off at the injection site. I personally wouldn't allow any injections of Vit A given to any of my animals...

 

[Yvonne G]

A minor correction, Maggs: An overdose of Vit.a causes the skin to slough off. Everywhere where there's skin! And its really easy to overdose with an injection.

Yvonne

 

[bikerchicspain]

If you sore the poor thing you would see she is vitamin defficient. The vit injection is dosed and only 1 a week,Then we will reasses
She is making progress.The vet gave me the injections as a last resort as she is not eating or drinking for over 2 weeks.that is also why we have opted for the force feeding,although the treatment could be very stressful for her and could kill her, But i dont think she could get any worse, Today she is moving around alot so thats good,Her eyes are still dry.They are constantly open so i think she has lost her sight..Why are people so ignorant and so unconcerned about the pets they have,it makes my blood boil,if it was a child he would have been arrested by now..

 

[bettinge]

My vet showed me how to tube feed my 25g Hermanns. Very easy! She gave me a 5 French (French is a size measurement) feeding tube and "Critical Care fine grind for herbivores", by Oxbow. You can buy the critical care on the web, its a powder that you mix with water.
There is a real peice of mind with tube feeding. First, its an easy way to know the drugs are getting into the stomach, and not dripping out the mouth. Second, you know the tort is getting the right food in the right amount each day!
I was so uptight when my sick tort was not eating. Tube feeding took all that anxiety away!

 

[bikerchicspain]

My vet showed me how to tube feed my 25g Hermanns. Very easy! She gave me a 5 French (French is a size measurement) feeding tube and "Critical Care fine grind for herbivores", by Oxbow. You can buy the critical care on the web, its a powder that you mix with water.
There is a real peice of mind with tube feeding. First, its an easy way to know the drugs are getting into the stomach, and not dripping out the mouth. Second, you know the tort is getting the right food in the right amount each day!
I was so uptight when my sick tort was not eating. Tube feeding took all that anxiety away!

Thanks for that but not sure if the poor girl will hold out enough for me to order the food online,They are not big on Reptiles here in Spain so i have to order from the states and it could take a week, I will order it tho. I should be able to feed her myself as i always worm the torts myself and i do that with a tube, But i just want to be safe at least for the first time,and as i work with vets its not really a problem getting them to do it..

 

[bettinge]

My vet showed me how to tube feed my 25g Hermanns. Very easy! She gave me a 5 French (French is a size measurement) feeding tube and "Critical Care fine grind for herbivores", by Oxbow. You can buy the critical care on the web, its a powder that you mix with water.
There is a real peice of mind with tube feeding. First, its an easy way to know the drugs are getting into the stomach, and not dripping out the mouth. Second, you know the tort is getting the right food in the right amount each day!
I was so uptight when my sick tort was not eating. Tube feeding took all that anxiety away!

Thanks for that but not sure if the poor girl will hold out enough for me to order the food online,They are not big on Reptiles here in Spain so i have to order from the states and it could take a week, I will order it tho. I should be able to feed her myself as i always worm the torts myself and i do that with a tube, But i just want to be safe at least for the first time,and as i work with vets its not really a problem getting them to do it..

FYI, It seems many on line stores even here in the US do not stock Critical Care Fine Grind. I ordered it only to find out it was back ordered. It took a week even for me to get it. Also be aware of the "fine Grind" as the regular grind will clog a small French tube. Good luck and keep us informed on her progress.