Sulcata baby injured with labored breathing

Mlsoto

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Hello all. I am a brand new owner of a 1 month old Sulcata. I made the huge mistake of falling asleep outside while my baby was happily sunning herself in a temporary enclosure. Well, my 7 yr old chihuahua jumped in her enclosure and bit her, puncturing her carapace on top and bottom. (This was Sunday around 6pm) . I immediately rinsed her in tap water, then soaked her in a weak Betadine solution for several minutes. Her injuries wept blood and fluids for several hours. 4 hours later, I soaked her again in Betadine solution and put cornstarch on the injuries to stop the "weaping". Then placed her on a heating pad in a dark corner to help her with the shock. First thing this morning took her to the only herp vet in town. Couldn't see vet til 10am. vet kept her all day but at 6:30pm when I called to check her status, they still hadnt closed her wounds. vet called at 8pm and said I could pick her up. The Vet sealed wounds with metha something, gave injection of fluids and antibiotics. What time they did this, I don't know. At 10pm my baby looked like she was gasping for air and making bubbles with her mouth. Phoned vet, asked me to bring her back in for oxygen immediately said that was not a good sign and said "had I noticed would not have let you take her home.". Any thoughts, suggestions, comments? I'm worried that all my efforts will end in disaster. And yes I realize the stupidity of having my dog within sight of my baby so no rude/degrading comments please.
 

Tom

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It is a possibility that the heating pad is too hot. Foaming at the mouth is a sign of overheating.

Its also possible that the vet did more harm than good. Sometimes those injections really mess a tortoise up. Especially a baby.

Its possible that the injuries are worse on the inside than they look on the outside, and the baby wouldn't have made it either way.


Sorry we are meeting in this way, but hello and welcome to the forum.
 

Mlsoto

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Oct 24, 2016
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Heating pad was set on low. At Vets office, they had her in an incubator. But Vets instructions were to turn heat up to 90 degrees in her tank which is what we did. She was only home 1 hour before going back to the vet office. I'm afraid the vet sealed her injuries without proper acknowledgement of the probable internal injuries. I am not knowledgeable on tortoise anatomy but the puncture wounds were behind left hind leg.
 

Mlsoto

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Very sad to say that my baby died at the vets office last night. I am interested in getting another one in the spring. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder new Amarillo Texas?
 

dmmj

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sorry to hear that please accept my condolences
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Very sad to say that my baby died at the vets office last night. I am interested in getting another one in the spring. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder new Amarillo Texas?
Hi
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477447247.769103.jpg
Do you still have the dog ?
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477447309.902271.jpg
 

sibi

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It's so sad. I feel for you. I'm surprised your vet didn't do an x-rays to see if the punctuated holes pierced the lung which is located just under the top carapace. In any case, it's not an issue anymore., Tom is an excellent breeder of sulcatas. He raises them the right way so that they have the best chance of survival. He's in southern California and I believe he ships his animals. You may want to contact him by way of a private message. Oh, and he's a forum member and his user name is Tom.
 

Yvonne G

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That's really too bad. I'm sorry it happened.
 

Randi

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I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you find comfort and peace in the memories you made together. :<3::tort:
 

Mlsoto

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Lol @Grandpa Turtle 144 yes I still have the dog. He was my first baby so he has been forgiven. The whole situation has made me re-think my plan as to getting a baby. After reading much information on Sulcata abandonment, I'm wondering if rescue would be better.
 

TammyJ

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I am sorry for what happened to your tortoise. We all learn from our mistakes. You did your best to help him.
 
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