tortoise tragedy :(

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russian tortoise boy

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hi guys, im so sad right now because my russian tortoise was attacked by my dog.

okay here is the story, i put my tort outside for some sun light so i locked the backyard door so my dog wouldn't go outside. then i went to my room to do some stuff. then, after a while i was calling my dog and she didn't came so i was worried.
and it was my sister's fault because she let my dog outside but i told her not to like 20 minutes ago, then i saw my dog chewing on my tort :( . i grab my tort and saw her belew shell the upper part of it was like white and some blood on it, and the upper shell was gone and she lost a nail. can you tell me what medicine or what do i do!

and should i put her in a substrate or no, and about my dog, she tasted some of my tort she will get salmonella or no? please helppppppppppppppp!
 

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Yvonne G

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You can just practice first aid on the tortoise, but it will need to see a vet to get some antibiotics.

The dog is not going to be harmed by chewing on the tortoise.
 

wellington

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So sorry this happened. I would deff take it to a vet. Sounds bad. Post pics, it might help us to help you more. I also wouldn't use substrate, only paper towel for now.
 

shellysmom

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Oh my gosh, how awful. When you say, "the upper shell was gone," that really sounds bad, like you need the Emergency Vet ASAP. But maybe you don't actually mean the entire top of its shell is gone??? Can you post some photos of the injuries???
 

russian tortoise boy

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shellysmom said:
Oh my gosh, how awful. When you say, "the upper shell was gone," that really sounds bad, like you need the Emergency Vet ASAP. But maybe you don't actually mean the entire top of its shell is gone??? Can you post some photos of the injuries???
oh i didn't mean the whole upper shell was gone i mean the shel near the head was a little bit torn off,

i was just shaking when i typed this so i don't know what to write


here is the pictures

warning : kinda gross for some people
 

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shellysmom

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russian tortoise boy said:
shellysmom said:
Oh my gosh, how awful. When you say, "the upper shell was gone," that really sounds bad, like you need the Emergency Vet ASAP. But maybe you don't actually mean the entire top of its shell is gone??? Can you post some photos of the injuries???
oh i didn't mean the whole upper shell was gone i mean the shel near the head was a little bit torn off,

i was just shaking when i typed this so i don't know what to write

OK, whew! If the amount of physical damage is not too much, the biggest thing you have to worry about is infection in the puncture wounds from the dog's teeth. If you have iodine or betadine solution, you can mix that with 50/50 with water and give your tort's wounds a good rinse with that. the 50/50 solution is also safe for the eyes, if you happen to drip a little in while trying to rinse the front of the shell. Then use paper towels for his substrate so he doesn't get any dirt or anything in the wounds, and make sure he has a heat source on all night so that he can stay nice and warm. Do you have a CHE or black light or something?

You should probably take him to the vet to get him checked out, to make sure nothing was crushed or punctured internally, and maybe get some antibiotics. What kind/how big is the dog that got him?
 

russian tortoise boy

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shellysmom said:
russian tortoise boy said:
shellysmom said:
Oh my gosh, how awful. When you say, "the upper shell was gone," that really sounds bad, like you need the Emergency Vet ASAP. But maybe you don't actually mean the entire top of its shell is gone??? Can you post some photos of the injuries???
oh i didn't mean the whole upper shell was gone i mean the shel near the head was a little bit torn off,

i was just shaking when i typed this so i don't know what to write

OK, whew! If the amount of physical damage is not too much, the biggest thing you have to worry about is infection in the puncture wounds from the dog's teeth. If you have iodine or betadine solution, you can mix that with 50/50 with water and give your tort's wounds a good rinse with that. the 50/50 solution is also safe for the eyes, if you happen to drip a little in while trying to rinse the front of the shell. Then use paper towels for his substrate so he doesn't get any dirt or anything in the wounds, and make sure he has a heat source on all night so that he can stay nice and warm. Do you have a CHE or black light or something?

You should probably take him to the vet to get him checked out, to make sure nothing was crushed or punctured internally, and maybe get some antibiotics. What kind/how big is the dog that got him?
did you saw the pics?? its right there you will see how big is the damage. and my dog is a pitbull . and my tort is fine right now he is walking like nothing hsppen
 

shellysmom

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shellysmom said:
russian tortoise boy said:
shellysmom said:
Oh my gosh, how awful. When you say, "the upper shell was gone," that really sounds bad, like you need the Emergency Vet ASAP. But maybe you don't actually mean the entire top of its shell is gone??? Can you post some photos of the injuries???
oh i didn't mean the whole upper shell was gone i mean the shel near the head was a little bit torn off,

i was just shaking when i typed this so i don't know what to write

OK, whew! If the amount of physical damage is not too much, the biggest thing you have to worry about is infection in the puncture wounds from the dog's teeth. If you have iodine or betadine solution, you can mix that with 50/50 with water and give your tort's wounds a good rinse with that. the 50/50 solution is also safe for the eyes, if you happen to drip a little in while trying to rinse the front of the shell. Then use paper towels for his substrate so he doesn't get any dirt or anything in the wounds, and make sure he has a heat source on all night so that he can stay nice and warm. Do you have a CHE or black light or something?

You should probably take him to the vet to get him checked out, to make sure nothing was crushed or punctured internally, and maybe get some antibiotics. What kind/how big is the dog that got him?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, just saw the photos. Not good. If it were my tortoise, I'd consider taking it to the ER vet ASAP for a couple of reasons:
1) It's probably in a lot of pain, having that much of its shell scraped off; and
2) It looks like the dog may have had it for a while, and it's entirely possible that the force of the dog's jaws damaged something internal, like an important organ... You might want to get him some x-rays :(
 

shellysmom

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Pit Bull. Ugh. They have such freakishly strong jaws... If my pittie got a hold of a tort like that, I'd definitely rush it to a vet to get looked at. Is there even an ER vet in your area that sees reptiles? Probably not, huh? :(

Your tort may also be walking around looking like normal because it's in shock... I don't know... It's hard to tell from photos. Maybe the damage is not as bad as I'm thinking???? Whatever you decide to do, good luck.
 

shellysmom

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russian tortoise boy said:
can i put betadine in her wounds?

Yes, but mix it half and half with water, and you can sort of just rinse her off with it.
 

Baoh

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Are there any deep body puncture wounds? If not, you can probably get by with cleaning followed by topical antiseptic application. I would keep it on paper towels for a while. While the damage is done, it appears to be superficial and should heal over easily enough. Make sure it keeps drinking and eating regularly. Avoid soaks if it has antiseptic compounds on it. Let it drink from a very shallow dish for a while.

Take care.
 

sibi

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I would NOT use hydrogen peroxide. It actually can cause pain and more damage to the soft tissue under the shell. Use betadine solution, and see a vet asap.
 

BodaTort1

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As an Emergency Room nurse I will tell you what I tell my human Patients... Throw away the hydrogen peroxide!!! It is bad for new skin cells/wounds trying to heal. We ONLY use hydrogen peroxide to get blood out of our scrubs!! The rule for wounds is.. If you wouldn't put it on/in your eye then don't use it on open wounds.
 

Laura

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your dog will seek out this new chew toy.. :-( so you are going to have to be extra carefull. and build a dog proof enclosure...
good luck.. hope everything heals ok
 

russian tortoise boy

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shellysmom said:
Pit Bull. Ugh. They have such freakishly strong jaws... If my pittie got a hold of a tort like that, I'd definitely rush it to a vet to get looked at. Is there even an ER vet in your area that sees reptiles? Probably not, huh? :(

Your tort may also be walking around looking like normal because it's in shock... I don't know... It's hard to tell from photos. Maybe the damage is not as bad as I'm thinking???? Whatever you decide to do, good luck.
it not that serious, its just her outer shell was removed but theirs no cracks or serious damage


BodaTort1 said:
As an Emergency Room nurse I will tell you what I tell my human Patients... Throw away the hydrogen peroxide!!! It is bad for new skin cells/wounds trying to heal. We ONLY use hydrogen peroxide to get blood out of our scrubs!! The rule for wounds is.. If you wouldn't put it on/in your eye then don't use it on open wounds.
ohhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooo! i already putted hydrogen peroxide!!! but someone told me to put topical antiseptic on it and i saw on the bottle was topical antiseptic.

and i forgot to tell that it was written like this

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 3%

so it was only 3%


this is the antiseptic i used for her for the time being but i am gonna buy betadine for her safety.300.JPG
 
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