tortoise tragedy :(

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jtrux

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My old roommate had a pitbull that would seek out and find box turtles in his backyard (no idea why but there was probably 1 a month back there) and wouldn't touch them. All dogs are different I guess. My dog on the other hand would destroy anything she could get ahold of, i'm very cautious with her.

Hope everything turns out ok.
 

Baoh

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russian tortoise boy said:
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.




Calm down.
 

Yellow Turtle

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Hope he recovers soon and yes, no hydrogen peroxide, it hurts when you pour it on the wound, more over it also function as bleach, unless you want to turn your tort into a blonde.
 

shellysmom

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Baoh said:
russian tortoise boy said:
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.




Calm down.




That's helpful. :rolleyes:
 

Baoh

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shellysmom said:
Baoh said:
russian tortoise boy said:
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.




Calm down.




That's helpful. :rolleyes:




Almost as helpful as dramatic overreaction or the rolling of eyes. He applied H2O2 sln. It is over. He should use a topical antiseptic that is more appropriate going forward. Getting upset changes nothing about what has already occurred.
 

LuckysGirl007

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Baoh said:
Almost as helpful as dramatic overreaction or the rolling of eyes. He applied H2O2 sln. It is over. He should use a topical antiseptic that is more appropriate going forward. Getting upset changes nothing about what has already occurred.

This last statement would have been more helpful added to the "calm down" remark.
 

Baoh

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LuckysGirl007 said:
Baoh said:
Almost as helpful as dramatic overreaction or the rolling of eyes. He applied H2O2 sln. It is over. He should use a topical antiseptic that is more appropriate going forward. Getting upset changes nothing about what has already occurred.

This last statement would have been more helpful added to the "calm down" remark.

Not my most pressing concern.
 

lovelyrosepetal

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I thought Baoh's comment was fine. I don't think he meant anything rude. Using peroxide was done. It wasn't the best choice but it won't do any more damage than was already done. Lesson learned.
russian tortoise boy, I would pm Maggie3fan or emysemys, they are really nice and like to help. They also have a lot of knowledge and experience with helping tortoises who have been injured or are sick. They could give you some specific advice that should help you out. I hope your tortoise is doing better. I would not do the betadine solution because you will kill the good blood cells that are helping to heal your tortoise. I think you use that solution when something first happens, you don't continue to use it. I could be wrong but I think that is how it goes.
 

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Would human antibiotic ointment work for him, like Neosporin? And maybe wrap a bandage around it to keep substrate out as it heals?

When you watch nature shows and someone finds an injured animal they often smear ointment on the wound.
 

BodaTort1

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@RussianTortoiseBoy.. No harm done sweetie. It was a one time deal and now everyone on the forum who didnt know-won't use it on their torties either. We all are here to learn from each other and our own mistakes. :)
@LovelyRosePetal.. We actually use Betadine as an "antiseptic paint" for some wounds during every dressing change... But that is for humans and not sure if that care applies to torties as well and would not attempt till confirmed by someone experienced in animal/reptile wound care.
 

Baoh

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You can use that. I use Manuka honey. It has peroxides, some other lesser antimocrobial compounds, provides a barrier, and has a physical antimicrobial effect via osmotic shock. I prefer to keep such an animal off of any loose substrate for a bit to let the healing get going. Especially moist soil, coir, or similar substrates, which would harbor a greater bioburden than, say, dry paper towel or newspaper. Another good thing about the Manuka honey is you can still soak the animal without worrying about negative intestinal microfloral impacts of some topical antibiotics. Soak, blot dry, and apply a dab of honey, with a little going a long way. Other honey types may provide partial benefits (osmotic shock, a gentle barrier, and some smaller degree of antimicrobial compound concentration), but I went the extra mile and imported mine from New Zealand so I could keep the best on hand for my animals.


BodaTort1 said:
@RussianTortoiseBoy.. No harm done sweetie. It was a one time deal and now everyone on the forum who didnt know-won't use it on their torties either. We all are here to learn from each other and our own mistakes. :)
@LovelyRosePetal.. We actually use Betadine as an "antiseptic paint" for some wounds during every dressing change... But that is for humans and not sure if that care applies to torties as well and would not attempt till confirmed by someone experienced in animal/reptile wound care.

Betadine is reasonable for use on tortoises, too.
 

Tortus

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I've used manuka honey for a while now on myself. It seems to help with an upset stomach. I haven't tried it on anything topical yet.

And it all comes from New Zealand as far as I know since that's where the flowers grow that the bees feed on. The good stuff is expensive.
 

Baoh

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Tortus said:
I've used manuka honey for a while now on myself. It seems to help with an upset stomach. I haven't tried it on anything topical yet.

And it all comes from New Zealand as far as I know since that's where the flowers grow that the bees feed on. The good stuff is expensive.

Yes. My fiancee has added it to her tea to soothe an upset stomach.

I was just saying that I got mine directly from there, as opposed to using a reseller. Worth it when you need it and not worrying about lead time, since it should effectively preserve itself well if kept refrigerated.
 

Carol S

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This summer my juvenile Russian tortoise was attacked by our dog. (You can read my posting on this.) I thought he was dead he looked so bad. I first soaked him in warm water to remove the dirt, grass and dog saliva. Then I flushed out the wounds with sterile saline (contact lense cleaner). Then I treated all the wounds with triple antiibiotic ointment. Next I wrapped the wounds with gauze. I then put him in his inside enclosure in his little stone cave. I kept the temperature a constant 80 degrees where he was at. I thought about taking him to the emergency animal hospital (attack happened on a Sunday late afternoon), but I felt that since they were not reptile specialists they really would not do anything more for him than I had done and actually could do something that would harm him. First thing the next morning I took him to the vets. The vet said I did the correct emergency treatment. The vet took him in the back and did some more flushing of the wounds and did some repair work on his shell (pulled out scutes that were pushed in and fixed with resin). The vet gave oral medication (which was later switched to injections as I could not get Turtle Baby to open his mouth and it was really stressing him). The vet also gave me an antibiotic solution to soak him in every day. He also gave me an antiboitic cream to put on his wounds every day. He had a scute missing on his shell, where I could actually see his insides, at the last row of scutes on the side toward the bottom. This was to be covered in a dressing after his daily antibiotic soak each day. The vet also said to keep the area where he sleeps 80 degrees to help boost his immune system.

Turtle Baby is doing great now. It will be quit a while before the shell damage completely heals. The part where he has a scute missing is filling in with scar tissue (about 80-85%) as of today. It took a while for Turtle Baby to get over the trauma, as before he was outgoing and did not seem to be afraid of anything. After the trauma he would hide all the time. Around a month ago he has lost his fear and seems to be back to his old self.

If I were you I would put some triple antibiotic ointment on his wounds and take your tortoise to the vet in the morning and get him started on antibiotics to keep the wounds from becoming infected. I would also keep the cool spot of his enclosure 80 degrees to boost his immune system. Are any of his scutes missing where you can see into his body cavity? If not, then I would just treat with the triple antibiotic ointment and not wrap with gauze. I would put paper towels in his enclosure instead of substrate. I would also keep him warm (80 degrees 24 hours a day).

I hope this information helps you. I am sending you and your tortoises hugs good thoughts. :tort:
 

sibi

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Good to know. I didn't know about the honey. Thanks.
 

BodaTort1

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Oh shoot... When I reread my last post it appeared as if I was saying I would not use Betadine on torties. What I meant was to tell LovelyPetalRose that in Humans we use it repeatedly on wounds as they are initially healing, but I would not use this same practice on torties until I spoke to someone who dealt with torty wounds. Is there anyone on this forum who does??
 

russian tortoise boy

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Carol S said:
This summer my juvenile Russian tortoise was attacked by our dog. (You can read my posting on this.) I thought he was dead he looked so bad. I first soaked him in warm water to remove the dirt, grass and dog saliva. Then I flushed out the wounds with sterile saline (contact lense cleaner). Then I treated all the wounds with triple antiibiotic ointment. Next I wrapped the wounds with gauze. I then put him in his inside enclosure in his little stone cave. I kept the temperature a constant 80 degrees where he was at. I thought about taking him to the emergency animal hospital (attack happened on a Sunday late afternoon), but I felt that since they were not reptile specialists they really would not do anything more for him than I had done and actually could do something that would harm him. First thing the next morning I took him to the vets. The vet said I did the correct emergency treatment. The vet took him in the back and did some more flushing of the wounds and did some repair work on his shell (pulled out scutes that were pushed in and fixed with resin). The vet gave oral medication (which was later switched to injections as I could not get Turtle Baby to open his mouth and it was really stressing him). The vet also gave me an antibiotic solution to soak him in every day. He also gave me an antiboitic cream to put on his wounds every day. He had a scute missing on his shell, where I could actually see his insides, at the last row of scutes on the side toward the bottom. This was to be covered in a dressing after his daily antibiotic soak each day. The vet also said to keep the area where he sleeps 80 degrees to help boost his immune system.

Turtle Baby is doing great now. It will be quit a while before the shell damage completely heals. The part where he has a scute missing is filling in with scar tissue (about 80-85%) as of today. It took a while for Turtle Baby to get over the trauma, as before he was outgoing and did not seem to be afraid of anything. After the trauma he would hide all the time. Around a month ago he has lost his fear and seems to be back to his old self.

If I were you I would put some triple antibiotic ointment on his wounds and take your tortoise to the vet in the morning and get him started on antibiotics to keep the wounds from becoming infected. I would also keep the cool spot of his enclosure 80 degrees to boost his immune system. Are any of his scutes missing where you can see into his body cavity? If not, then I would just treat with the triple antibiotic ointment and not wrap with gauze. I would put paper towels in his enclosure instead of substrate. I would also keep him warm (80 degrees 24 hours a day).

I hope this information helps you. I am sending you and your tortoises hugs good thoughts. :tort:
there aren't any scutes missing i think because its her outer shell was a little bit torn off, right now she overcome her trauma and she can't walk normally because her nails was injured and she lost 1 nail :( so where can i buy this triple antibiotic ointment and there are no reptile vets in our area i think, and is topical antiseptic hydrogen peroxide 3% fine here is the pic : 300.JPG
 
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Mjdeisher

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cleanliness is going to be the most important thing in fighting off infection. keep it clean with what the people on here suggest (I've never had to clean an infection). Then one thing my reptile vet said when my Greek had an infection from a scratch underneath his shell, don't soak for a while or cut back on them. Spray them down so that they still get hydrated but its best to keep the damaged areas dry. Then my vet also suggested the reptile carpet instead of substrate. I was having issues with Paul eating the paper towel, the reptile carpet worked really well because he could still walk on it and was easy to clean. If you see any change in his behavior, get him to the vet asap! Becoming sluggish, not eating, not opening eyes, etc.
 

Carol S

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russian tortoise boy said:
Carol S said:
This summer my juvenile Russian tortoise was attacked by our dog. (You can read my posting on this.) I thought he was dead he looked so bad. I first soaked him in warm water to remove the dirt, grass and dog saliva. Then I flushed out the wounds with sterile saline (contact lense cleaner). Then I treated all the wounds with triple antiibiotic ointment. Next I wrapped the wounds with gauze. I then put him in his inside enclosure in his little stone cave. I kept the temperature a constant 80 degrees where he was at. I thought about taking him to the emergency animal hospital (attack happened on a Sunday late afternoon), but I felt that since they were not reptile specialists they really would not do anything more for him than I had done and actually could do something that would harm him. First thing the next morning I took him to the vets. The vet said I did the correct emergency treatment. The vet took him in the back and did some more flushing of the wounds and did some repair work on his shell (pulled out scutes that were pushed in and fixed with resin). The vet gave oral medication (which was later switched to injections as I could not get Turtle Baby to open his mouth and it was really stressing him). The vet also gave me an antibiotic solution to soak him in every day. He also gave me an antiboitic cream to put on his wounds every day. He had a scute missing on his shell, where I could actually see his insides, at the last row of scutes on the side toward the bottom. This was to be covered in a dressing after his daily antibiotic soak each day. The vet also said to keep the area where he sleeps 80 degrees to help boost his immune system.

Turtle Baby is doing great now. It will be quit a while before the shell damage completely heals. The part where he has a scute missing is filling in with scar tissue (about 80-85%) as of today. It took a while for Turtle Baby to get over the trauma, as before he was outgoing and did not seem to be afraid of anything. After the trauma he would hide all the time. Around a month ago he has lost his fear and seems to be back to his old self.

If I were you I would put some triple antibiotic ointment on his wounds and take your tortoise to the vet in the morning and get him started on antibiotics to keep the wounds from becoming infected. I would also keep the cool spot of his enclosure 80 degrees to boost his immune system. Are any of his scutes missing where you can see into his body cavity? If not, then I would just treat with the triple antibiotic ointment and not wrap with gauze. I would put paper towels in his enclosure instead of substrate. I would also keep him warm (80 degrees 24 hours a day).

I hope this information helps you. I am sending you and your tortoise hugs and good thoughts. :tort:
there aren't any scutes missing i think because its her outer shell was a little bit torn off, right now she overcome her trauma and she can't walk normally because her nails was injured and she lost 1 nail :( so where can i buy this triple antibiotic ointment and there are no reptile vets in our area i think, and is topical antiseptic hydrogen peroxide 3% fine here is the pic :

Neoporsin (brand name) is a triple antibotic ointment. You can get it at any drug store and most supermarkets have it. However, it is cheaper it you buy the generic brand at Target or Wallmart. I would NOT use hydrogen peroxide for the reasons that other forum members have stated. For now just use the Neosporin (triple antiboitic ointment) until you see a vet. Where do you live? I live in Alta Loma, CA and I use Dr. Greek whose office is in Yorba Linda. He is an excellent vet and specializes in reptiles.
 

sibi

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I wouldn't use it on humana either. It causes burning of the skin and doesn't help in healing.

What I meant was to tell LovelyPetalRose that in Humans we use it repeatedly on wounds as they are initially healing, but I would not use this same practice on torties until I spoke to someone who dealt with torty wounds. Is there anyone on this forum who does??
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