Vet visit questions

[CathyNed]

Hey guys. Im hoping to get my Russian to the vet in the next couple days. He hasnt been well and has shown signs of improvement but still isnt up to his usual antics. Maybe it is something that will take longer or maybe he needs further treatment. My vet is not a reptile specialist so im unsure of his reptile experience and i wanted to just ask /check a few things.
Based on the forums ive read if injections are to be administered I should not let the vet inject into back legs/rear is that corrcect?
Are there any specific medications that are toxic to torts that i should stop him from injecting/administerig?
If blood sample is to be taken is it also to be taken from neck/front area rather than rear?
Anything else i should watch out for that could be harmful..
Hoping to get x ray and maybe blood sample to see if they show up anything?

 

[Kori5]

I'm sorry your tortoise is ill. I hope he gets better . I think oral antibiotics are the best for them from what I've read. Also, ivermectin is toxic for them, it is a drug for parasites. My vet, who is a reptile specialist, took a blood sample from his tail and it went really well . He also had an xray done because we suspected blockage but everything was ok.

 

[Lyn W]

If you post his symptoms here maybe someone with the same experience can advise some things you can try before you visit a vet.
Is he eating, pooping etc.
Hope he's OK

 

[CathyNed]

If you post his symptoms here maybe someone with the same experience can advise some things you can try before you visit a vet.
Is he eating, pooping etc.
Hope he's OK

Hi Lyn. I posted a thread about a sick russian tort a coupke weeks back. He was inactive and showed no interest in food. I suspect he was lacking in uvb due to a bulb problem. The vet told me he had lost weight and gave me critical care formula to syringe feed to help him put on weight and hopefully bring back appetite. Vet checked shell and no sign of softness. He never mentioned doing anu kind of test. I changed out all his enclosure...lighting heating the lot based on info from here. I syringe fed for about ten days and his appetite came back. He pooped and peed every day.oops were hard, large and difficult and someone recommended cucumber which has worked a treat. Ive checked for parasies in poop and nothing. Once he started eating independently again i stopped syringe feeding. When i contacted the vet about the improvement he told me to continue to syringe feed as the formula contained more than just food...vitamins etc. He is bathed twice daily for about 20-30 mins each time.
Appetite has greatly improved and i now give him the critical care formula on his leaves.
When he walks he lifts his front off the ground but his rear plastron is scraping on the floor. His back legs are not paralised, they move and bend and he uss them to push himself forward but does not lift. My mum seems to think he never lifted himself very much if at all. Ive had him 8 years and lets just say that he would be long dead if i followed the advice i got when i bought him. Was wondering if this could sign of MBD and if it is reversible or a sign of a kidney stone? Mentioned to vet whi said kidey stone would be very unlikely. An xray would show that up but how would you ceck for MBD? He is very inactive in his enclosure. Walks to basking spot and sleeps....all day. If i take him out on the floor which i know is ill advised he wanders and wanders walks and walks.
As i said his appetite has grown but ive also noticed times where he has bitten and bitten at food and keeps looking for it but hasnt swallowed anything. Its all sittig in a ball not in his mouth but at the top og his neck. I can see it there covered in bubbles when he opens his mouth to eat more. Is he having trouble swallowing or is this justhow torts eat? I posted pics of his mouth yest and some people see to think he might have an absess but it is the same on either side. His chin is flabby. Its all wrinkly soft akin but looks like there is way too much. Ill pist pics again.
Basically my concerns are his walking and these lumps on mouth and how they can be tetef and treated if they are causimg him any discomfort. I really want him to be ok. I will do anything i can for him.

 

[Lyn W]

Ah yes I remember your posts now, and if he is already seeing the vet then I can understand why you would take him back.
I can't really help but maybe the more experienced folk here can. I would think an xray may help rule out/identify kidney stones though. He is such a beautiful tort .

 

[Kori5]

MBD could be seen through blood test. You need to have his calcium : phosphorus checked. It should be 2:1. If it is reverse something is wrong. Also, an xray will show what his bones look like. I think tortoises with mbd have a sponge like appearance. But I'm not a vet, I'm talking from personal experience as we took our tortoise to the vet last autumn. His appetite wasn't great and he was sleepy so we were scared. An xray will show if there is a kidney stone too or any kind of blockage. I would do a complete blood test which is expensive but worth it. That's what we did.

 

[CathyNed]

Ah yes I remember your posts now, and if he is already seeing the vet then I can understand why you would take him back.
I can't really help but maybe the more experienced folk here can. I would think an xray may help rule out/identify kidney stones though. He is such a beautiful tort .

Hes an absolute dote. I love him to bits. Do you think his chin and jaw line looks strange looking at last picture. It doesnt seem to be swelled with fluid, its very soft but its resting and rubbing on his plastron when he strethes or lies out. My vet is very nice but he is not a herp vet and i just dont want to let him do anything that would cause further damage/harm. When i mentioned an xray to him on phone he said not to waste the money to give him more time and that kidney stones were highly unlikely. Im not sure if he is saying this because he wont know what to do? Id nearly rather he admit he hasnt a clue than do somethung wrong. If the lumps on his jawline are absesses and need to be lanced im not sure if he will know ir do it. Nearest herp specialist is 3 hrs away.

 

[Sara G.]

It might be in your best interest to at least call the herp vet and explain the situation. Maybe they have advice on your best course of action (blood work, X-rays, etc.). But honestly you won't be able to find out what's wrong with him without X-rays and blood work anyway. And since the issue see to have been going on for so long I think it's time.
But I'd try to see the herp vet for all of it. I know 3 hours is definitely a hike but I'd rather be safe than sorry when dealing with a vet. Especially when it comes to my turtle & tortoise babies.

 

[Lyn W]

His jaw line does look lumpy but I wouldn't like to say if it's an abscess or not,
You may already have done this so apologies if stating the obvious, but have you tried ringing/emailing other vets to see if they have a herp specialist on their team? They don't always mention it unless asked. My local Pets at Home has a herp vet in store which I didn't know until I overheard an assistant telling a customer the other day, although I would prefer to use a vet practice with all the equipment to hand.

 

[Lyn W]

It might be in your best interest to at least call the herp vet and explain the situation. Maybe they have advice on your best course of action (blood work, X-rays, etc.). But honestly you won't be able to find out what's wrong with him without X-rays and blood work anyway. And since the issue see to have been going on for so long I think it's time.
But I'd try to see the herp vet for all of it. I know 3 hours is definitely a hike but I'd rather be safe than sorry when dealing with a vet. Especially when it comes to my turtle & tortoise babies.

........maybe email and send pics.

 

[JoesMum]

@deadheadvet may be able to say, but it's hard working from pictures - a good vet would much rather have a tort in their hand

 

[CathyNed]

Ah yes I remember your posts now, and if he is already seeing the vet then I can understand why you would take him back.
I can't really help but maybe the more experienced folk here can. I would think an xray may help rule out/identify kidney stones though. He is such a beautiful tort .

Hes an absolute dote. I love him to bits. Do you think his chin and jaw line looks strange looking at last picture. It doesnt seem to be swelled with fluid, its very soft but its resting and rubbing on his plastron when he strethes or lies out. My vet is very nice but he is not a herp vet and i just dont want to let him do anything that would cause further damage/harm. When i mentioned an xray to him on phone he said not to waste the money to give him more time and that kidney stones were highly unlikely. Im not sure if he is saying this because he wont know what to do? Id nearly rather he admit he hasnt a clue than do somethung wrong. If the lumps on his jawline are absesses and need to be lanced im not sure if he will know ir do it. Nearest herp specialist is 3 hrs away.

@deadheadvet may be able to say, but it's hard working from pictures - a good vet would much rather have a tort in their hand

@JoesMum @Lyn W @Sara G. @Kori5 Thanks all. I cant see the main herp vet here in Ireland looking at pics and trying to diagnose or help me out online. Most vets i have contacted have laughed when i asked about treating a tort so im guessing they dont see many. If i take him to the vet he has been seeing who has his weight at different times logged and ask him to do an xray and bloodwork could he do anything major wrong? The vet has xray equipment. Im assuming a tort can be xrayed with same machine as other small pets? Bloodwork might be sent away. I am not sure about that. Do vets usually provide print outs of these things that i could take to a specialist if there is a need?

 

[Yvonne G]

If the vet wants to give an injection of vitamin A (it usually comes with D and E) ask nicely for him to not do that. A lot of times they give too much and it causes the skin to slough off. You can get vitamin A into tortoises a lot easier than an injection and we can help you with that, if necessary.

If there are tortoise vets in your country, maybe you can ask your vet to call one of them and get some verbal help.

 

[CathyNed]

@Yvonne G @Lyn W @Sara G. @Kori5 @Tom @JoesMum
Rang my vet and he can't see Ned till Tuesday to do any tests. Monday is a bank holiday here. I described his new mouth symptoms as seen above in pics. He said it sounds like dyptheria. Has anyone heard of that in torts before or is he way off. He said on Tues he can give him antibiotics if thats the case when he sees him. Any ideas?

 

[Yvonne G]

I really doubt that's diphtheria. Diphtheria shows symptoms INSIDE the mouth near the throat. Your lumps are just under the skin. I still think you need to ask the vet to aspirate a bit of the liquid from one of the lumps and send it to a lab to see just what it is.

I hesitate to use antibiotics willy nilly. I always want to do a smear and see what's growing in order to use the correct antibiotic for the job.

 

[CathyNed]

@Yvonne G @Lyn W @Sara G. @Kori5 @Tom @JoesMum
Rang my vet and he can't see Ned till Tuesday to do any tests. Monday is a bank holiday here. I described his new mouth symptoms as seen above in pics. He said it sounds like dyptheria. Has anyone heard of that in torts before or is he way off. He said on Tues he can give him antibiotics if thats the case when he sees him. Any ideas?

He is very very eager to eat but keeps pulling food into his mouth and pushing it back with his tongue but not swallowing it. It is sitting at the back ofhis mouth/top of his neck but not going down? A few times ive pulled it back out when it sat there for ages and other times he just swallows it. Is thatjust the way they eat?

 

[CathyNed]

I really doubt that's diphtheria. Diphtheria shows symptoms INSIDE the mouth near the throat. Your lumps are just under the skin. I still think you need to ask the vet to aspirate a bit of the liquid from one of the lumps and send it to a lab to see just what it is.

I hesitate to use antibiotics willy nilly. I always want to do a smear and see what's growing in order to use the correct antibiotic for the job.

Thanks Yvonne. I understand the logic there. Makes perfect sense to me because i want him to not just get better but fid the cause to stop it reoccurring. I will suggest it.

 

[Lyn W]

I would email the herp vet with pics anyway to ask their advice as they may have seen it before and to ask if they know and can recommend any one in your area who could help. After all the worst they can do is say no.
I hope someone can help you.

 

[JoesMum]

I was wondering if it was worth contacting the Herpetological Society of Ireland to see if they can recommend a vet
https://thehsi.org/

 

[JoesMum]

Also this vet may know another nearer you
http://www.veterinary.ie/