Vet Visits

[Rutibegga]

We've had our baby redfoot for a week, and I've been meaning to set up a well visit for him once he's settled in, but I wanted to give him some time, learn his habits, and have a few weeks' weights logged so I could show up with an idea of how he's doing.

I have access to discounted prices through a reference lab, so I was thinking about running fecal screen prior to his visit and just bringing his results along. What tests are most commonly run?

The vet I'm planning to see is the head of exotics at our local vet school (Penn) and keeps Russians herself, so I'm hoping she'll be pretty knowledgeable.

How often do you take your torts to the vet for well visits? Sick visits? I'm just curious.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Until recently I've been reluctant to see a vet. I NEVER had a sick tortoise that common sense and some remedy at hand didn't fix.
However, in the past six months, I've had an ongoing issue that required a vet, but even they (2) couldn't fix her.
If I were you, with a discount, I'd get an initial check up as a baseline and then go once a year.
With help from this forum, you'll likely be just fine.
Do a running weight of your tortoise. Weigh him once a month. Weight is the easiest indication of health.

 

[Rutibegga]

Until recently I've been reluctant to see a vet. I NEVER had a sick tortoise that common sense and some remedy at hand didn't fix.
However, in the past six months, I've had an ongoing issue that required a vet, but even they (2) couldn't fix her.
If I were you, with a discount, I'd get an initial check up as a baseline and then go once a year.
With help from this forum, you'll likely be just fine.
Do a running weight of your tortoise. Weigh him once a month. Weight is the easiest indication of health.

I weighed him a few days after bringing him home and have a reminder in to weigh him weekly (and measure him monthly). I'm a bit nervous about him because he's so tiny!

I think that sounds like a solid plan. I work at a cat clinic, so I can get fecal tests run here, but I'll have to go to the University of Pennsylvania for his visits. I don't think any of the vets I work with would feel they're qualified to see a tort--though they all want to meet him!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Don't fret about weekly weight tests on a baby. The weights will fluctuate wildly. Even just missing a drink of water could lower his weight by 20%. If you weigh weekly, then go by the average for each month and look for steady weight gains each month, not each week.

 

[wellington]

Never. I don't do vet visits when there is nothing wrong. If you don't have a knowledgeable chelonian vet, you could end up coming out worse then when you went it. I have had my first leopard since 2011 and have since added a few more torts and have not made a vet visit yet. In my opinion, save your money and use it for when you see something is really wrong.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Never. I don't do vet visits when there is nothing wrong. If you don't have a knowledgeable chelonian vet, you could end up coming out worse then when you went it. I have had my first leopard since 2011 and have since added a few more torts and have not made a vet visit yet. In my opinion, save your money and use it for when you see something is really wrong.

She has a discount. Hopefully she wont get scalped like the rest of us.
I also seldom use a vet. I agree.
But a discount might have changed that.

 

[wellington]

She has a discount. Hopefully she wont get scalped like the rest of us.
I also seldom use a vet. I agree.
But a discount might have changed that.

It's more about not treating something that's not wrong, not the money. It's so hard to find a good vet and I used to be a vet assistant, for a great vet. I have nothing against a good vet, I know quite a few. However, unfortunatley none of them are exotics/chelonian. I also know about owning a different type of animal. I used to raise Chinese Shar-Pei. The horror stories I heard about vets and the eyes and wrinkles of the Shar-Pei, just awful. Trying to find a good reptile/exotics/chelonian vet is really hard and if you don't know enough about the gut load, vitamin A shots, just to name a few, it could be a bad visit. Besides the fact that so many might be good, but tortoises, like in your case, just are really hard to determine if something's wrong, let alone how to treat it.
Also, if she is going on just the fact the vet owns russians, well there are many more questions needing answers, like does the vet know the correct way to keep Russians, or still doing the hot and dry, they don't need water to drink, etc way, before deeming it a good vet. The closest reptile vet near me has a web site with lots of wrong, outdated info, ugh.
To have a fecal done, that can't hurt. To have them give a check over, that can't hurt either. If they want to inject, give meds, etc. then I'd worry.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You articulate very well.
Yes. My own tortoise has been given treatments that were at best Un needed. And at worst may have done harm.
Would I do it again? No. She will likely still die.
What I should have said was what YOU did say. That I wouldn't take an outwardly healthy tortoise to see a vet. I never have.

 

[Yvonne G]

I only take my tortoises to a vet if there's something wrong with them...but having said that, if you only have one tortoise it is sometimes worth it to have a "well baby" check when you first get the tortoise. This establishes the stats of the tortoise on a record and gets you familiar with the vet and he with your tortoise. Then you only go back if there is a need to go back.

 

[Anyfoot]

It's more about not treating something that's not wrong, not the money. It's so hard to find a good vet and I used to be a vet assistant, for a great vet. I have nothing against a good vet, I know quite a few. However, unfortunatley none of them are exotics/chelonian. I also know about owning a different type of animal. I used to raise Chinese Shar-Pei. The horror stories I heard about vets and the eyes and wrinkles of the Shar-Pei, just awful. Trying to find a good reptile/exotics/chelonian vet is really hard and if you don't know enough about the gut load, vitamin A shots, just to name a few, it could be a bad visit. Besides the fact that so many might be good, but tortoises, like in your case, just are really hard to determine if something's wrong, let alone how to treat it.
Also, if she is going on just the fact the vet owns russians, well there are many more questions needing answers, like does the vet know the correct way to keep Russians, or still doing the hot and dry, they don't need water to drink, etc way, before deeming it a good vet. The closest reptile vet near me has a web site with lots of wrong, outdated info, ugh.
To have a fecal done, that can't hurt. To have them give a check over, that can't hurt either. If they want to inject, give meds, etc. then I'd worry.

Is there a way to encourage exotic vets to join this forum? This would benefit all. Just a thought. Has anyone ever mentioned this forum to there vet.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Is there a way to encourage exotic vets to join this forum? This would benefit all. Just a thought. Has anyone ever mentioned this forum to there vet.

My vet is clearly not open to suggestion. It's the quality that I have found the most difficult.

 

[Rutibegga]

Is there a way to encourage exotic vets to join this forum? This would benefit all. Just a thought. Has anyone ever mentioned this forum to there vet.

Well, I can certainly ask the vet to join when I go see her. She's the head of the exotics department at a well - respected teaching hospital, so hopefully she knows her stuff!

I'm in the industry and know a good deal about pet care, so I feel confident I can go in and ask the right questions.

Maybe I'll just run a fecal sample on my own and only set up a visit if something comes up. I don't know. I spend my day advocating for companion animal care, so it's weird to have a pet who doesn't need visits at least yearly.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It is 100% the owners choice.
Our experiences are all different.

 

[Yvonne G]

We do have several vets on the Forum. The only two I can think of right off are @deadheadvet and @exoticsdr

 

[Rutibegga]

It is 100% the owners choice.
Our experiences are all different.

I think I'm just a nervous new mom, plus coming from a veterinary background just makes me inclined to want to make sure my guy has appropriate care. I don't want to stress him unnecessarily, though. Hmmmm.

 

[wellington]

Is there a way to encourage exotic vets to join this forum? This would benefit all. Just a thought. Has anyone ever mentioned this forum to there vet.

I did to the one near me with the bad info. I started out very nice and suggestive and gave them links to the forum and Tom's threads. Unfortunately, there are a small handful of vets, like human docs too that are open to learning from the general public. Too many think that because they went to college and spent big bucks to becomes vet, that we are just pee ons and know nothing. The vet I tried to help learn the current ways, just got me so mad, I told her where to get off and not in a nice way at all. They still have the same crap on their website. It wouldn't hurt to talk to a vet and give them the links, they are all not the same. Some will be open to it, most won't.

 

[wellington]

I think I'm just a nervous new mom, plus coming from a veterinary background just makes me inclined to want to make sure my guy has appropriate care. I don't want to stress him unnecessarily, though. Hmmmm.

There are many of us on this forum from vet back grounds. However, it's with the type of animals most vets are very good with, cats/Dogs, etc. it's very different with tortoises.

 

[Anyfoot]

I did to the one near me with the bad info. I started out very nice and suggestive and gave them links to the forum and Tom's threads. Unfortunately, there are a small handful of vets, like human docs too that are open to learning from the general public. Too many think that because they went to college and spent big bucks to becomes vet, that we are just pee ons and know nothing. The vet I tried to help learn the current ways, just got me so mad, I told her where to get off and not in a nice way at all. They still have the same crap on their website. It wouldn't hurt to talk to a vet and give them the links, they are all not the same. Some will be open to it, most won't.

Pee ons. hahaha OMG thats funny. I'm gunna use that next chance i get.

 

[enchilada]

if your tort is WC, you might want to check parasites. If CB, i'll leave him alone and save some $$

 

[CanadianTestudo]

I got to the vet once a month in fall just to check out if my girl has caught anything while spending the summer outside. She usually has some worms in her poop which she then gets some medicine for. I do have to say that my vet is knowledgeable about reptiles though, he has never told me anything that doesn't make sense (appart from needing over 100$ for a regular check up )