Big Bertha Doing Great

ZEROPILOT said:

Mrs. Ed (KELLY) will not. Ever.

Click to expand...

Wow!!

Anyfoot said:

Hi ed. Can you get any any squash or pumpkin. If she would eat it, should loosen her up a bit. That said what as she eaten in the last week. If nothing goes in, nothing comes out.

Click to expand...

The last xray showed that she was full. (Of food) It also showed no eggs but she has had her rear up in the air and her tail wiggling. What they do when the poop.
But nothing comes out.

No. No better. Thanks.

She won't eat cucumber.
Right now she isn't eating at all. Maybe a tiny piece of Romaine but I can't be sure.

ZEROPILOT said:

The last xray showed that she was full. (Of food) It also showed no eggs but she has had her rear up in the air and her tail wiggling. What they do when the poop.
But nothing comes out.

Click to expand...

Think its just a matter of time. All you can do is keep giving her Luke warm baths.

Anyfoot said:

Think its just a matter of time. All you can do is keep giving her Luke warm baths.

Click to expand...

Until she poops I meant.

Wonder of wonders...Her Majesty just ate two piles of Romain/Rabbi with some sliced cucumber hidden in it. I've only been offering the whitish parts of Romaine because it has more liquid.
I just made an appointment for Monday at 9:30 for the no pooping issue.
I don't know if there is a shot or a tortoise enema...etc.
Today she gets another antibiotic shot. Then only two more to go.

ZEROPILOT said:

Wonder of wonders...Her Majesty just ate two piles of Romain/Rabbi with some sliced cucumber hidden in it. I've only been offering the whitish parts of Romaine because it has more liquid.
I just made an appointment for Monday at 9:30 for the no pooping issue.
I don't know if there is a shot or a tortoise enema...etc.
Today she gets another antibiotic shot. Then only two more to go.

Click to expand...

Wonderful!

ZEROPILOT said:

Wonder of wonders...Her Majesty just ate two piles of Romain/Rabbi with some sliced cucumber hidden in it. I've only been offering the whitish parts of Romaine because it has more liquid.
I just made an appointment for Monday at 9:30 for the no pooping issue.
I don't know if there is a shot or a tortoise enema...etc.
Today she gets another antibiotic shot. Then only two more to go.

Click to expand...

Cloaca flush. I seriously would not feed anything I'd she has not defecated in a while. Sepsis can kill a tortoise. She perhaps has a backed up colon. Adding more food to the clog is just going to make it worse. Liquids and hydration is good. Need to get her to extremist. I'd recommend the vet doing this is you haven't done it before.

tortadise said:

Cloaca flush. I seriously would not feed anything I'd she has not defecated in a while. Sepsis can kill a tortoise. She perhaps has a backed up colon. Adding more food to the clog is just going to make it worse. Liquids and hydration is good. Need to get her to extremist. I'd recommend the vet doing this is you haven't done it before.

Click to expand...

Ok. I won't offer any more food until I see the vet.
The eleven days that she ate, she would I only eat Mazuri and dog food. Now it's caused constipation.
The antibiotic shot went well.

What a difficult time for you and this poor girl. Really appreciate the updates and information from this thread. Hoping for the best for her.

Tortadise is correct in being concerned about intestinal obstruction, but I'd think this would show on the xray. Normally intestinal contents are pretty well visible on simple films. It sounds like there is "food" in Bertha's GI track, which to me sounds like at the upper gut level, which would explain why she's not eating. She's full! And why is she full? Not digesting? Normal GI tract should be in peristaltic motion, moving contents down and out while digesting and absorbing takes place along the way. She's not eating and not pooping... Is she obstructed? This should be fairly easy to diagnose. If her upper gut is full, enema won't help. It's only good for the end of the gut. Again, I'd think that your Vet would have seen it on the xray... What does she say about all this? As for sepsis... Yes, it is life threatening in animals and humans alike, but Bertha is being treated with antibiotic which should address infection issue. I'd like to be a fly on the wall when they do Bertha's diagnostics...

It all seems pretty hit and miss to me. Though I give my vet the utmost trust, I still feel that more can be done.
The xray showed food and no obstruction. The poo is right there. The last time she pooped, weeks ago, I had to help her pass it (with a stick) It was like very thick and clingy wet cement.
it's right there. Just too solid. IMO. She spends a lot of time with her rear end up apparently pushing to no avail.
I don't know if there will be even more xrays tomorrow or not.
I'll post after the vet visit.
This morning I offered some cactus pad. So far she didn't eat any. My other tortoises get crazy diarrhea when they eat that.

ZEROPILOT said:

It all seems pretty hit and miss to me. Though I give my vet the utmost trust, I still feel that more can be done.
The xray showed food and no obstruction. The poo is right there. The last time she pooped, weeks ago, I had to help her pass it (with a stick) It was like very thick and clingy wet cement.
it's right there. Just too solid. IMO. She spends a lot of time with her rear end up apparently pushing to no avail.
I don't know if there will be even more xrays tomorrow or not.
I'll post after the vet visit.
This morning I offered some cactus pad. So far she didn't eat any. My other tortoises get crazy diarrhea when they eat that.

Click to expand...

I wonder if certain foods can make them constipated like humans. Like maybe the critical care. No assumption because I have no experience in that type of thing. Just curious

Wait critical care makes them constipated?

I hope she eats some cactus also is their a stole looser for tortoises in the dorm of an injection

Angel Carrion said:

Wait critical care makes them constipated?

Click to expand...

No, I have no idea if it does or not. That was my question. It would be interesting to learn

I think it must. It's powdered hay mostly.

Though the poor girl seems to crash from one crisis to another, it seems to me the general direction is forwards.
So i'm staying optimistic.

Thanks, Adam.
At some point I AM going to have to give up.
I just don't know when I'll reach that point.