Wrong on every thing so far! (Update - we had the surgery- warning graphic pictures)

Looks like a pretty big enterolith (bladder stone) to me. I don't know what that other thing next to the stone is though.

Hopefully it isn't something like a plastic bag found on the floor.

Well we took an X-ray 2 weeks ago and nothing has changed other than they jostled around slightly. His behavior hasn't changed. Still eating and pooping normally. Waiting to hear back from surrounding vets. The thing next to his stone is his stomach.

Best of luck to you both.
Don't forget to update.
If it looks like a blockage...And its moving, it could still be alright. I remember a post where a member reported their tortoise pooping out a large Doritos bag.

@Meganolvt might like to see this x-ray and weigh in.

We might have a new answer and the center "circle" may be a very large bladder stone :-/ won't get a real answer until Monday at the earliest. Any other opinions are greatly appreciated!

efrey18 said:

We might have a new answer and the center "circle" may be a very large bladder stone :-/ won't get a real answer until Monday at the earliest. Any other opinions are greatly appreciated!

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That's what it looks to me based on other photos of stones I've seen posted on the forum, although I'm not a vet. I have no idea what the other thing is. It doesn't look like it belongs there.

The big round thing does look like a urolith / bladder stone (@Yvonne G an enterolith would be in the intestines). The little ones look like enteroliths. A bag or something like it wouldn't really show up in an xray like that. When something is so bright it is a rock of some kind or something metal. My tortoise flashes all the time and drags it around sticking out (so gross), and he does not have bladder stones. So the dragging probably has nothing to do with the stone. For what it's worth, i'm on the let your tortoise roam with supervision for a while side, as long as there is a secluded area with proper heat, etc for the tort to go back to after "out" time. Here's two of his xrays which turned out to be rocks in his stomach. He eventually pooped them out. Your bladder stone, though, will not come out without surgery, unfortunately.

Well, if it is a stone, you'll see me back shortly asking for vet recommendations because I don't have ANY in surrounding states. I also do not know surgery quotes and well, when I adopted him 6 months ago I wasnt expecting to spend throusands of dollars off the bat so I'm a little flustered at the moment. He's such a sweet guy who had such a crappy life and he deserves better than this. Just kind of sucks that I may not be able to help him. Im trying to use my brain and weigh my options (i.e.: are there schools out there that would preform the surgery at a lower cost to teach students? Could a tortoise even be on his back under anesthesia to remove the stone, or no because they obviously cannot be on their back for extended amounts of time?) lots of questions I have to ask a qualified vet if I can ever find one!

Meganolvt said:

The big round thing does look like a urolith / bladder stone (@Yvonne G an enterolith would be in the intestines). The little ones look like enteroliths. A bag or something like it wouldn't really show up in an xray like that. When something is so bright it is a rock of some kind or something metal. My tortoise flashes all the time and drags it around sticking out (so gross), and he does not have bladder stones. So the dragging probably has nothing to do with the stone. For what it's worth, i'm on the let your tortoise roam with supervision for a while side, as long as there is a secluded area with proper heat, etc for the tort to go back to after "out" time. Here's two of his xrays which turned out to be rocks in his stomach. He eventually pooped them out. Your bladder stone, though, will not come out without surgery, unfortunately.

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@Meganolvt are you aware of a price range? Or how I can find a qualified veterinarian? I live in PA and don't mind traveling. Most "exotic veterinarians" I find don't do surgeries like this. They mainly do rabbit spay and neuters or mass removals.

@Will used to live in Pennsylvania. And he belongs to the NYT&T club, so he might be able to give you the name of a good tortoise vet.

@Meganolvt - thanks for the clarification on the name of the stone.

edy18 said:

Well, if it is a stone, you'll see me back shortly asking for vet recommendations because I don't have ANY in surrounding states. I also do not know surgery quotes and well, when I adopted him 6 months ago I wasnt expecting to spend throusands of dollars off the bat so I'm a little flustered at the moment. He's such a sweet guy who had such a crappy life and he deserves better than this. Just kind of sucks that I may not be able to help him. Im trying to use my brain and weigh my options (i.e.: are there schools out there that would preform the surgery at a lower cost to teach students? Could a tortoise even be on his back under anesthesia to remove the stone, or no because they obviously cannot be on their back for extended amounts of time?) lots of questions I have to ask a qualified vet if I can ever find one!

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Well now don't fret too much yet, they don't always HAVE to have surgery. He may live a very long time and never have a problem. If your husbandry is right, hopefully it won't get bigger. If he doesn't get obstructed where the stone is so big that he can't urinate or his bladder is stretched too much or it causes an intestinal obstruction (by being so large it cuts off intestines), he won't necessarily need surgery. Just make sure everything else is right in his life!

8 said:

@Meganolvt are you aware of a price range? Or how I can find a qualified veterinarian? I live in PA and don't mind traveling. Most "exotic veterinarians" I find don't do surgeries like this. They mainly do rabbit spay and neuters or mass removals.

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When I thought mine might need surgery, a vet on here told me that there are a few good tort vets that do the surgery, and they're nowhere near yours or my state (Michigan). He said it would be thousands of dollars probably. But who knows, maybe not.

Thank you all for your input- I really appreciate it! Just very worried. Frustrating when you work at a vet but not for this species! Would you recommend I take away his cypress mulch to monitor urination in the meantime (I have him inside for winter)? Otherwise, I will keep you updated if I hear back from any other vets! Thanks again, truly are a wonderful group of people!

The vet whose name I recall is Charlie Innis, he's in the Boston area. He's a globally recognized chelonian vet, there are no doubt others. NYTTS's web page has a vet listing.

http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm

Thought everyone might be interested in seeing his pictures

Wow! God Bless you and I hope for a speedy recovery for him.

HOLY SHxxT!!!!!He would have never been able to pass that mess. So sorry you had to go through the expense of surgery, but I'm sure it's going to be ok now. He's a very pretty tortoise. When did you have the surgery? And is he recovering ok?

Did you go to the vet Will suggested?