Please help STAT! (Straining to pass stool)

Shaif

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Guys, please help if you can!

My beloved Zeus is a 1 year old Ibera Testudo. Has been straining and lifting his hind legs for 2 hours. Had a small BM in his soak 30 min ago.

Passed this sac-like tissue just now. It looks very much like intestinal mucosa. Looks like a mushroom from the outside. Tubular. About 7-9 mm long. I cut it open and there is fecal matter in it.

What????
Is????
It????

Any help is super appreciated!

No vet in Pittsburgh with herp expertise.




ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1502316326.326557.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1502316338.588634.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1502316352.072568.jpg
 

zovick

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Has the tortoise been constipated lately? IE, how often does he poop? If his intestine has been blocked up, it is possible some of the mucosa became necrotic and sloughed off. Keep soaking him once or even twice daily for 20-30 minutes for several days to make sure he is passing all waste products properly.
 

Shaif

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Thank you so so much for the thoughts. Yes. He has been constipated-- he only has very small BMs since I got him (one year ago). All of his bowel movements are narrow and small. If he has some necrosis, can he recover? I'm almost certain this is bowel, but it's not prolapsed. His cloaca and tail look fine. No blood anywhere.

I will give cactus and aloe tomorrow. And will soak him 2 times at least.

Thank you so much.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Yes , soaks.
Do you have pictures of his usual poops ?
There is no reason to think this one off is necrosis of anything.
Is he still active, eating well, sleeping okay ?
 

Shaif

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Yes , soaks.
Do you have pictures of his usual poops ?
There is no reason to think this one off is necrosis of anything.
Is he still active, eating well, sleeping okay ?


Thanks, Adam.
I don't have pics of his normal poo, but I have always seen that his are much narrower than any other tort. Narrow and small-- more like guinea pig stools.

I will definitely soak.

thank you.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Well, in the face of any evidence to the contrary, perhaps, just maybe this was a blockage in Zeus's system which has now been passed.
Fingers crossed and wait for the next poop !
 

Shaif

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Greek tortoises should not have fruit, try cucumber. It's basically just water.

Ok. Thank you. I will give cactus and cucumber tomorrow.
Man, I hope he's ok. But What came out looked very bad.
 

Shaif

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It's looking bad for my poor baby. He hadn't moved much at all today. I gave fresh cucumber and cactus chopped in tiny pieces, but he has no interest in food. He slept through his soak. I hope he's not in pain.
 

Shaif

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I think you need to go to a vet.
Show the photo of what he passed.
Have you tried the vets listed here ?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pennsylvania.29719/
We are sending our warmest thoughts and best wishes to poor little Zeus.


Thank you so much, Adam. Truly appreciated.

Yes, I agree. My baby needs a vet. Sadly, I have already combed the list above. The "herp specialists" here all have very limited chelonian experience. I have gone (aabout 6 mos ago) to the one with the most tort patients, and she was wrong. Had it not been for the Forum, my Zeus would have been in bad shape. It wasn't even her fault-- she just didn't know as much as the kind and more experienced people here.

I've been reading anything I can get my hands on to try to help my Zeus. I came across old threads saying car rides and vibration can help.

So as soon as I got home from office, I took Zeus for a spin in the Maserati. In sport mode. That's a lot of vibration. He had a small bowel movement. But I'll take that as a small victory.

And I'll keep reading and learning and taking any suggestions anyone has.

I'll do whatever I can! And I thank anyone who has some help or experience to offer.

Thank you again!
 

Shaif

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I took Zeus to a vet-- he's not a herp specialist, but was the best I could find.
He said colitis most likely and gave me metronidazole/flagyl and a probiotic.

Does anyone have experience with the Med? Zeus is very small-- should I try to mix it in his food? His appetite is very low for last few days.

Thank you.
 

Shaif

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Has the tortoise been constipated lately? IE, how often does he poop? If his intestine has been blocked up, it is

Hi Zovick,
I'm sorry to trouble you. I took the tort to a vet--but he wasn't a herp vet. He told me to administer Flagyl for colitis. We had no stool sample to give because Zeus has has not produced anything since the scary BM that I posted the pics of.
I have not given the med as yet. I'm loathe to treat without a diagnosis.
Has this ever happened to a tort of yours? If so, what did you do?

Thank you very very sincerely for any advice or even ideas that you might have.
 
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rolley

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When my tort was not pooping I gave him coccumber and some aloe Vera salad...this might work for your tort.
 

Kasia

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@Shaif
About the probiotics you ask...I have unfortunately researched the same thing...
There is non except another same species tortoise healthy poop administered orally :) or spread in your tortoise soak.
I used Metronidazole on my leo heavy infestation and it is an ultimate healthy gut flora killer. It took few months to recover after the treatment. His poop still stinks unusually bad. I would not recommend metronidazole treatment unless your 150% sure that is needed.
Did you noticed loose stools before the straining/constipation?
 
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