Sick Russian from CL

[kimber_lee_314]

So I was on craigslist (which I know better than doing!) and came across this ad for this poor tortoise. Seeing her puffy, closed eyes bothered me all day so I finally offered $40 for her. The guy wanted $50 - so I broke down, drove 20 or so miles, and gave him the money because I couldn't stand to see this poor sick baby suffer. Now I have her home and she is in bad shape. Not only are her eyes closed and puffy, her whole body is puffy (edema.) I have her soaking and will warm her up and start her on antibiotics right away, but I really don't know what to do about the edema. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (On a side note - I hate some people. It's so obvious this tortoise has been sick for a while and shame on this person for not getting her the help she needed!)

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/4793394005.html

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

good rescue dude!!!!!! did you tell the dude that the tort was sick?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

good rescue dude!!!!!! did you tell the dude that the tort was sick?

Yes - I told him that's why I could only give him $40 but he wanted $50. After a while, I decided it wasn't worth haggling over ten dollars for this tortoise's life.

 

[Momof4]

Great save!! I really hope you can nurse her back to health! I hate CL, it just makes me sad and mad! Keep us updated!!

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Okay - so after looking her over and checking some of my books, I suspect she may have an active case of the Herpes Virus. I cleaned a lot of goop out of her eyes and her mouth color is pale. I will get her to the vet tomorrow to make sure, of course, but in the meantime does anyone have any suggestions for me?

 

[Hermes]

I hope everything turns out good tomorrow!

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Okay - so after looking her over and checking some of my books, I suspect she has an active case of the Herpes Virus. I cleaned a lot of goop out of her eyes and her mouth color is pale. I will get her to the vet tomorrow to make sure, of course, but in the meantime does anyone have any suggestions for me?

tortoises can get herpes lol i guess we learn a new thing everyday!

 

[Carol S]

I hope she will be okay. I cannot believe how some people treat their pets. She looks so pitiful and sick in the picture. I can see why it bothered you all day and you went to go save her.

 

[peasinapod]

If it is herpes, then you need to keep it separate from any other tortoises or turtles.

I believe it is possible to keep herpes positive tortoises together as long as they carry the same strain. I might be wrong though.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Well, I was wrong - not Herpes after all - just a very sick tortoise with probably a bacterial infection. She is no better today, but I hopefully my next update will bring good news.

 

[lynnedit]

Glad it wasn't herpes- a lot harder to treat than a bacterial infection.
Sounds like she needs some serious hydration. Will you start the carrot or (unsweetened) canned pumpkin soaks? Maybe add a squirt or two of bird vitamins to the soaks? Perhaps even twice per day for a week or so.

Can't even stand looking at the pics. What a jerk that guy was, what goes around, comes around, we can only hope.

Thank you.

 

[Momof4]

Sending good vibes her way!

 

[Paula Willson]

Any update? How is she now?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Any update? How is she now?

Thank you for asking. She is not good. I have her on Fortaz and Gentamycin for her eyes. I soak her daily and she drank quite a bit last night - so maybe that's a good sign. She is so swollen that she can't move her back legs. I will take some pics so you can see just how awful she looks.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Here are some sad pictures of her.

 

[leigti]

I hope she pulls through. Keep trying.

 

[gingerbee]

Good luck!! Hope she improves soon!!

 

[Carol S]

Poor little girl. I hope she gets better soon.

 

[peasinapod]

What did the vet say about the edema? Was a blood test done? Sometimes kidney problems also cause eye problems as well as edemas.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

What did the vet say about the edema? Was a blood test done? Sometimes kidney problems also cause eye problems as well as edemas.

We are treating it as a bacterial infection right now, but if she doesn't improve will definitely do the blood test. Yes, my vet did say it could be renal issues, but we decided to try antibiotics first. We also talked about Lasix (not sure if I spelled that right) but it can be dehydrating and since she can't move at all we were worried about that (in terms of regulating her heat and possibly overheating.) If improvement isn't seen then I will probably start that too.