Tube feeding, but still loosing weight?

[Tortugita]

Hello,

I am new here and looking for advice. My 30 year old Egyptian has pneumonia. My specialist vet has fitted a feeding tube to administer Enrofloxacin because the tortoise is so very small and therefore it is difficult to open his mouth to give him the meds any other way. The medication supresses his appetite. The vet has taken a stool sample and a herpes swap, which turned out fine. She also took a blood sample and x-rays, which confirmed pneumonia. I am feeding my tortoise a mix of critical care formula and Oxbow fine grind four times a day as discussed with the vet. Unfortunately, my little tortoise is loosing weight. The vet said that I could give him more of the Oxbow, but the tortoises stomach just can't take any more food! I am feeding him enough, I believe. I also bath him in Reptoboost twice a day and I increased the heating to 30 degrees. Has anyone any ideas how I could help my little tort? Why is he not gaining weight?

Thank you so much, everybody, for your responses.

 

[Yvonne G]

I can't help you with the weight problem, I just wanted to caution about putting too much food through the tube. Tortoise metabolism is very slow, sometimes taking a couple weeks to get from the mouth to the cloaca. Maybe a very small amount 4 times a day is ok, but I certainly wouldn't put in more than what he could manage in one feeding. In other words, the 4 small feedings should add up to what he would have eaten in one sitting. And then, remember, what you put into the stomach today is probably still in there tomorrow.

 

[Tortugita]

I can't help you with the weight problem, I just wanted to caution about putting too much food through the tube. Tortoise metabolism is very slow, sometimes taking a couple weeks to get from the mouth to the cloaca. Maybe a very small amount 4 times a day is ok, but I certainly wouldn't put in more than what he could manage in one feeding. In other words, the 4 small feedings should add up to what he would have eaten in one sitting. And then, remember, what you put into the stomach today is probably still in there tomorrow.

Hi Yvonne,
thank you for your quick reply! The meds can cause diarrhea and I've seen the green coloured Oxbow mix coming out of him the day after I fed him. This won't help weight gain either.
Thank you for your words of caution again.

 

[mark1]

my opinion may not be popular but i'd get the feeding tube out , use injectable antibiotics and possibly subq fluids , keep him at an optimum temperature , as hydrated as possible and let happen whatever may ......... i think the results will be better , or at least as good as ............jmo

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

The obvious dumb question ... What does the vet say?

What was the pre-illness weight and what is the weight now? What has been the pooping 'schedule'?

I have always used NutriCal when I tube feed. The oxbow products are okay, but assume that 'regular' digestion is ongoing.

Elevated temps actually do mean elevated metabolism. Your tortoises is using more calories right now with the heart pumping more at higher temps. Your tortoise is no doubt very stressed with all these things going on. Stress interferes with digestion.

I do many things that make some vets roll their eyes at me. A small bit of mineral oil pushes all food through, but coats the intestine with oil. So needs to be flushed with some sort of higher nutrient watery stuff. I use NutrCal with water, then straight NutriCal with maybe some baby food strained squash. I don't find the fine grind Oxbow to be fine enough. It will clog small gavage tubes very easily, like 22 gauge.

With a pharyngostomy tube the Oxbow should be okay, but I'd up the calories.

The POV of an non-vet.

 

[zovick]

You need to quantify what amount you are feeding the tortoise in order for anyone to tell you if it is too much or not enough. IE, how many cc's of food mixture are you giving in each feeding? Also, after feeding through the tube, I assume you were instructed to wash it out by giving an amount of water through the tube. How much water are you using?

 

[Tortugita]

my opinion may not be popular but i'd get the feeding tube out , use injectable antibiotics and possibly subq fluids , keep him at an optimum temperature , as hydrated as possible and let happen whatever may ......... i think the results will be better , or at least as good as ............jmo

Hello Mark1,

thank you. I will discuss this option with my vet. I think it really might be the meds that upset his stomach/digestion. Will keep everyone updated.

 

[mark1]

I guess before I criticized the tube , I should have asked why the tube was inserted ? just for the medication , or because the tortoise was starving ? if it was just for the medication , I personally would just give the meds via injection ....... if the tube is because the tortoise is starving , i'd understand that , it's a better method than grabbing him by the head , forcing his mouth open and shoving a needle or tube down his throat ......... how long has he been sick ? as Yvonne said these guys metabolism is pretty slow , it can be 1/10 that of an similar sized endotherm , they can go a long time without eating , are you sure his weight loss is not partially dehydration ? I believe dehydration will kill them a lot faster than starvation , and dehydration while on antibiotics is not a good situation .......... not sure , but I believe there might be a difference between injectable enrofloxacin and liquid enrofloxacin for oral admin , I believe if you use the injectable orally it'd be pretty rough on his stomach lining ........ pneumonia is fairly common , bacterial pneumonia has always seemed to me to be relatively easily cured without the need for supplemental feeding ..... best of luck with your tort ..