Vet Fees

[Nedwood]

Hi Guys,

I wonder if any one could give me some advice please, my tortoise has stopped eating after coming out of hibernation, he did for about three days but then has stopped for about four and now seems lame on his front leg. He is however drinking which is some good news, anyway I took him to an appointment at the vets last night as I was concerned he was getting more lethargic and they have said it could be his kidneys, it could be Uric acid build up etc etc. To cut this short they have taken bloods and said I will get results tomorrow they also mentioned he might have Gout, but if his leg doesn't improve (they can feeL no obvious breaks) he may have a hairline fracture (god knows how) and that they may need to do a 3d body scan, (I assume this is for the non eating issue too) but the cost is £600!!! I love him to bits and of course if I have to pay this then I will but I just thought this seemed extreme, does anyone know if I am being ripped off or if this is quite normal? Any advice greatly appreciated. X

 

[dmmj]

unfortunately vet fees vary by State and State and Country and Country I'm assuming you're in the UK somewhere a 3D body scan sounds excessive work to me but 600 sounds pretty cheap to be honest with you

 

[JoesMum]

As you're in the UK, I am more inclined to suspect our ridiculous weather.

Here in Kent in the last 10 days, we've gone from snow to 18C and back to cold and Storm Doris gales.

Joe is safely in the fridge on his 45th hibernation thank goodness.

I soak Joe twice daily in warm water when he comes out of hibernation for at least 30 minutes. I add Reptoboost to his soak water.

I reckon on it taking anything up to a fortnight to get him up and running normally. He drinks loads and loads, eventually there's a massive poop and then his appetite starts to kick in... BUT only if the weather behaves.

If the weather goes weird and cold, as it has just now, then he will start to go back into a dormant state and it's hard work keeping the heat up to stop him from trying to hibernate again.

So, your tort... I am not a vet.

I recommend twice daily 30 minute soaks in warm water with reptoboost.

I recommend double checking the temperatures wherever you're keeping him. Your tort must be able to bask at 35C and needs access to that basking heat for 12-14 hours every day.

I recommend making sure your tort isn't getting cold at night. If temps are dropping below 16C it will make it doubly hard to get him going next day.

When did you last change your UVB bulb? Tube UVB goes on for years. MVB bulbs need to be changed every 6-12 months as the UVB output diminishes long before the bulb blows.

Your vet bills are probably about right. When Joe was sick several years ago it cost a fortune. I assume you have a vet who is a tortoise specialist? If not then find a different vet; a non specialist could do more harm than good. There's a list of UK vets here

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]