URGENT Please help! Speedy is deteriorating.

zovick

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Apparently so! Never been so happy to see his little mouth open to take a bite :)
This is very good news! I am glad to see that your tortoise has turned the corner. I would say that all the soaks you did were very helpful in achieving this and recommend continuing them to keep the tortoise well-hydrated. Hopefully he will keep eating on his own now and the feeding tube we discussed previously will not be needed.
 

Speedy101

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This is very good news! I am glad to see that your tortoise has turned the corner. I would say that all the soaks you did were very helpful in achieving this and recommend continuing them to keep the tortoise well-hydrated. Hopefully he will keep eating on his own now and the feeding tube we discussed previously will not be needed.

Hopefully! I hope the 2nd dose of worming medication doesn’t throw him off again. I’ll definitely still ask for a cloacal swab so we know what’s going on inside him but maybe the panacur is doing it’s job?
 

zovick

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Hopefully! I hope the 2nd dose of worming medication doesn’t throw him off again. I’ll definitely still ask for a cloacal swab so we know what’s going on inside him but maybe the panacur is doing it’s job?
Yes, I am sure the Panacur is helping. Do remember that two (and sometimes even three) treatments are needed for the drug to be fully effective. I know you have a second round set for Tuesday. Just follow the recommendations of your vet after he tries looking for any other parasites.
 

Speedy101

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Yes, I am sure the Panacur is helping. Do remember that two (and sometimes even three) treatments are needed for the drug to be fully effective. I know you have a second round set for Tuesday. Just follow the recommendations of your vet after he tries looking for any other parasites.
Okay thank you for all your help :)
 

turtlemom5

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Be sure Speedy is hydrated. Our Sulcata quit walking one day and after a long soak she regained use of her legs. So sorry to hear about Speedy.
 

MenagerieGrl

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Also in relation to the feeding tube, I agree but isn’t putting him under anaesthesia going to be a big risk while he’s in this state?
I agree, while a "feeding tube" installed in his neck would be optimal, as with humans & the many pets that I have had to have put "under", it is not to be taken lightly. Complications can arise under the most benign situ. I creates a lost of stress in the weaken creature. I'm sure your vet knows what they are doing, But don't overdo the worming, as with heart worms & intestinal worms in dogs...if its a severe case the expulsion of the parasites can be worsened upon the parasites death and removal from the body. Smaller doses over a longer time frame might be optimal. Also when I had taken my Eastern Hermann's Gigantor in for weight loss and lack of eating, he was also dehydrated. They put off taking blood for a dew appt's. they were tube feeding and giving him Subq to rehydrate him before taking blooo(From my experience)
Thank you I will, worst part is I can’t go into the treatment room with speedy because of COVID so I have the nervous wait outside!
I know....it SUCKS not being with your pet when they are with the Vet...
 

Speedy101

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I agree, while a "feeding tube" installed in his neck would be optimal, as with humans & the many pets that I have had to have put "under", it is not to be taken lightly. Complications can arise under the most benign situ. I creates a lost of stress in the weaken creature. I'm sure your vet knows what they are doing, But don't overdo the worming, as with heart worms & intestinal worms in dogs...if its a severe case the expulsion of the parasites can be worsened upon the parasites death and removal from the body. Smaller doses over a longer time frame might be optimal. Also when I had taken my Eastern Hermann's Gigantor in for weight loss and lack of eating, he was also dehydrated. They put off taking blood for a dew appt's. they were tube feeding and giving him Subq to rehydrate him before taking blooo(From my experience)

I know....it SUCKS not being with your pet when they are with the Vet...
Thank you for your input. Hopefully I will not have to worry about a feeding tube as he did eat a little bit today for the first time in 2 weeks. He is to go for his second and final worming dose on Tuesday. Thanks again :)
 

JMM

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Hopefully! I hope the 2nd dose of worming medication doesn’t throw him off again. I’ll definitely still ask for a cloacal swab so we know what’s going on inside him but maybe the panacur is doing it’s job?
Typically, multiple doses of panacur (fenbendazole) are administered, however, they need to be given successively (daily) as it works in part by starving the parasites. In this case, a lot of time has passed. So, you probably should have the vet first check a fresh stool sample to see if your tort still even has parasites. Given that all of these issues apparently began with deworming, I'd be very leery of doing so again. I'd let the tortoise recover and gain it's strength and see whether it still has parasites and if so, how many. I would only consider deworming if there are parasites and if they seem to be causing illness.
 

Speedy101

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Typically, multiple doses of panacur (fenbendazole) are administered, however, they need to be given successively (daily) as it works in part by starving the parasites. In this case, a lot of time has passed. So, you probably should have the vet first check a fresh stool sample to see if your tort still even has parasites. Given that all of these issues apparently began with deworming, I'd be very leery of doing so again. I'd let the tortoise recover and gain it's strength and see whether it still has parasites and if so, how many. I would only consider deworming if there are parasites and if they seem to be causing illness.

His illness did not start with the deworming medication. He was vomiting a lot therefore I rushed him straight to the vet and the vet saw worm eggs in a small sample and considering the symptoms, we decided to deworm him. As X-ray showed no blockage we concluded deworming him might be our best bet. He was already suddenly very ill before the medication. He had his first worming two weeks ago from this Tuesday coming, vet said to come back within 2 weeks which is Tuesday 8th for his second and final dose to break the life cycle of the parasites.
 

Maggie3fan

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Yes, I am sure the Panacur is helping. Do remember that two (and sometimes even three) treatments are needed for the drug to be fully effective. I know you have a second round set for Tuesday. Just follow the recommendations of your vet after he tries looking for any other parasites.
I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a number of years, and I had a fairly good flow of chelonia, and an extremely high Vet bill. Rarely did any of the animals I saw have a parasite load, but I do remember a blind Sulcata yearling I had named Tony Stewart my exotic Vet treated for parasites by putting a quantity of Panacur in Tony's cloaca, one two then 3 times, all in the cloaca. So he never stopped eating that I remember, but nobody I tell that to has ever heard of that. I never did again
 

zovick

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I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a number of years, and I had a fairly good flow of chelonia, and an extremely high Vet bill. Rarely did any of the animals I saw have a parasite load, but I do remember a blind Sulcata yearling I had named Tony Stewart my exotic Vet treated for parasites by putting a quantity of Panacur in Tony's cloaca, one two then 3 times, all in the cloaca. So he never stopped eating that I remember, but nobody I tell that to has ever heard of that. I never did again
That is a method of which I have never heard, either, in 60+ years of keeping tortoises and numerous visits to several very well-known exotic vets plus vets from major zoos such as the Bronx Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Honolulu Zoo, etc.. I guess the vet in question was hoping that the medication would be absorbed through the cloacal lining. Personally, I think that giving it orally would be much more effective, and I guess almost all other people do as well since this is the first time I have ever heard of this method of administering a worming medication.
 
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