Tortoise with prolapsed rectum/cloaca- Advice needed!

I'm new here. I have a pancake tortoise who is within a year old. Today I turn on the lights and he is sitting out in the middle of the cage. He is normally hiding at night. He has a bloody looking prolapse. I read online about putting sugar on it to reduce the swelling but it could be due to an underlying issue. So I take him to the vet with a fecal sample. They find no parasites or any illness. They put his prolapse back in and staple him shut (temporarily). The decide to give him injections of Baytril (0.05mL) as a precaution also. They recommended surgery which I declined until we find out if we can keep the prolapse in. I didnt want to put him under sedation since he is already mega stressed. I bring him home and he has thrown up twice. Hes moving around, but looks like hes not feeling well. Should I be worried? He just threw up again as I'm writing. I would like advice from people who have had this problem before. I do not like the vet I went to, but he is the only vet in my area so I had no choice. Other peoples experiences with this would be greatly appreciated. I love Robert and do not want him to die. I was very hesitant and had a bad feeling as they were administering the Baytril. I HATE medicating reptiles and have never had positive results in the past. Typically I treat on my own and have good luck.
Thanks, Johanna

Are you sure it was a prolapsed rectum and not his penis. Sometimes when they "flag" it can look like a prolapse to anyone who hasn't seen it before.

-Matt

What does "flag" mean? I saw it and it was a huge mass of thin tissue filled with fluid. It was a ball of tissue and it was bleeding. There was blood on the paper towels in his cage and the tub I transported him in. not enough to bleed to death, but enough that it wasnt normal. He pooped while I was holding him and it came out the middle of the mass.

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I'm also not sure that he is a male. He is still very small.

thats true...
you can look up "tortoise penis" in google images... and you will be able to find few pictures of how it looks like...

It does sound like an intestinal prolapse. Did the vet say that the tissue was still viable? Did the vet take an x-ray?

Danny

No xray. He wasnt concerned about the tissue and neither was I. It had only been prolapsed for a max of 8 hours. He was fine when I went to bed last night and 8am this morning it was out. He was mainly concerned that it would continue to happen if he didnt do surgery. I'm mostly concerned about the puking at this point.

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Just looked it up and it is not a prolapsed penis. This was bright red and so thin you could see the fluids and veins within it.

This usually happens when a tortoise is trying to push something out that doesn't want to come out. With the throwing up, I'm thinking intestinal blockage. It would be a good idea to go back in and get an x-ray.

Danny

We had to fix a prolapsed rectum on a very small Boston terrier the other day. When it leaves the body it will swell up really big making it hard to put back in. The prolapse doesn't concern me as much as the vomiting. He may be having a reaction to the baytril. Keep him hydrated and warm.

-Matt

When the prolapse occurred he did poop. He only started puking about 15-30 min after the baytril. I really hope its not a blockage. If he hadnt pooped this morning I would be more worried about that being the problem. I'm not sure what would cause a blockage since he only eats fresh greens and his substrate is paper towel, which is all intact (not chewed up). I'm keeping him warm. I'll put him by the water again in a couple hours. I'm letting him rest right now.

Most likely a reaction to baytril. Most reactions will occur within the first two hours of injection. Normally baytril will cause some redness and swelling at the injection site. You might want to have your veterinarian switch antibiotics to something like Amikacin.

-Matt

I agree it could also be a reaction to the Baytril, though never have heard of it happening to a Pancake tortoise. Like Matt said, best to try another antibiotic.

Danny

Hi Johanna:

Sorry to welcome you to the forum under such stressful conditions, but Welcome To The forum!!

An X-ray will tell you if the tortoise has stones. Eating greens high in oxalates and not drinking enough water will cause stones. And sometimes the urates will harden into a mass too large to pass out.

Could it be the spinach in the spring mix I give him? If he is pooping does that mean he doesnt have a blockage? I'm so worried. I only want him to be healthy. I only feed him organic greens. He gets a mix of spring mix, dandelion greens, romaine, collards, and cabbage. On occasion I try other things but he never eats them. Hes picky. I have a cuttle bone in there also. he occasionally chews on it. He chews on some driftwood sometimes. Hopefully I'm doing the right thing. Is his diet wrong? I appreciate all the advice I get.
Thanks

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He has a water bowl large enough to soak in and at least once a week he hangs his head and sucks water for a long time. I dont understand how he couldnt have enough water. He was sickly when I got him, so I wouldnt be surprised if he had some underlying issue.

Hi Johanna. I'm sorry I have no useful advice for you. So all I can say here is

welcome to the forum and I hope all goes well with your tort and his recovery.


teri

The spinach is high in oxalic acid and chard in the spring mix is medium in oxalic acid. It is possible that your Pancake has a stone. It can't hurt to get an x-ray and it will tell you what could be going on inside.

Danny

Robert (the pancake) has been very active today. He seems interested in food and is currently eating. I feel this is a good sign. We go to the vet tomorrow to see if his prolapse has improved after removing the staple.
I have one other question: If its blockage (stone), will he be able to poop? If he has a blockage does this require surgery?

The vet took out his staple and his prolapse did not return. He is active. He peed and pooped today so that is a great sign. The vet was not concerned that he had a blockage because he is so young. He doesnt feel that Robert could have developed a blockage in such a short amount of time. He is still just a baby. I posted a new thread about the Baytril. The baytril is causing severe nausea. I wasnt sure the first time if it was the vet visit and the travel, the prolapse, or the baytril that was causing him to throw up, but about 15 min after administering the baytril tonight he showed all the signs of nausea. I'm getting new stuff tomorrow. Poor baby. I feel his pain

a blockage can be from something he ate.. could happen anytime, any age..
glad he is better !

I specifically mentioned blockage due to a stone. My vet didnt believe he could develop a stone at such a young age. He believes it takes longer to develop. If he ate something that caused a blockage I would believe that he wouldnt be able to poop, or not poop much. He doesnt have substrate in his enclosure so I dont know what he would have consumed. I will keep a close eye on him. A blockage is a scary thing and I really hope thats not the case.

johanna said:

The vet took out his staple and his prolapse did not return. He is active. He peed and pooped today so that is a great sign. The vet was not concerned that he had a blockage because he is so young. He doesnt feel that Robert could have developed a blockage in such a short amount of time. He is still just a baby. I posted a new thread about the Baytril. The baytril is causing severe nausea. I wasnt sure the first time if it was the vet visit and the travel, the prolapse, or the baytril that was causing him to throw up, but about 15 min after administering the baytril tonight he showed all the signs of nausea. I'm getting new stuff tomorrow. Poor baby. I feel his pain

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Poor thing. That's just awful that he was vomiting due to the medicine. I'm so glad to hear that he is doing better now. I hope the new stuff works out better for him.