Again an intestinal prolapse, anyone with experience?

[Dutch box turtles]

Dear all,

I urgently need your help. My Terrapene ornata ornata laid 7 (!) eggs and I found her in the morning (last Sunday) with an intestinal prolapse of about 4 cm. As it was in the weekend I had to go to a vet with no experience with turtles. After strugling for 2 hours we managed to get everything in again (actualy twice as it popped out again in between) and put 2 stitches in to prevent everything coming out again. She is still on Baytrill antibiotic which I inject into dead worms.
I did not see any stools so far, only urine. But this afternoon I noticed she tried to push something out and it looks as if she is blocked. Either the stitches are too narrow or there is something else going on. I just had a look again and now the prolapse has returned, although somewhat smaller, about 2 cm. Of course the vet is already closed for today (local time is 21:41) so I have to go back with her tomorrow morning and I keep her on wet towels for the time being. Does anyone here have experience with recurring intestinal prolapses and how to treat them? I don't want to loose her...

 

[Yvonne G]

You have to 'cure' whatever caused the prolapse in the first place or it just keeps coming back. I would think that after laying 7 eggs, there would be no more inside her to try to push out. Sorry, but I'm out of ideas.

 

[Berkeley]

Dehydration is usually the culprit. They have to push so hard to get feces/eggs/whatever out that it strains the tissue at the cloaca. Soak her regularly to make sure she is hydrated adequately. In regards to the prolapse now, pack some sugar on it. They will help it to resorb into the body cavity. It sounds weird, but trust me it works (and is safe).

--Berkeley