An update on Dixie

[turtletania]

Today's update: She still isn't eating, but is doing everything else normal - basking, going to the hide to sleep, trying to get out of the bath when she has had enough, peeing..... ....just NOT eating.

Could she just be "protesting" the surgery and therefore not eating?

I have searched everywhere I can for the mineral oil and all i keep finding is the baby oil (mineral oil with fragrance)..... is this safe to put in her cloaca... or can I use sunflower oil or something else. Unfortunately because of my location being so isolated some things are just not available.

Please advise and i will keep you posted on any changes.

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Please-help-re-Dixie?page=2#ixzz27MxoUZO9

 

[turtletania]

Can anyone link me in or show me what a cloaca should look like?

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And how long can she go without food (just drinking and peeing)????? (What I mean is at what stage should I REALLY be worried?.....oh stuff that, I am worried now... just want to know)

 

[turtletania]

Yippeee.... found a vet with an xray machine... trying to sort out to go there tomorrow.... 135km each way..... but don't care.

Will let you all know.

 

[jpmcclure]

That's great news!!

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

Were you able to find the mineral oil? Maybe you could order it online. Have you tried the baby food soaks? Carrots, Squash or something similar put directly in the soaking water so that your tortoise is able to soak up some of the vitamins? I would look that up for the exact kind of baby food. I hope your little one feels better and starts to eat soon so it can pass the rest of the blockage. Good luck and do keep us posted.

 

[shellysmom]

Yippeee.... found a vet with an xray machine... trying to sort out to go there tomorrow.... 135km each way..... but don't care.

Will let you all know.

Yay! Perhaps the vet will have something that will lubricate the GI tract. Also, I don't know if you might be able to find something like this locally or online, but there are hairball remedy products for cats called Felaxin and Laxatone, which are Petrolatum based, and would probably be as safe an anything else to use in her cloaca. The longer she goes without food, the more risks I would take to get the blockage out.

 

[Momof4]

I'm so glad you found a vet. Please keep us updated on Dixie.

 

[lisalove]

Great news!
Do you have a bathtub? Often times when torts are blocked, soak them in a large bathtub or something of equal size. As they are moving around and trying to climb out, it gets things inside moving. Really seems to work wonders.
I would try it.

 

[turtletania]

Thanks everyone.... still waiting to hear from the VET.... but it is only 6:30 am here. I am hoping that radio silence is because he is closed.

I have her soaking in a tub that is about 4 times the size of her, with a solid upturned tile as a base.... i did this because I noticed she wasn't getting traction when she was "pushing".

We are putting mashed squash in the water already and keeping it constantly warm.

A good sign is that she has been roaming and digging last night. I have a sifted soil substrate and I flattened it before I went to bed so I could 'track' if she moved. It's a mess this morning..... which is very normal behaviour for her.

But still not eating.

No luck on the mineral oil. So glad to have you all to listen and help.... you are fantastic support.

 

[turtletania]

Just heard from the vet.... no xray machine... but he has offered to look at her and give me another opinion. He says he has seen reptiles before... so I will still go this afternoon.

Soaking in a full bathtub now.
Hoping!!!!!!!!!

 

[lisalove]

I hope the tub isn't full-they can't swim you know!!!!!!!!

 

[turtletania]

LOL....

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I hope the tub isn't full-they can't swim you know!!!!!!!!

LOL....very funny.... but now that I think about it I suppose some people would need to be told.

Actually she is spending most of her time up one end where the water is only up to her ankles... we keep moving her to the other end where the depth is up to the upper side of the bottom plastron.

Nothing yet.

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Just heard from the vet.... no xray machine... but he has offered to look at her and give me another opinion. He says he has seen reptiles before... so I will still go this afternoon.

Soaking in a full bathtub now.
Hoping!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: Soaking in a full size bathtub, with appropriate depth water...hehehehe

 

[LuckysGirl007]

Are you looking for the mineral oil in the pharmaceutical section? I think it's in that area???

 

[lisalove]

Don't really think water to the ankles is going to help for your situation.
The goal is to get your tort moving around the tub and trying to climb out.
Good luck