dark brown urine

Sa Ga

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I am brand new as of tonight! This is a wonderful forum and it has been an indispensable resource for me with my new Russian tort rescue adoptee, Morla.

She's est at about 10 yrs old and I've had her for 1.5 months now. I took her to a general check up and fecal test when I first got her, and she received a seemingly fine bill of health, albeit looser stools and not super active (slept a lot/did not move around much unless outside). She loves being held and having her neck and head rubbed. I fell in love immediately!!!

After some struggles to get her to eat what she should (greens, hay, Zoo Med pellets now; I am told her former care was poor), her stools have been consistently solid and her urine/urates were always normal.....until this past Sun night (11/17).

Sun night, she had dark brown urine in her bath (I bathe her every day bf feeding bc she has issues w/ dehydration) accompanied by a little bit of normal, white urate.

I took her to the vet this AM (11/19), and after X-rays and blood tests, they think she may have chronic kidney disease (CKD), due to her raised calcium, phosphorus, and protein blood levels. Plus, they found a signif calcium deposit under her rt shoulder scute on the X-ray, also a sign of CKD. CKD would also explain her relative lethargy, which escalated a bit this past week or so.

She is currently hospitalized, getting IV fluids to see if there is a response. I've been crying on and off all day.

I am wondering if anyone knows any good resources about kidney injury and disease in Russian torts, and/or have experience w/ it.

Also, do you know if very hard tap water can cause elevated Phosphorus/Calcium/ protein levels? I was told bathing was ok in tap water (she gets bottled in her cage), and that water treatment wasn't necessary/effective. I'm so worried though that my using the tap water daily for her baths hurt her!!! The vet said this wouldn't have happened in just 1 month, but I am terrified! Please let me know if you happen to also know any good, reliable resources about use of tap water w/ torts (not just, "I do it so I think it's ok," or, "If I can use it, they can," because obviously they have different bodies and physiology!).

THANK YOU!!!
 

Yvonne G

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It has been my experience that tortoise urine IS dark brown. Because in the wild tortoises don't know where or when they will be able to get their next drink, they hold onto their urine. When they finally find a water source, they drink and then expel the urine they've been holding. Because it's been in the body so long, it is darker than 'fresh' urine is. Personally, and not knowing your tortoise, and not being a vet myself, I would assume there's nothing wrong with the tortoise and that the new lethargy is due to the time of year (time to brumate), and that the poor eating habits is due to the wrong food being offered.
 

vladimir

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Welcome to the site. I hope your tort gets well soon. You came to the right place - we definitely understand how you feel right now :<3:
 

Maro2Bear

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Regarding your question(s) here: “Also, do you know if very hard tap water can cause elevated Phosphorus/Calcium/ protein levels? I was told bathing was ok in tap water (she gets bottled in her cage), and that water treatment wasn't necessary/effective.”

I very seriously doubt that soaking a tortoise in “hard” tap water can cause elevated phosphorous/calcium/protein levels.

We all soak our torts in regular tap water and we all give them regular water to drink. I recently read a post where it was noted that it’s really best to provide tap water with trace minerals/elements than pure/distilled water.. (also a waste of money).

Since you are in the frozen North, your tort is most probably slowing down due to lighting, cooling.

Try to upload a pix of your enclosure (lighting, heating, etc).

Good luck
 

Yvonne G

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i forgot to mention that eating dandelions causes some pretty dark, colored urine too. I really doubt there's anything wrong with the tortoise.
 

Sa Ga

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Just a quick follow-up:
She is doing much better now, as when I brought her home from the hospital the next day, I started tube feeding her water 3x/day. Her urine is now clear, with very light urates (vet says this is ideal, as it means it's very dilute and isn't building up in her system--the harder or more there is, the more at risk they are for forming kidney and bladder stones).

She of course still has the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and because there is no cure, she always will. Sadly, it will shorten her life, but I am doing everything I can to make sure it's as long and happy as it can be!!! (The "free" rescue has now been an almost $1000 investment--but worth EVERY penny!!!!)

She is SO wonderful--she actually cuddles and will take naps with me! (Of course she is wrapped up in her towel and sometimes, also a pet heat mat beneath her too if it's chilly in the house. She loves it!)
 

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