Have a sick Russian with Pneumonia its been 8 months and doesnt seem to go away.

[Cathie G]

What I'd like to see on this thread is the exact humidity level suggested for a 10 year old Russian with pneumonia. Especially since they don't need the high humidity levels of other tortoises.

 

[zolasmum]

My little boy's name is Sapphire. I named him that because another name for a Russian is Russian Blue. And he sits around like a rock sometimes. I think of him as a precious gem 💎 so his full name is Sapphire the walking rock.😊

I have always thought of him as having a shell covered in sparkling sapphires.
Angie xx

 

[mark1]

What I'd like to see on this thread is the exact humidity level suggested for a 10 year old Russian with pneumonia. Especially since they don't need the high humidity levels of other tortoises.

i have to think that like any tortoise from arid regions , they do their best in the warm seasons of rain , when stuff is green ..... here's the average relative humidity and dew point from a city called qarshi, in the kashkadarya region of uzbekistan , the black lines ....... this is within the uzbekistan range of the russian tortoise .... it's only one of their ranges....... the humidity in an indoor enclosure heated with lights/che's can be pretty dry ......

 

[dj83]

really sounds like none of the vets did anything wrong to me , $1000 is a lot........ what makes you think he is having trouble breathing ? the metronidazole is oral ? good luck with him , like Yvonne said keep him constant at a good temp , keep up the humidity , as long as he's eating i wouldn't worry . if he stops eating i'd worry ......

the first 2 vets did wrongs... the first one kept her on the wrong meds for 2 months, wouldnt do a throat culture.. had to go to a second vet for a throat culture which they over priced me on it, 1000 dollars, then only gave me a week of meds then when i came back for more meds they told me you have to pay 600 dollars in additional tests in order to get any more meds. tortoises ore slow healers, a weeks meds wont do anything.. that is extortion. the only good vet was the 3rd vet which kept giving meds based off of the what the culture had said. hasnt really pushed for additional testing for more money. but since she had gotten so bad because of the first 2 vets, its been 6 months on these meds but still isnt over it.

 

[mark1]

does your tortoise eat ? starting with ceftazidime was correct , trying baytril was correct , the result you just seen is the reason why so many exotic vets start with baytril ..........the culture , i assume a "lung wash" type sample? or was it a "throat culture" you mentioned later ? expense is why exotic vets don't immediately jump to such extremes, after they culture your tortoise they know they are still guessing ...... tortoise and turtles carry all types pathogenic bacteria that do not cause them disease when they are in a healthy state....... your 3rd vet just used the first two vets experiences to treat your tortoise ...... the vet that did the "lung culture" should have told you the cost beforehand........ bacterial infections are most commonly secondary to something else , as far as taking a long time , any vet that has seen a lot of sick tortoises has to assume a mycoplasma infection is a strong possibility, and that can take a long time...... the "nasal drops" make me assume your tortoise had symptoms of an uri also ?

 

[Cathie G]

i have to think that like any tortoise from arid regions , they do their best in the warm seasons of rain , when stuff is green ..... here's the average relative humidity and dew point from a city called qarshi, in the kashkadarya region of uzbekistan , the black lines ....... this is within the uzbekistan range of the russian tortoise .... it's only one of their ranges....... the humidity in an indoor enclosure heated with lights/che's can be pretty dry ......

Yes and it's why I chose a Russian. Their healthy humidity level is close to our needs and from what I read that is 40 - 60% give or take. I'm thinking too high could be as bad as too low.

 

[dj83]

really sounds like none of the vets did anything wrong to me , $1000 is a lot........ what makes you think he is having trouble breathing ? the metronidazole is oral ? good luck with him , like Yvonne said keep him constant at a good temp , keep up the humidity , as long as he's eating i wouldn't worry . if he stops eating i'd worry ......

um the first 2 vets did a lot wrong... first vet put her on meds that didnt work and kept it on her and wouldnt do a throat culture.. second vet did the throat culture but over priced it at 1000 dollars, then only gave me a week worth of meds and wanted another 600 dollars before giving me any more meds... the only one that is doing it right is the 3rd vet which is supplying me the meds and isnt pushing any unneccessary lab work. its just been 6 months and still hasnt cleared up.

 

[dj83]

does your tortoise eat ? starting with ceftazidime was correct , trying baytril was correct , the result you just seen is the reason why so many exotic vets start with baytril ..........the culture , i assume a "lung wash" type sample? or was it a "throat culture" you mentioned later ? expense is why exotic vets don't immediately jump to such extremes, after they culture your tortoise they know they are still guessing ...... tortoise and turtles carry all types pathogenic bacteria that do not cause them disease when they are in a healthy state....... your 3rd vet just used the first two vets experiences to treat your tortoise ...... the vet that did the "lung culture" should have told you the cost beforehand........ bacterial infections are most commonly secondary to something else , as far as taking a long time , any vet that has seen a lot of sick tortoises has to assume a mycoplasma infection is a strong possibility, and that can take a long time...... the "nasal drops" make me assume your tortoise had symptoms of an uri also ?

no, the nasal drops were a drug that is similar to baytril. but since baytril doesnt affect that type of infection, it had no effect at treating the infection. so it ended up being pointless.

 

[mark1]

no, the nasal drops were a drug that is similar to baytril. but since baytril doesnt affect that type of infection, it had no effect at treating the infection. so it ended up being pointless.

here's a rough chart on the coverages of the antibiotics your talking about ..... enrofloxacin (baytril) is metabolized to ciprofloxacin .........enrofloxacin is effective against staph .........