Help!! Husky got ahold of my Russian

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Ruchonnet

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Drying thhe wound out is very important according to my vet who sees alot of reptiles. Wet open wound will only dehydrate the tortoise.
 

biochemnerd808

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Yes, that is somewhat true, but the way the iodine dries out the wound is that it actually dries out the cells that are at the edges, trying to grow and replicate to close off the wound. Repeatedly soaking in the iodine will inhibit good healing. Soaking your tortoise will help keep it hydrated. The fluids a wound excretes will not dehydrate a well hydrated tortoise. As long as there is no infection, the wounds will heal better without repeatedly having to work past iodine-dried-out raw wound edges...

Ruchonnet said:
Drying thhe wound out is very important according to my vet who sees alot of reptiles. Wet open wound will only dehydrate the tortoise.
 

lynnedit

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I can confirm that while Betadine is excellent for a first soak, after the first 1-2 treatments, it will prevent wound healing, as Katie describes.

Yes, your tortoise needs to be kept on paper towels or newspaper to stay dry, and also inside to avoid any flies getting in the wounds, but of course, you want the new cells along the wound margin to heal.

You are better off washing it gently in warm water with a very mild soap, or better yet, dilute Chlorhexidine, which is also an antiseptic, but doesn't interfere with wound healing. You can get this at pharmacies or on Amazon, etc.
Rinse well after and pat dry, then air dry.

Then you can apply your topical. My reptile vet suggested silver sulfadiazine (topical antibiotic) in the past for a shell wound on a tortoise, but there is more than one product you can use.
 

Tom

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ajg74 said:
I don't know what "lesson" needs to be learned. It was an accident that occurred in a stressful situation.

Now is most definitely not the time, but THIS was the wrong thing to say. There are most definitely some lessons for you to learn about dogs and tortoises, as evidenced by the topic of this thread.

When the time is right, I will be happy to share those lessons with you.

Until then, I wish you and your family peace and serenity at this difficult time.
 
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