Impacted Sully shows no improvement

alan88k

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Good day. I have an impacted sulcata tortoise (2yo), Sully, and brought it to local vet for treatment. (As she didn't eat n poop for weeks) That's the finding as shown below:

View attachment ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439343995.704023.jpg
This was the radiograph taken on 01/08/2015, where the vet identified that my little Sully has an impacted colon n started with treatment.


Summary of radiograph finding: Impacted colon.

Possible causes:
1. Dehydration
2. Accidental ingestion of foreign contaminated materials

Signs (as observed by owner):
1. Vomiting
2. Lethargy
3. Inappetant (not eating)
4. Constipation (no defecation)

Clinical findings (3-day stay in hospital):
1. Oral (mouth) examination shows no significant findings (absence of mouth rot).
2. No vomiting observed since 1/8/2015 (Saturday).
3. No defecation (stool) observed.
4. Sully appeared quiet but alert and responsive but still refuse food.
5. Respiration (breathing appeared normal).
6. Sully moves and walks occasionally.

Suggested treatment regime:
1. Lactulose (or mineral oil) 0.2ml orally once a day until faeces observed.
2. Dilute Psyllium solution (high fibre supplement)
3. Feed liquidify leafy vegetables.
4. Warm water soak (5 minutes a day).


View attachment ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439344096.501301.jpg
This is the recent one taken on 10/08/2015, and we still see no significant improvement n no movement from the impacted zone.

I feel real panic at the moment. Any professional advice please? Any input would be much much appreciated.

Alan K.
Malaysia
 

wellington

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What did the vet say with the last X-ray? If it were mine, I would feed lettuce cucumber water melon, all very watery. I would soak in very large area way more then 5 minutes, more like a half hour or more and deep enough and large enough of an area that he had to move a lot. This said, I have not had any experience with an impacted tort. This is just what I would do if I suspected impaction. Good luck. keep us updated.
Btw the date of the second X-ray is wrong. The 10th month has come yet. I assumed you mean 8-10-2015
 

alan88k

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What did the vet say with the last X-ray?

Btw the date of the second X-ray is wrong. The 10th month has come yet. I assumed you mean 8-10-2015

The first x-ray was 1st August 2015, and the recent one was 10th August 2015.
The vet will proceed with more intensive treatment. she told me that Sully to be hospitalize for 3 more days.

Vet's comment:

Remarks: Sully's progress appears very slow despite the treatment carried out. Sully is walking about but still not eating, not active and does not pass any faecal matter as yet.

Suggestion:
1. To change oral lactulose to oral liquid paraffin to soften stool.
2. To perform rectal enema.
3. To hospitalize for another 2-3 days to perform these new treatment.
NOTE: This suggested treatment and hospitalization will be free of charge (starting today, 12/8/2015).
4. If still no progress noted, Sully may have possibly entered chronic constipation / megacolon phase (a condition where the colon is enlarged with faecal matter but not able to push it out). Home treatment is advised as this may take long term treatment.

Is there anyone who has came thru this critical moment please provide some advice. Please help ~
 

wellington

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Maybe @Yvonne G @tortadise can help. I don't recall at the moment of remembering if anyone has posted with something this bad for so long. Hope they can give you some guidance and that the latest treatment will work.
 

tortadise

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What ambient temperatures is this tortoise exposed to? You can definitely see the colon swollen and some gaseous build up, I don't however see anything that is obstructing the tract. Have they tried a cloacal flush, and possibly a barium radiograph? Tortoises digestion and movement of internal organs functions best when internal temperatures are around 80 degrees Fahrenheit/ 26 Celsius. This can be tricky though, it needs to be evenly distributed. Sometimes a warm soak and or heated up towel wrapped around the tortoise then placed in warm to low hot soak can help along with a cloacal flush of sterile saline mixed with mineral oil. What are the tortoises conditions like. Have you had this animal since it was an offspring?
 

ascott

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The first x-ray was 1st August 2015, and the recent one was 10th August 2015.
The vet will proceed with more intensive treatment. she told me that Sully to be hospitalize for 3 more days.

Vet's comment:

Remarks: Sully's progress appears very slow despite the treatment carried out. Sully is walking about but still not eating, not active and does not pass any faecal matter as yet.

Suggestion:
1. To change oral lactulose to oral liquid paraffin to soften stool.
2. To perform rectal enema.
3. To hospitalize for another 2-3 days to perform these new treatment.
NOTE: This suggested treatment and hospitalization will be free of charge (starting today, 12/8/2015).
4. If still no progress noted, Sully may have possibly entered chronic constipation / megacolon phase (a condition where the colon is enlarged with faecal matter but not able to push it out). Home treatment is advised as this may take long term treatment.

Is there anyone who has came thru this critical moment please provide some advice. Please help ~

I would be certain to do long warm water soaks..and I mean long, like an hour or more each day and at least two times a day..I would also try to tempt the tort with wet yummy food..like a piece or two as many times a day as you are able to. I also would not leave the tort at the vets as that is a highly stressful environment..I would do the soaks and I would allow the tort some super supervieed walk about time at home in an area where there are natural points of interest for a tort..I would allow the tort some time to de stress ..keep in mind that yiu are dealing with a very private type animal..not at all a pet..so all of the vet chaos can be causing more harm than good...soak soak soak..it can take along time for an impaction to move out..and also, if the tort is not eating then it won't be pooping either...soak soak soak..and make the soaks really long and keep the water warm..
 

alan88k

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Sully has passed away in the vet's clinic this afternoon.

Vet conclude on sully's death: intestine rupture due to chronic constipation. Sully still couldn't make it thru though remedial treatment procedure has been implemented for 17 days.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439811934.483357.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1439811949.679305.jpg

Sully was brought to my house 11/11/2013. She's turning 2yo soon just couldn't make it thru the hard time. Though me n vet observe that Sully has struggled all these while. Perhaps this is the better way to prevent her to torture further. Though we all didn't expect that to come that soon.

RIP Sully.
 

Miggymeister

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Sorry for the loss.
I'm so very sorry. I feel I'm going to lose mine any day and it will be hard to get over it. Still, I'm a Christian and pray constantly that God gives me the right intuitions to make baby Camelot well again.
 
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