- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 60
The vet around me is little help... he still uses a 1984 drug and dosage reference. I had a group of 7 leopards and made the mistake of adding 2 more (large outdoor pen). The result was all tortoises becoming ill. The smallest one immediately died. The others I began a regiment of injected Enrofloxacin at 8mg/kg. 3 died during this first treatment regiment (oddly all the males, perhaps because they are smaller/less weight).
After my 14 day treatment, all tortoises seemed to be returning to good health (not 100%) and slowly began eating. About 2 weeks later they started to taper off again. At the time, I assumed something in their enclosure was reinfecting them OR I did not treat for long enough to kill all the infecting bacteria in their system.
I began another treatment, this one lasted 20-22 days on the remaining 5 tortoises. All survived treatment and most stopped having nasal discharge but still remained a bit lethargic. After 1-2 weeks of trying to get them to eat, they began showing symptoms again.
This is where we are at now. Two treatment regimens later and they have not returned to good health. Any ideas or alternatives to Enrofloxacin? My treatment was keeping them very warm and hydrated while everyday I administered an 8mg/kg shot alternating legs. Some tortoises received the shot in the front upper shoulder but a few would not let me and had to get the shot in the small muscle in their foot. There seems to be very little literature on this terrible infection that plagues leopard tortoises. There also seems to be little info on what bacteria causes it with claims of "microplasma".
After my 14 day treatment, all tortoises seemed to be returning to good health (not 100%) and slowly began eating. About 2 weeks later they started to taper off again. At the time, I assumed something in their enclosure was reinfecting them OR I did not treat for long enough to kill all the infecting bacteria in their system.
I began another treatment, this one lasted 20-22 days on the remaining 5 tortoises. All survived treatment and most stopped having nasal discharge but still remained a bit lethargic. After 1-2 weeks of trying to get them to eat, they began showing symptoms again.
This is where we are at now. Two treatment regimens later and they have not returned to good health. Any ideas or alternatives to Enrofloxacin? My treatment was keeping them very warm and hydrated while everyday I administered an 8mg/kg shot alternating legs. Some tortoises received the shot in the front upper shoulder but a few would not let me and had to get the shot in the small muscle in their foot. There seems to be very little literature on this terrible infection that plagues leopard tortoises. There also seems to be little info on what bacteria causes it with claims of "microplasma".