Losing hope

[ainfalt]

Tank is just not doing well at all. I've tried everything I can think of and that I've been told but nothing is working. He is so lethargic, hasn't eaten for over a week, hasn't pooped for a week and barely moves. He will only move back to where he was if I carry him out to the grass, no other movement at all. Took him to the vet on Thursday. They did an X-ray & gave him fluids because he is dehydrated. Said he needs to poop too. His activity increased from the fluids ever so slightly at first. I've been soaking him for an hour twice a day, took him for a ride in the jeep to try to get things moving & now his activity is decreasing again. At first he would scramble a bit trying to get out of his soaking bin but now he just sits without moving. I put him out in the grass after his soak, no attempt to move like he usually does. I had a ray of hope after the vet but now it seems worse. I am so worried about him & it's really starting to drain me because I've tried everything I can think of. Calling the vet again tomorrow. Please send us good thoughts if you will.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Have you tried antibiotics?

 

[ainfalt]

No, I haven't. I don't see signs of an infection but I don't trust myself to know what all the signs are. The vet didn't say anything about an infection. Maybe they will try antibiotics next. I will ask them if he may need it. Thank you

 

[lynnedit]

How frustrating this must be for you!
You can pm individual members like Yvonne G or Tom to see if they have additional suggestions.

 

[jeffstort]

Gosh that must such I really hope he pulls through

 

[ainfalt]

I think I will try to message them tomorrow when I get out of class. I've done some of the things members have suggested here but no luck. It's been a bit of a roller coaster for tank. I just want to know that he is not in pain or suffering in any way. That's my biggest fear.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I would keep doing what you're doing and start him on Baytril - at this point it can't hurt.

 

[schuyler22]

I'm so sorry to hear about Tank, but don't lose hope yet!!! My tortoise was just in the vet for three weeks from kidney failure caused by extreme dehydration. Part of the problem was he was kind of impacted and backed up because his poop was too dry to easily pass. They got him hydrated again and he started eating again, slowly. He was improving, but has not pooped yet, so they gave him a stool softener which worked!! Once things got moving again, he started doing much better.

They also had him under a baking lamp AND he had a pig blanket to sit on which also really helped keep him uniformly warm which helps the gut digest better (which can be harder than usually for a sick tortoise).

I would ask the vets to do a blood panel to make sure Tank isn't suffering from high levels of uric acid (a sign of kidney issues which can develop from really bad dehydration) just to be able to help rule out some possible problems.

Also, make sure your tort has foods and fibers and calcium that make up a diet that'll support a proper pH balance.

In the meanwhile, keep fighting for your little dude!! Torts are amazingly strong creatures and will fight back from the absolute brink of given the chance to!! My tort is finally starting to really be able to eat and move around on his own again and he was really really sick!!!

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using TortForum mobile app

 

[apromann4]

I did read from the forum, carrot juices soaks, they put baby carrot food in the water where you soak you dehydrated tort, so when he drinks, he gets the carrots nutrients, there a thread here about that, there also a thread about using gathorade, search it, i' l try to search it too for you

Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

 

[AustinASU]

Maybe he is compacted with parasites.

 

[apromann4]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-12243.html
Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

---

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-71983.html

Read this threads, it will help

Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

 

[ainfalt]

Thanks, Schuyler. Your story does give me hope. I will call the vet right away this morning & see if I can get him in ASAP. Before he got sick he was eating all the grass and weeds he wanted. I would occasionally throw him some spring greens & some pumpkin purée mixed with calcium powder.

---

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-12243.html
Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

---

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-71983.html

Read this threads, it will help

Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

---

Thanks for this information. I read them both. There was a lot of conflicting information and I'm still unsure what would be the right move. I'm still giving him soaks morning & evening for an hour each.

 

[tiff3grl]

I'm sorry to hear about Tank. Please keep us updated. My big guy recently went over 8 days withought eating due to an injury and being on abx. He is getting his appetite back slowly but is doing much better. Just because there is no visible infection does not mean there isint something going on internally. I'm no expert by any means just wanted to write because I know how stressful it can be to see our tortoises going through hard times. Keep your head up and never give up hope. They are stronger than we realize. Keep pushing the Vet for answers.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using TortForum mobile app

 

[kjr153]

Do torts get urinary tract infections?

 

[Yvonne G]

More than likely your tortoise is impacted. This means he has something blocking his digestive tract. It might be stones or it might be substrate, or even food.

It might help if you were to squirt a couple droppersful of mineral oil down his throat. You can even squirt some up into his cloaca. Use only mineral oil, as it is non-absorptive. It just puts a slippery coating on the passageway and whatever the blockage is.

---

(the mineral oil treatment won't harm the tortoise if he's NOT impacted. )

 

[lynnedit]

Definitely take him back to be vet as soon as you can manage. Are you sure he/she is qualified to treat tortoises?
Not eating isn't really an urgent concern, but lethargy is.
He needs to be more aggressively hydrated, possibly have a tube inserted so you can give fluids at home. If he is impacted, the stool softener could be administered this way as well.
Yes! You can add pureed carrot or sweet potato baby food (1 jar to a small soaking container). Or, better yet, get canned pumpkin (plain, NOT the pie kind) and put a couple of tablespoons in the water and mix. This might help more with moving his gut along.

Hopefully the xray did not show pneumonia, or a bladder stone. But I agree, blood work should be done to evaluate liver/kidney status and also a blood count to see if his white blood count is elevated (indicating pneumonia or another bacterial infection that may not have shown up on the X-ray). If there is absolutely no sign of a bacterial infection, then you and the vet may decide to wait on the antibiotics, as they are not risk free. But if hydration/stool softeners/pumpkin soaks don't help, then it may be worth a last effort.

 

[wellington]

I can add to any of the suggestion already given. I have fingers crossed for you and you little shelled one. I also have very good thoughts coming your way. Please keep us informed. Good luck, I hope the vet can find the problem and get the both of you on the right track. So sorry your going through this. Don't forget, we are all here for you.

 

[ainfalt]

Thank you to everyone! I have a vet appt in 20 min. I will mention all the things you all have suggested. I thought about the baby food for the water but he is about 30 lbs & the tub is kind of large. However, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to take care of my Tank!

---

Wow. This is what they want to do.

 

[schuyler22]

I know that bill looks scary (mine ended up being $1100 when all was said and done) but it really did help, and if they administer the feeding tube and you get to go home with it in Tank, it'll definitely help with administering the foods and medicines. He'll/she'll improve so much faster this way too!!! (And by faster, I still mean "tortoise speed" which is still very slow...). Ask them if when you bring Tank home, if they can keep the feeding tube in for a while. I really wish my vet had done that because it would have made giving Trigger his food and medicine INFINITELY LESS STRESSFUL ON ALL OF US INVOLVED!!!

Obviously the little dude needed some care, but in a few weeks, he'll be back up and running around like normal!!! So glad you got Tank into the vet!!! Patience and positive thoughts + doctors care is the key now; you're doing everything you can to ensure Tanks well being!!

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using TortForum mobile app

 

[WillTort2]

What was the actual diagnosis?