My baby has pneumonia :(((

[HerbsMommy]

Herb was diagnosed with pneumonia this afternoon ( he's on antibiotics and I went out and bought him an entirely new enclosure all clean and super super warm. If anyone has any ideas to help him get better ASAP please let me know!! Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[WillTort2]

I don't keep leopard torts, but this will give you a bump.

Why don't you provide more information as to what you or the vet think caused the pneumonia and what advice the vet gave and what antibiotics the vet is giving and what dose and method of administering.

How warm is super, super, warm?

Good luck!

 

[sibi]

Was x-rays taken? What antibiotics is he on? Is your vet specialized in treating tortoises? For now, you did the right thing in taking your tort to the vet? I'm curious, though, did he have symptoms of a RI? What were those symptoms and how long did he have them? The reason why I'm asking is because your information can help other members identify symptoms before it turns into pneumonia.

 

[HerbsMommy]

He's on baytril. Our vet does specialize in tortoises, they said he may have been too cold even at 75-80 degrees in this California heat. But I got him a second lamp today and his pen is now between 90-100. At first I did think it was an RI, he had bubble nose and was struggling to breathe, it was absolutely terrifying. We took him to the emergency clinic last week and then he was doing better (this is when I thought it was RI) and today he just took a turn for the worst. He wouldnt eat, barely moved (VERY uncharacteristic of him) his eyes got swollen. It is so sad to see him so miserable. So we rushed him to the vet and that's when they told us it was pneumonia. You have to be so careful with baby leopards, they are so susceptible to all RIs including pneumonia.

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My breeder told me to keep him as warm as possible and he will be just fine in a week. And she really knows her stuff

 

[sibi]

So, you first noticed bubbles coming out of his nose, and he had trouble breathing. Did he have mucus? If so, what color was it? After seeing mucus, you took him to the vet and he was put on baytril. Is he still on that, and are you giving him injections? Where were you told to give the injections? For how long? I believe that your Leo will get better with a lot of TLC and warm temps. Babies are very difficult to keep alive even without an illness like pneumonia. But the med is what he should be on. Make sure he gets at least two warm soaks daily. While taking these meds, it's important that they drink as much water as as possible. If he's not eating, you can do the warm soaks with carrot baby food. You can even warm up some pedialyte (usually given to babies who have diarrhea and/or vomiting) to replace the electrolytes lost from illness. I use it a lot when it's really hot outside and I don't think my torts are drinking enough water. Keep us posted.

 

[HerbsMommy]

Great advice, thank you so much. He never had any mucus, he's always had sniffles but the main thing that made me realize he was very sick was the gasping for air, he was almost violently struggling to breathe. As for the shots, I can't do it myself so the vet will. I'll be taking him in every day for 7 days

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This might be an outrageous question, but do you mean actually putting the carrots/pedialite in the water while he soaks?

 

[sibi]

Okay, when my torts had RI, the same med was given, only the shots were given every other day for 10 days. Just ask your vet why the administering of the med is different from the way my vet treated my tort. I'd just like to know the rational behind the differences. Thanks for your answers. I'm gonna pray for you and your baby Leo to recover from this awful illness.

Yes, you can get baby food jars of carrots or squash and put one jar into the warm water or pedialyte. Let him soak in that for 10-20 minutes. If you need to warm the water some more, just remove the baby and microwave the container for just 15 seconds. Test the water to see that it's warm and return the baby in the soak. Also, it helps to cut off the house air-conditioning while the baby is soaking. This way he won't get a draft. I sweat my head off when I soak my torts so that they don't get cold

 

[HerbsMommy]

Oh yeah I feel like I'M the desert tortoise in here! Hahaha. I will ask my vet tomorrow and find out thank you for everything!

 

[HerbsMommy]

Ok so my vet said the duration between injections just depends on the severity of the infection, plus the fact that he had one injection and the emergency clinic and it had been a week before I was financially able to take him for another one. I'm going to get him clear, non-flavored pedialyte and some gerber foods today after work, my breeder strongly recommends both

 

[sibi]

Great! You're a good mom That's what I thought. He's getting shots everyday, then, for 7 days? Do you know if the shots are being injected into the muscle or under the skin? I injected into the muscle between the neck area and the upper arm. Check next time he gets bid injection and let me know.

 

[HerbsMommy]

I'm almost positive it's muscular... I'll have to check the paperwork and let ya know

 

[HerbsMommy]

I was wrong, it's subcutaneous injections

 

[luvpetz27]

How is he doing?

 

[HerbsMommy]

He's getting better, thank you he had his third shot today and he absolutely hates it :/ but he's breathing much better. Still doesn't have much of an appetite though

 

[sibi]

Well, he's gonna feel a lot better in a week or so. Yeah, he's gonna hate it, but when you see him feeling like his old self, it will be worth it! I'm so glad he's improving some. Keep us posted.

 

[graciebea]

What were the symptoms? Just so I know what to look for

 

[HerbsMommy]

Thanks sibi I will!!

Gracie, his symptoms were a runny nose at first, then he started making strange noises, kind of raspy squeaks. One night when he was making weird noises I picked him up and he was open mouthed and squirming, neck outstretched... He couldn't breathe and it was so terrifying ((

 

[graciebea]

Sounds terrifying! Poor thing:-( Hope he gets better soon and thanks for replying!

 

[bingbongbibidybobbo]

Keep temps up and soak often!!! Keeps us all posted

Sent from my GT-N7100 using TortForum mobile app

 

[HerbsMommy]

Thanks everyone! He ha 4 shots left to go and he still hates them..! But once the lethargy of them wears off, he is wry active and looks fantastic so I know its working