Need Help!!! Sulcatta taking baytril sots subq in rear leg is this ok?

[marioG]

Female sulcatta 38lbs had a minor nasel disgharge was still eating somewhat , vet gave baytril shot and a vitamin a&d(small amount) in rear leg area subq Now she seemes a little lethartic and stoped eating , I called him and now wants me to giv it vitamin b shots for appetite.Nose seems to be drying up. Please help

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Vitamin A shots are not good, but I think it's because it 'might' cause the skin to slough off at the injection site. Baytril is an antibiotic that pretty hard on your tortoise. I would NOT get her anymore injections and make sure she's warm enough, then just do regular soaks and treat her normally and I bet she starts acting better in a few days. She can go for a long time without eating, but we really don't want her to have to go without. Seriously, no more injections and she'll be better in a few days. More injections and she'll stay crappy for a while.

 

[Dizisdalife]

I was told to not give shots in the rear leg because it is too close to kidneys. Different Vets have different ways? Maggie is correct about Baytril being pretty rough on your tortoise's digestive tract. Really kills their appetite. A runny nose can be caused by several things. One of them is a URI that would need antibiotics. I think stress is a more common cause. A change in the tortoise's environment, a perceived competitor or predator in her yard, or just cooler than normal temps for several days. My tortoise has had a few runny noses. Slight discharge, clear, no bubbles, and no labored breathing. Keep your tortoise at 80-85F and give her some warm water soaks, and like Maggie said she will clear up and return to her normal routine in a few days. If the runny nose continues, especially if the discharge thickens and is yellowish color, then return to the Vet. In the meantime, look for possible causes for stress in your tortoises routine.

 

[Yvonne G]

In my opinion, some tortoise keepers get all nervous and excited too quickly when they see a few bubbles or slight discharge from the nose. I would venture to say that the majority of the time, it is stress related and not sickness or infection at all.

Warm the tortoise up, don't allow her to get chilled, give warm soaks daily and just let her be a tortoise. She'll be fine in no time.

Has anything changed recently in her life?

 

[mikeh]

Another needle happy vet. Injecting baytril in rear legs is like playing russian roulette. So is Vitamin A injection in extreme cases.

While some will argue that studies show baytril is tolerated injecting in rear, those same studies point out at their conclusion that risk may exist and more study needs to be done. Why take a chance?

 

[ascott]

I would never give a tort a shot in the back legs, period. The tortoise system is slow, so to give a shot in the rear defeats the purpose for it to be effective as moving through the system...also, antibiotics are hard of the kidneys...so if you offer injection in the rear you are again to close and you can also have issues with muscles....it is best to offer a shot in the soft loose skin of the tort between the front leg and neck area, that loose skin right where the two come together....

Also, vitamin injections are a hazard due to the quantity of med is often incorrectly used...a better way to assure vitamin intake is to offer a variety of foods that cover the basis...also, if you want to try some mazuri that can offer some vitamins for a tort that perhaps had some dietary imbalance....shots are not a cure all and in fact the stress of the drive, the stress of the vet, the stress of the entire event can create more damage that the trip offers in help....

Yvonne is absolutely correct, a bit of clear fluid does not a URI make....stress is likely the bigger culprit than any of these other issues randomly "diagnosed" by vets who offer diagnosis by "visual" methods.....

Follow what Yvonne has suggested and I bet you will have a less stressed tort and you will see results that are desired...