Please help me understand....

[jax7271]

I am wondering about the lasting effects of early onset MBD.

I had a little Herman’s Dalmation tortoise. I rescued this little one 10 years ago and they were near death at the time. She was only a couple of inches wide and weighed almost nothing. She had spent the second year of life without any lights or heat and very little food. It took weeks to get her digestive and bowels active ad had her first pee after two weeks. Her front legs were permanently stiff with a bend and although she could walk, she never had any real flexibility return and adapted. She has been in a very large enclosure with heat and usb lights and proper fresh food. This past year, she had attained her full size and her shell looked better than it ever had. She was alert and responsive and up until a couple of weeks ago when she started eating a little less, she looked and moved around fine and was still having bowel movements. She was gone within five days of slowing down her food intake. This has broken my heart into a million pieces. I do not know what I did wrong. I thought I would have her for many more years. The vet will not comment without a necropsy, which will not bring her back and I am not ready to do.

I’m just looking for some possibilities from someone on here that knows more than me. Not looking for anything else, but maybe a little help with closure. Thank you. J.

 

[Tom]

I am wondering about the lasting effects of early onset MBD.

I had a little Herman’s Dalmation tortoise. I rescued this little one 10 years ago and they were near death at the time. She was only a couple of inches wide and weighed almost nothing. She had spent the second year of life without any lights or heat and very little food. It took weeks to get her digestive and bowels active ad had her first pee after two weeks. Her front legs were permanently stiff with a bend and although she could walk, she never had any real flexibility return and adapted. She has been in a very large enclosure with heat and usb lights and proper fresh food. This past year, she had attained her full size and her shell looked better than it ever had. She was alert and responsive and up until a couple of weeks ago when she started eating a little less, she looked and moved around fine and was still having bowel movements. She was gone within five days of slowing down her food intake. This has broken my heart into a million pieces. I do not know what I did wrong. I thought I would have her for many more years. The vet will not comment without a necropsy, which will not bring her back and I am not ready to do.

I’m just looking for some possibilities from someone on here that knows more than me. Not looking for anything else, but maybe a little help with closure. Thank you. J.

Sounds like she might have been slowing down for brumation. What were the temps? What lighting do you use?

What substrate was the tortoise on?

There is no way for anyone to guess what the damage done from early MBD would be. Some recover 100% and you'd never even know. It really depends on what damage and how much damage was done. With early care as poor as what you described, there are likely other complications in addition to the MBD that could be a factor.

I always do a necropsy after any unexplained death. It won't bring her back, but it can help you understand what went wrong and learn from it. If it was a husbandry mistake, you can not make that one again and also teach other people, like us, what you did wrong so that WE don't make the same mistake. If your husbandry was perfect, and you gave this tortoise 10 wonderful years of love and care, and it died prematurely because of the failures of the previous owner, I would want to know that too, and it would help me sleep better at night.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Vets can do bone density tests with x rays and can see calcium levels in the blood.
Early MBD is treatable. But seldom noticed. Later MBD is found once the animal is already walking strange or not using its legs properly. And that's usually because the bones are already soft and bending. (Or broken)
The curved or twisted bones will not become straight again. But they can harden. And the animal can still live a decent and long life with correct care.
I agree with Tom that mbd happens with incorrect care. And that care probably caused other serious issues and not just mbd.
Likely something else killed him/her.

I had a post on the Chameleon forum of a Panther Chameleon I received with mbd. I updated photos of the xrays and you could actually watch the bones become re calcified and getting stronger. Month after month.
It's very rewarding

 

[wellington]

So very sorry. Sounds like you did what you could to make the life she did have with you better. Unfortunately, it was likely too bad of a life before you.