Sick Galapagos Tortoise

[Turtle Love]

Female, 25 yrs. Entire body swollen, worse in neck. She won't move or eat for 3 days. Same problem 6 months ago. Vet at University of FL in Gainesville thought low blood protein caused by inability of protein to pass thru gut into bloodstream causing body to compensate by leaking fluid. Flagyl helped but 6 months later problem returned. I'm wondering if it could be renal failure but don't know why vet didn't suggest renal problem. Flagyl isn't helping this time. She is very sick. Can anyone help?

 

[KarenSoCal]

@Olddog
Can you help?

 

[Ayushjain101]

Sounds like renal failure. Can you post some pictures?

 

[jsheffield]

So sorry for your tort's troubles ... I hope they are resolved soon and simply.

Jamie

 

[Tim Carlisle]

So sorry to hear. @Olddog ? @ALDABRAMAN ?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

@ALDABRAMAN ?

~ We have no experience with that species, however we have never had any similar experiences like that in our aldabra population.

@Olddog

 

[Pastel Tortie]

@MKNOX - Do you have experience with Galapagos tortoises?

 

[Turtle Love]

@Olddog
Can you help?

Thank you for trying to get help for me and my tortoise. It was so nice to see your message to Olddog. Thank you so much.

 

[MKNOX]

Where are you located? I am a veterinary hospital manager. My wife is a vet. If you are close enough to west palm beach I can come and draw blood to check her values and help develop a treatment plan. Call me at 561-727-9288. My name is Michael Knox. I have a final exam tomorrow from 2-4 pm but you can reach me any other time. I hope my reply isn't too late.

 

[Turtle Love]

Sounds like renal failure. Can you post some pictures?

 

[MKNOX]

Turtle Love , I would start a differential list for your tortoise and work down it. The first 2, and most common are Hardware disease, and toxic substance ingestion. We need to know where and how she is housed and where and how she has been housed in the past. Big tortoises are very prone to eating things that shouldn't, any metallic objects that contain zinc, such as exterior screws and nails, or coins are the most common. They take a long time to present symptoms, as do toxic plant ingestion. Both problems are treatable but treatment will be aggressive and take time. She really needs an x-ray to check for metal ASAP.

 

[MKNOX]

A common problem in older Galapagos and Aldabras tortoise is goiter. Little is known about why they get it or how to treat it, but it usually doesn't make them as sick as yours is. Please give us a complete history of her husbandry and habitat. We also need to know all medications she has had including any supplements.

 

[Turtle Love]

Where are you located? I am a veterinary hospital manager. My wife is a vet. If you are close enough to west palm beach I can come and draw blood to check her values and help develop a treatment plan. Call me at 561-727-9288. My name is Michael Knox. I have a final exam tomorrow from 2-4 pm but you can reach me any other time. I hope my reply isn't too late.

Thank you SO MUCH! But I am actually much closer to the University of FL in Gainesville where we took her 6 months ago when the swelling, weakness, and lethargy occurred the first time. She recovered with Flagyl back then but it isn't helping this time. Now that I think she might be in renal failure, I've taken her off the Flagyl as it is contraindicated. But I don't know what, if anything, WILL help. I could send you a copy of her lab work from 6 months ago if it would help. Are there any particular values you are interested in? The vet at UF said that kidney malfunction doesn't show up very well in lab work so not sure why he didn't entertain the idea that she could be in renal failure. Please look at the pictures I posted in this thread in response to a request.

 

[MKNOX]

Thank you SO MUCH! But I am actually much closer to the University of FL in Gainesville where we took her 6 months ago when the swelling, weakness, and lethargy occurred the first time. She recovered with Flagyl back then but it isn't helping this time. Now that I think she might be in renal failure, I've taken her off the Flagyl as it is contraindicated. But I don't know what, if anything, WILL help. I could send you a copy of her lab work from 6 months ago if it would help. Are there any particular values you are interested in? The vet at UF said that kidney malfunction doesn't show up very well in lab work so not sure why he didn't entertain the idea that she could be in renal failure. Please look at the pictures I posted in this thread in response to a request.

We would be looking for elevated uric acid levels for kidney failure. I looked at your pictures and she does look goitered but that doesn't mesh with how sick she is. You haven't given her injectable vitamin A, or ivermectin have you? Both can cause symptoms similar to hers. Another consideration would be systemic sepsis resulting in renal or liver disease. Has she had diarrhea??? Very important question.

 

[Turtle Love]

A common problem in older Galapagos and Aldabras tortoise is goiter. Little is known about why they get it or how to treat it, but it usually doesn't make them as sick as yours is. Please give us a complete history of her husbandry and habitat. We also need to know all medications she has had including any supplements.

2 weeks after I got her 8 years ago, her bottom shell began falling off. And not just the shell, but a layer of hard porous material that appeared to be bone. Breeders told me nothing to worry about and she acted healthy. A year later she got very sick - systemic toxemia, severe anemia, and low blood protein but no swelling. Exotic pet specialist in Tampa put her on sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160, 2 tabs every other day and kept her on it for about 2 years, testing her blood every few months for harmful reactions. We also took her to Marathon in the Keys for Dr. Mader to look at her shell. He thought something had damaged the shell but it was not progressive. She did great for 7 years until the swelling, sickness, and totally liquid stools last summer at which time we took her to UF. Lab work at that time showed extreme amount of bacteria and Protozoa (an extremely small strange Protozoa visable only under high powered microscope. Pathologist unable to identify the type). Vet put her on metroNIDAZOLE 500 mg, 4 1/2 tabs every 48 hours. After 3 weeks without improvement and fearing she would die any minute, I switched her back to the sulfameth/trimethoprim. Almost immediate improvement - she began eating, moving, and stools became firmer. But no improvement with swelling. Took her back to UF where after severe chastisement for changing her meds, the vet put her back on the Flagyl for 30 days and told us to let her eat only grass, weeds, hay and a little tortoise chow instead of the greens and veggies we had been feeding. He also had us change from peanut hay to orchard hay. The swelling subsided except for the bulge at her throat. But that too grew smaller and softer. Now, it's huge and hard again. She lives in her house which is kept at 85 degrees with an electric oil radiator-type heater. She has 2 pens to alternate between, each 1/8 acre for grazing and 2 automatic waterers.
As you said, goiter would not make her this sick. I'm worried about renal failure because of the amount and duration of antibiotics. They were necessary and saved her life for 7 years, but may be killing her now via renal failure. Thank you so much for your concern and willingness to help.

 

[MKNOX]

I am pretty sure I just read a discussion on VIN regarding your tortoise. The vet was pretty perplexed but hypoalbuminemia and hypoprotinemia seemed to be the primary concern as well as elevated blood sugar. There did not seem to be a consensus as to a treatment plan other than diet change and antibiotics. Have you ever had her on enrofloxacin? I think a trip back to the vet school as soon as possible is your best bet.

 

[Turtle Love]

View attachment 259740

Turtle Love , I would start a differential list for your tortoise and work down it. The first 2, and most common are Hardware disease, and toxic substance ingestion. We need to know where and how she is housed and where and how she has been housed in the past. Big tortoises are very prone to eating things that shouldn't, any metallic objects that contain zinc, such as exterior screws and nails, or coins are the most common. They take a long time to present symptoms, as do toxic plant ingestion. Both problems are treatable but treatment will be aggressive and take time. She really needs an x-ray to check for metal ASAP.

She had full x-rays in Tampa 7 years ago and 2 MRI's (or CAT scans, can't remember, will look it up) 6 months ago at UF. Both times the vets assured me there were no metal objects as I was also concerned about the possibility. I also worry about the waterers. PVC pipe gets the water to the faucet. But garden hose gets the water from the faucet to the waterer. I flush the water out of the hose because bacteria grows in hoses. Not sure flushing works good enough though. There are no toxic plants or weeds that I know of. Only the same as our other gallop, sulcatas, redfoots, have growing in their pens. She was brought to Miami from Texas 8 years ago by the owner who I bought her from so no knowledge of how she was housed in Texas. She's in central FL with me.

 

[MKNOX]

Are the leaves on the ground oak tree leaves ? Oak is toxic to tortoises both the leaves and acorns. Just a thought to add to the differential. I still think a trip to UF should be made as soon as you can. I don't know if Elliot Jacobsen still practices or if he retired but he is probably the best reptile vet in the world and he has run the exotic vet program for as long as I can remember. So at UF your girl is in good hands.

 

[Turtle Love]

So sorry for your tort's troubles ... I hope they are resolved soon and simply.

Jamie

Thank you so much. I just discovered this forum yesterday. Can't believe how helpful and concerned everyone is. People even texting other people to find help for me and my baby. Even people in the veterinarian world trying to help. It's awesome!

 

[Turtle Love]

So sorry to hear. @Olddog ? @ALDABRAMAN ?

Thank you so much for trying to find help. So much appreciated!