Sick with pneumonia

[angela helman]

My 15 yr old Russian box tortoise Bob was diagnosed with pneumonia through an x-ray about 3 weeks ago. He was given Baytril for 10 days. After that he still would not eat or open his eyes. He just lays there lifeless. His limbs feel weak and just hang there. We took him back to the vet. He was tube fed and give Amakacin injections every 3 days. We still have 2 more to do. He still wont eat or open his eyes. He will at times move his head out and open mouth breathe. Not like in the beginning of this with the head fully extended, but still not normal I think. the vet said to blend greens and offer that to him. I have been trying to feed him during the course of all of this. I soak him every other day for 20 minutes. So I am doubtful he will eat the blended greens, but I am going to try. The vet told me Bob can go quite awhile without food. But if he is weak I thought food would help him. I am not sure what to do for him. It would break my heart to lose Bob. Can someone help? Should I soak him more? Any advice or tips would be so much appreciated. How long does it take to recover from pneumonia?

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Sorry your tortoise is sick. We need to know what kind he is. Either a russian or a Box, there is not russian box turtle, at least that I ever heard of. Hopefully @Yvonne G can give you some help. Good luck hope all works out well.

 

[Jodie]

Pictures and more info on your enclosure and husbandry would be helpful. Sorry he is sick. Hopefully we can help you get him better.

 

[angela helman]

Hello and Welcome. Sorry your tortoise is sick. We need to know what kind he is. Either a russian or a Box, there is not russian box turtle, at least that I ever heard of. Hopefully @Yvonne G can give you some help. Good luck hope all works out well.

]
He is a Russian tortoise. Sorry about that. He is in an indoor glass aquarium...20 gallon. I was using eco dirt for his bedding. The vet told me that was not good bedding. I switched it out for the bedding of pieces of wood. He has a heat source on him constantly. I just am at a loss for what to do for him. I thought the medicine would help. He is just so lifeless. Anything you can think of to help I would love to hear.

 

[wellington]

Make sure the temp is warm, like 80-85 all day and night. Maybe soak him in warm water with baby food carrot and some piedialyte flavorless. The substrate you had him on was not bad for him. The stuff the vet told you to use is fine too. A 20 gallon is way to small for him though. When he recovers, you really need to give him a proper home of a 4x8 minimum and an outdoor enclosure for warm days.
@Yvonne G @tortadise hopefulky will be on soon, are getting their alerts and might be able to give more help. Good luck, wish the best for the both of you.

 

[Lyn W]

So sorry you and Bob are going through this I am wishing him well

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Meds depress the appetite.

 

[crimson_lotus]

When my tortoise had pneumonia last year it took 5 months and 4 rounds of antibiotics (we used Fortaz, not Baytril) for her to fully recover. I suppose the recovery time would depend on how serious the pneumonia is, my tortoises lungs were pretty filled with gunk. I injected in the front legs (alternated per shot) every 3 days and change which scale I would inject under as I can imagine it would sting. I would soak her while administering the shot thinking maybe that would help the sting. I soaked her daily for those 5 months.

Baytril can be harsh on a tortoise from what I've read, so my guess is that it could be affecting his appetite. As wellington said, keep him warm, and for the future I would look into getting a larger enclosure. Don't know why the vet said that bedding was bad...that is rather suspicious. Did she say wood chips were okay?? Or do you mean mulch?

As indicated above if you have any pictures of the enclosure, or more information (temperatures, humidity, lighting) it would be best to find out how he got pneumonia so you can prevent it in the future.

 

[Carol S]

I hope he recovers quickly.

 

[WillTort2]

The favorite food for my Russians is the yellow dandelion blooms. Try a few of those to kick start his feeding.

 

[mikey~t]

When they say blended greens, how are you giving this to Bob... In the past when our little mikey wasnt eating, i read in these very forums about food baths... Basically blend all the food and use that as his bath.. Add some water, but try and have a higher percentage of "food" in the bath than the actual water... Hopefully that will kickstart his appetite... Fingers crossed he gets better soon.