URGENT, need help. Please help and give advice

JMM

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D
Didn’t know this is what my 2021 would entail but I’m determined to mend her back to health. Thank you so much, she doesn’t enjoy her baths and I can see why it gets that name! Will update. The cactus pads seem like a great idea, the vet suggested cat laxative.. what do you think?
Did the vet give you any advice on how to give the laxative--have to be very careful it does not get into lungs. May want to use both approaches to start off.
 

Tortisedonk7

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Can you please identify what/where the blockage is. I’ve never seen a tortoise X-ray
However I have read and heard that you can give torts a small amount of psyllium on there food to help bind together and clean out the digestive tract. Psyllium comes in pure form for human consumption to help pass constipation. It also comes as name brand ‘metimucial’ but make sure to get the unflavored kind.
good luck hope she gets better soon.
 

JMM

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Within the center of the body, there is a worm-like entity present. That's the digestive tract. It appears distended and contains radio-opaque granular material. Normally one does not see internal organs on a radiograph.
 

zovick

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Didn’t know this is what my 2021 would entail but I’m determined to mend her back to health. Thank you so much, she doesn’t enjoy her baths and I can see why it gets that name! Will update. The cactus pads seem like a great idea, the vet suggested cat laxative.. what do you think?
The tortoise has a pretty bad intestinal blockage/impaction. The cat laxative is a good idea, but I am not sure that it will be effective soon enough with this much of a blockage. It will most likely require surgery to correct this one. At this point, I would consider this a life-threatening situation.

As the sad owner who lost an extremely valuable Ploughshare Tortoise to a smaller blockage than this one, I would heartily recommend getting the tortoise to the Long Beach Veterinary Hospital noted in post #35 ASAP and following that vet's advice.
 

JMM

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This type of surgery should not be delayed. However it requires expertise in tortoise surgery and anesthesia. If you need help finding someone PM me.
 

Chefdenoel10

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Sorry f
Thank you thank you! That’s the exact place we were looking at ourselves! Going to talk to them hopefully today

sorry!!! It wasn’t a video!!!
It was pictures!!!! Now look....
 

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TamaraandMerl

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Within the center of the body, there is a worm-like entity present. That's the digestive tract. It appears distended and contains radio-opaque granular material. Normally one does not see internal organs on a radiograph.
What do you mean by this? Radio opaque granular material takes me on a crazy google search..
 

TamaraandMerl

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This type of surgery should not be delayed. However it requires expertise in tortoise surgery and anesthesia. If you need help finding someone PM me.
Calling Pasadena exotics in the morning? Does anyone know if they are good
 

Chefdenoel10

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Calling Pasadena exotics in the morning? Does anyone know if they are good

they sound alright.. check online at their web site. And go scroll up to see I’ve sent you pictures of that leg surgery from before!!!!
 

KarenSoCal

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What do you mean by this? Radio opaque granular material takes me on a crazy google search..

Radio-opaque just means it shows up on an x-ray. Here is an x-ray of my desert tort a couple years ago. Compare the 2 pics...see the sausage-like part in Merl? That's intestine that is very swollen, and on the right side of the pic the intestine is full of sand like stuff.

The pic of Chug...you can't see any of that because he did not have an impaction.

C121EE75-0C03-40AE-B364-6EBB5B3241DD.jpeg.jpg

Chug...
20180926_131045.jpg
 

zovick

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Calling Pasadena exotics in the morning? Does anyone know if they are good
Long Beach Animal Hospital is extremely good for this type of surgery. Just look at the photos posted by Chefdenoel10 in post #48. This man obviously knows what he is doing (and so does his staff). If you are able to go there, that would be my recommendation.
 

TamaraandMerl

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Radio-opaque just means it shows up on an x-ray. Here is an x-ray of my desert tort a couple years ago. Compare the 2 pics...see the sausage-like part in Merl? That's intestine that is very swollen, and on the right side of the pic the intestine is full of sand like stuff.

The pic of Chug...you can't see any of that because he did not have an impaction.

View attachment 314643

Chug...
View attachment 314644
Poor Merlin, this is all so heartbreaking
 

TamaraandMerl

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Long Beach Animal Hospital is extremely good for this type of surgery. Just look at the photos posted by Chefdenoel10 in post #48. This man obviously knows what he is doing (and so does his staff). If you are able to go there, that would be my recommendation.
I have an appointment on Wednesday at 3, earliest one they had. They just said not to really wait cause it seems to be an emergency. Starting to think I’m in over my head a little
 

zovick

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I have an appointment on Wednesday at 3, earliest one they had. They just said not to really wait cause it seems to be an emergency. Starting to think I’m in over my head a little
You do mean that the appointment is with Long Beach Animal Hospital, correct?

Well, Wednesday is the day after tomorrow, so it isn't all that far off. Just try to keep the tortoise well hydrated and nice and warm until the appointment.
 

TamaraandMerl

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You do mean that the appointment is with Long Beach Animal Hospital, correct?

Well, Wednesday is the day after tomorrow, so it isn't all that far off. Just try to keep the tortoise well hydrated and nice and warm until the appointment.
Yes Long Beach animal hospital. Hydrated and warm are both things we are working on. Emailing a bunch of people trying to find someone to look at the X-ray. I just hate watching merl suffer. Today she is less active.
 

zovick

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Yes Long Beach animal hospital. Hydrated and warm are both things we are working on. Emailing a bunch of people trying to find someone to look at the X-ray. I just hate watching merl suffer. Today she is less active.
You could call the receptionist at the Animal Hospital and tell him/her of your concern for the tortoise's well-being and ask if the doctor has any emergency time today or tomorrow when the tortoise might be seen. If they say no, then ask them to please call you if anyone cancels an appointment for later today, tomorrow or Wednesday earlier than 3 PM. Also tell them hoe long it will take you to get there.

I am a dentist and deal with emergency patients in my schedule very frequently, so am letting you know the things to ask and say which may help you get seen sooner.
 

TamaraandMerl

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You could call the receptionist at the Animal Hospital and tell him/her of your concern for the tortoise's well-being and ask if the doctor has any emergency time today or tomorrow when the tortoise might be seen. If they say no, then ask them to please call you if anyone cancels an appointment for later today, tomorrow or Wednesday earlier than 3 PM. Also tell them hoe long it will take you to get there.

I am a dentist and deal with emergency patients in my schedule very frequently, so am letting you know the things to ask and say which may help you get seen sooner.
I called them yesterday and explained everything but they said Wednesday was the earliest, they told me to call access exotics in Culver City but both or their main specialists are out. I contacted Pasadena but they are shut for 10 days due to a covid thing, but emailed doctor Curtis eng who is a doctor there and works at western u got his school email and he’s saying to wait until Wednesday cause that’s the earliest. She’s pushing a lot more today, more lethargic really hard to watch her suffer. In your honest opinion what do you think her survival rate is?
 

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