Very very sick Sulcata. Advice?

Kadels

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Vet called with the results of the blood tests. She said "normal" white blood cell count is between 6,000 and 12,000. Chuck's are at 2000. She also said her red blood cell count was very low, but I can't recall the numbers. Vet said that does not make her a good candidate for surgery, especially because there will be blood loss. They are doing subcutaneous fluids, and soaking her a lot. They will reassess in a few days, probably when specialist arrives. She also said other stuff about inflammatory response and blah blah blah, but frankly I couldn't take in any more.

Chuck Norris will also not let them feed her the oral antibiotics. She is eating well, but won't let them hand feed her. She can be a brat.
 

Big Charlie

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Vet called with the results of the blood tests. She said "normal" white blood cell count is between 6,000 and 12,000. Chuck's are at 2000. She also said her red blood cell count was very low, but I can't recall the numbers. Vet said that does not make her a good candidate for surgery, especially because there will be blood loss. They are doing subcutaneous fluids, and soaking her a lot. They will reassess in a few days, probably when specialist arrives. She also said other stuff about inflammatory response and blah blah blah, but frankly I couldn't take in any more.

Chuck Norris will also not let them feed her the oral antibiotics. She is eating well, but won't let them hand feed her. She can be a brat.
It's a good sign that she is eating well. I'm hoping for a happy outcome.
 

Chantel

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A tortoise blood transfusion??? Poor baby needs the surgery ASAP I would think!
 

Tort Love

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First of all, Chuck Norris the Tortoise is apparently Chuck Norris the FEMALE Tortoise. She survived the 3 hour drive to Texas A&M without incident. So did I. :)

It is confirmed she's going to lose her leg. We're not sure yet how much of it. They have CT scans, but need to analyze. Blood work will be back by Monday. Surgery will be Thursday. They will know more when they have all the info and open her up.

I left her with them so they can adjust her meds if needed. Also to avoid stressing her with another car ride. Also hoping they can do the surgery early. The board- certified reptile vet comes back on rotation next week, so that's perfect.

They *seem* pretty confident she'll be ok with either a peg leg or a wheel. I still cried - it's unfair she should have to lose a leg. She's been a very good tortoise.

I have no further explanation as to why this happened. I'll post some pics of the progression. First seeing the cut July 2. Last photos July 27 - just 25 days.

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Thank you for the up date she will be fine praying for her
 

Kadels

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How's she doing?

Thanks for asking! They say she is doing well, but I haven't seen her yet. Her surgery was yesterday. They decided to amputate at the knee. They said everything closed up really well.

Yesterday when they called, they had just fed her but she was not interested in her food. It was the first time that they had seen her without a crazy appetite. This morning, they called again and said she did not touch her food all night and she was sulking in the corner. I started to panic, but then they said that they gave her fresh food this morning and cut up some peaches in it - and she devoured it!

The prosthetic device will be determined later. Apparently, there is some sort of a rep that visits A&M every once in a while, and they want me to bring her when he is there. I have no idea what we will do.

I'm also very nervous about taking care of her right now. I have the option to pick her up Saturday or Monday, and I have decided to wait until Monday because the last thing I want is to get her home and have things go bad again. I just keep thinking how this all started with a cut!
 

Alaskamike

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I appreciate that you posted this. Quite an ordeal for you all. I tend to think of my Sulcata "Tiny" as almost a indestructible little tank, but this clearly shows how a small injury can quickly escalate to a major problem. Makes me careful to check him more often. And I think I'll file down the sharp edges of his shell too, cause he has those..

They will fix her with a good leg prosthetic for sure. Will make her very unique
I wish her a Good recovery :)
 

Chantel

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I am glad the surgery went well. I would be nervous to pick her up too. Is the amputation above or below the knee. It will make a difference in prosthetics. My daughter has a prosthetic arm.
 

Angel Carrion

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I am glad the surgery went well. I would be nervous to pick her up too. Is the amputation above or below the knee. It will make a difference in prosthetics. My daughter has a prosthetic arm.
May I enquire as to the reason your daughter had need for a prosthetic arm?
 

Angel Carrion

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Thanks for asking! They say she is doing well, but I haven't seen her yet. Her surgery was yesterday. They decided to amputate at the knee. They said everything closed up really well.

Yesterday when they called, they had just fed her but she was not interested in her food. It was the first time that they had seen her without a crazy appetite. This morning, they called again and said she did not touch her food all night and she was sulking in the corner. I started to panic, but then they said that they gave her fresh food this morning and cut up some peaches in it - and she devoured it!

The prosthetic device will be determined later. Apparently, there is some sort of a rep that visits A&M every once in a while, and they want me to bring her when he is there. I have no idea what we will do.

I'm also very nervous about taking care of her right now. I have the option to pick her up Saturday or Monday, and I have decided to wait until Monday because the last thing I want is to get her home and have things go bad again. I just keep thinking how this all started with a cut!
In your last photo you posted, I think I saw a small cut, not unlike the one on the dead foot, on her other hind leg. Did you notice this? Was this addressed? If there is a cut, I would hate for it to be missed because of the focus on the amputation.
 

Chantel

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@Angel Carrion my daughter was born with no hand below her elbow. She's fine, but I only mention it as the joints are a big factor in how prosthetics fit and function. With the fast growth of a sulcata, you may need many, but at least they font have to be as advanced as human prosthetics!
 

Angel Carrion

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@Angel Carrion my daughter was born with no hand below her elbow. She's fine, but I only mention it as the joints are a big factor in how prosthetics fit and function. With the fast growth of a sulcata, you may need many, but at least they font have to be as advanced as human prosthetics!
Okay I thought something happened and she had an accident or something.
 

Kadels

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I am glad the surgery went well. I would be nervous to pick her up too. Is the amputation above or below the knee. It will make a difference in prosthetics. My daughter has a prosthetic arm.

I was told it is at the knee - so I don't know exactly. The prosthetic rep will be there Friday (a week from today). I will be out of town, so today I decided to have her stay at A&M for another 2 weeks. The rep can see her sooner rather than later and I won't have to worry about a pet sitter/meds/bandages while I travel. It will cost a pretty penny, but it's worth it to me right now. I miss her SO MUCH, so plan to make the drive to visit her Monday. I wish they were open on weekends!

The vet sent more pics today.

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
 
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