phoenix44 Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 if the poos are green, it may be an indication of bile... (liver secretion..especially if it is like an algae green)... there is also a possibility that speedy has a gall bladder problem. potentially sources to explore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thanks team! Yes his urine contained blood when last tested at vet.....so could well be kidney damage. Think I'll ph vet tomorrow about gall bladder, kidney???? I'll chat to local health shop and see what I can come up with. Yes I thought a sluury/paste be best. I need to try and get a poo sample for vet...trouble is its nothing solid :roll: I have a 50ml syringe waiting by the bath for something a bit more solid or at least in enough of a clump that I can syringe it up! Ahhh the things we do in our spare time Today I noticed he has lost some of the dull grey colour in his skin. Theres a definate yellow colour returning Still very hypersensitive. But when I put him in bath today he immediately started to move around, move his head, look a bit interested in things... quite a contrast to just 'sitting'. :bounce: I might try him in deeper water again tomorrow and see if he can swim or just float still. He won't move when put on the ground. At least I know I cant loose him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 GOOD WORK DONNA :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 need to try and get a poo sample for vet...trouble is its nothing solid well that the only thing to test then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Yep, just need enough to get into the syringe. It sort of disperses very quick as is so watery...but he did eat a little food today so maybe tomorrow I'll just put enough water in bath to encourage him to 'go' and hopefully it will work. :roll: Thanks Chilli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreViper Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hey, speaking of sick turtles, there's a 26 year old reeves on that other site but looks more like a red-ear and seems to be too big for his shell. Was wondering if it's just me or if it really was overweight/deformed. Just curious. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Yes I asked a question as to what it eats...but they havent answered. It does look very overweight....and shell is odd shape. I didnt know we had reeves in NZ 26 yrs ago? It could be a reeves....judging by the green colour on neck...but they are selling it very cheap if it is... Speedy won't oblidge and wont eat or poo anything today :roll: Will call into health shop on way to work soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 the reeves in question is a fat boy and doesn't have keels on the shell but what appear to be 3 lumps reeves have been here since i was 12 and that is way more than 26 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 OK, so yesterday he ate quite a good amount of Ox heart and today some wet turtle food... and today we have poos! :lol: The green slime is most likely the wee, given his kidneys are pretty bad and showed blood in urine when last tested. So we're not sure how much recovery he will get for his kidneys. Todays poo sample was tested by vet and showed no trace of worms now and is apparently reasonably healthy. I got accidophilus capsules and pulled one apart to get to the powder. At first I mixed a bit with his antibiotic but that wasnt overly succesfull as I couldnt guarantee he got all the AB back into the syringe. I've no idea how much powder to give him. But a whole capsule is for a person, so I'm guessing he wont need much! Can you overdose on acidophilus? :roll: Note to self.... don't leave acidophilus powder exposed to air overnight... It goes hard! :roll: Georgias eyes have completely closed over again :-? Not sure whats going on there but at least they're not as red as they were. Right, tea breaks over, back to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Thanks for the updates Donna, great he's eating better not great about test results Is it common for turtles to get eye problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 salt bath should help eyes if infected also clean water and lots of dry basking good to see he's still hanging in there Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Well yesterday I popped him in a tank with deeper water. He sank like a stone and then struggled like mad to get up to surface to breathe...(then again that can happen to a turtle whose been dry docked as well)... but then he just 'floated'. No attempts to move or swim or open up back feet at all even tho I left him in there for about an hour. Today he ate 2 pieces of wet turtle food and then about 6 pond snails! I was most impressed. Its still really hard to know just how 'well' he will become...and theres still fine watery pus.... Georgia still cant open up her eyes...might be the antibiotic ointment has caused them to 'stick' a bit. Redness has gone, just puffy and shut. I tried gently to wipe eye lids to remove any 'fatty' residue from ointment...but its not worth losing a finger over and then she just pulls her head in so eyes disappear into skin folds :roll: What ratio of salt to water do you think Mincie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 one teaspoon per 4.5 litres water(common salt)ie non iodised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Last chance for Speedy Although there have been little improvements, overall he's not doing well at all. The pus has become thicker, he moves very little nowadays and all the hypersensitivity is still there. He still has the strange grey dot in his eye and although he is showing an interest in food and doing normal poo now, the episodes of pus are increasing. I finally managed to coincide retrieving some pus from the bath with the vet being open and got a sample to him yesterday. He phoned today to say Speedy has definate fladulates swimming around in the pus which is a bowel infection a bit like giardia... (Just as well I'm infection control officer at work and actually like to wash my hands plenty as vet is unsure of transmission possibility to humans of giardia infection. ) So today I went home in my lunch break and collected Georgia (Blind eyes) and took her back to work for the afternoon and at 3pm the vet called in and injected her with some vitamins to combat the deficiency thats causing her eyes to stay shut, and he gave me 2 syringes full of Flagyl for Speedy. (Very nice of vet to do that for me as he was going near where my work is!) Speedy has to have a whole half a ml (not the usual 0.2mls) so thats quite a lot to get into him. He has to have half ml every 2 days for 4 doses. Apparently the fladulates could be the underlying cause of all his woes and if the flagyl is going to work, we should see a significant improvement in him quite quickly. If not...then it probably would be best to ... One thing he has in his favour is that he is so obliging with medicines. Just opens his mouth when I tap it and in goes the syringe and he swallows what I've put in there. I've just given him his first dose of flagyl...in several mouth fulls so he only had a wee bit at a time to swallow...and now hes wrapped up in a towel on my lap with his wee head facing the keyboard as I type. Think I'd better stop now as all of a sudden I'm very sad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Chin up Donna, you are doing a noble thing, others would not have the patience or fortitude to lavish so much care on an animal that they have just 'inherited'. Now I have to go find the tissue box because I have just read the guinea pig thread before this one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Thanks for the updates Donna, great he's eating better not great about test results Is it common for turtles to get eye problems? colloidal silver is often used for (among other things) eye infections in animals. you can get it at the pharmacy in barrington mall next to fresh choice and its best in liquid (for drops) form for this - just one drop per eye is fine. its a common treatment among people who keep animals, and in fact it can often help tummy problems too if you put a drop or two in drinking water or even direct administration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I have all my fingers and toes and everything else I can cross that this medicine will help our little Speedy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Had his second dose of flagyl this morning. Not much change. Has eaten again today as well. Georgias eyes still shut....mmm.... :roll: Am rehoming 2 lovely healthy girls to a vet nurse in Whangare tomorrow. I'm having a day in Auckland and taking them with me. "Norman" at butterfly creek will look after the turtles till lady collects them. Nice to have some good with the bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 many years ago i had a turtle with similar problems to this one and the main reason was vit D deficiency. She wouldn't eat because they don't eat what they can't see, and there was no vet with expertise so I raided the university library for a cure. Cod liver oil enemas. It was not fun for me or her but it did save her although she always floated higher on one side due to liver damage. I was thinking if he is constipated cod liver oil enemas may help, but then again turtle care has advanced considerably since the 1990s. best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 many years ago i had a turtle with similar problems to this one and the main reason was vit D deficiency. She wouldn't eat because they don't eat what they can't see, and there was no vet with expertise so I raided the university library for a cure. Cod liver oil enemas. It was not fun for me or her but it did save her although she always floated higher on one side due to liver damage. I was thinking if he is constipated cod liver oil enemas may help, but then again turtle care has advanced considerably since the 1990s. best of luck! mmm that would have been an interesting experience I've had to put a tube of ointment up a cloaca before, but not an enema! He's not constipated as does have normal poo when he's eaten. Just has it interspersed with the pus :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 7 pages....Goodness this is looking like a novel!!! Third dose of flagyl today and not much improvement. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perpin Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 This little one is very fortunate to have ended up in your care. Your perseverence is heart warming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've been putting off writing...but Speedy is at the vet and will be euthanased in the morning and then an autopsy done. On a brighter note, yesterday Georgia was able to move her eyelids a little. Still hasn't opened them but you can see the iris thru the corner of each eye as she moves her third eyelid etc. So thats taken 9 days so far since the Vit A injection. Also 'boy two' has developed a layer of thin, bone-white plaque over the areas of exposed bone. As this has been slowly debrided off there is now a layer of 'skin' that has formed over the bone undeneath. All looking very good for him and his mate. Shells beginning to harden and both are basking and eating well. Its been a long haul with Speedy, and he certainly made small gains, but would then not look so good. To me, he's now slipped back to about the same level he was in the first few days I had him, so this is the kindest thing for him now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 commiserations donna you and speedy fought a good fight R.I.P. Speedy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repto Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I have to disagree without being mean or questioning your desiscion.It has taken a very long time for him to get like that and the recovery process is just as slow if not more?Shame it had to end like this but at least you did your best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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