Urgent Care :: Desperately worried

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Post Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 2:06 am   Desperately worried

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this forum and am so thankful to have found it. I am so worried about my Kame (pronounced Kah-meh) who we believe has RI. He's 3 yrs old and about 3.5 inches in diameter. We think he stopped eating about a month ago and has lost at least half of his body weight. He used to sink to the bottom of the tank when we put him in water, but now he just floats sort of off-balance.

We just took him to the vet today and had x-rays taken and two injections, one for anti-biotics and second for calcium. Tonite we tried to feed him more anti-biotics orally but had a really hard time getting him to open his mouth. Had to use a toothpick to force his mouth open. I'm so afraid that this a-b feeding ordeal is causing him too much stress - then to make matters worse, it looks like he ended up spitting it back out instead of swallowing it down. He also started bubbling at the mouth and nose.

Are there any of you out there that have had your RES survive an RI? If so, how long does it take before you see improvement in their health after the initial injection of anti-biotics?

I also have two little ones (about 1.5-2 inches in diameter) that might have caught RI too. After Kame stopped eating, so did they. Would this be a behavioral thing rather than actual physical? Do they mimic each other's behaviors (i.e. stop eating and bask more)? They do swim about, and usually want to rest near or on top of Kame, and they seem to look healthy. But they close their eyes more often than they used to, and they won't eat (my biggest concern). The vet today said that I didn't need to separate them, but I don't trust this vet too much. What do you think?

And do you have any pointers on how to open their mouths easier for anti-biotics feeding and making sure that they swallow it instead of spitting it up?

Your advice is most appreciated. And in case you're wondering, the water is now 84F and they were in a 30 gal tank, but now moved to a 10 gal tank and I have a basking rock, but not heated. Instead, I am keeping the air warm using a halogen lamp (Is this ok?). The halogen lamp is very warm, but I don't know the exact temp.

Loli :cry: [/img]
lolip0pi
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 1:22 pm   

oh jeez sounds bad. at least you had the sense to take him to the vet. just keep him under super close supervision....if the little ones were in contact with kame they most likely also got an RI. Ask your vet for advice whenever you need it....keep those turtles warm and comfy.
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da sAUCE!
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 3:30 pm   

I had read somewhere that the anibiotics were injections, I didn't know that they had to swallow them.

I would separate the sick turtle incase the others haven't gotten the RI, even though they may already have it.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your turtles, keep us posted about their condition. :(
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 9:36 pm   

Thank for your responses... I'm extremely sad to report that Kame didn't make it through the night. He was very weak last night at the time I posted this thread and barely moving (about 1am). This morning, we found his poor little body had given up and his cute little turtle spirit was gone. His suffering is over, at least.

I almost regret taking him to the vet and getting him the injections. Maybe the shock was what did it for him. The vet we had didn't seem knowledgeable enough about turtles. But the herp vet we wanted to use was out of town for the weekend. :cry: :cry: :cry:

Today the two little ones, Junior and Caddie, seem to miss Kame a lot. They are acting shy and anti-social. They usually rest close to or on top of Kame, and now they seem lost and disoriented w/out their "big brother" to cozy up to. I'm keeping their environment warm to make sure they don't fall sick too. Caddie ate something, but Junior hasn't yet. I hope they both will make it through this phase of separation and mourning.

Thanks to Straykingfisher and DaSauce. I appreciate your responses very much.

Loli
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Post Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 1:12 am   

You're welcome, I wish your turtle had made it, it is sad to see people lose their turtle friends, it is not always easy to hear about someones turtle pass, it is very sad, I hope your other turtles get over the loss soon, there are some people that say that turtles will be fine by themselves but how does that explain them acting lost when one of thier tank mates dies?, I am sorry there wasn't much else we could've done to help. :(
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 4:31 am   

Thanks Straykingfisher. Your kind words & condolences are greatly appreciated. Most people out there don't understand the loss one feels when they lose their turtle... Even my closest friends don't really understand how it feels - so indifferent. They think it's like no big deal. But it IS a big deal. Our tank looks so empty w/o Kame now. And the two little ones... you can tell they miss him. They really do seem lost.

I think that before having companions, they do fine by themselves. But once having experienced companionship, they grow accustomed to one another and miss each other when one or the other is gone. :( :cry: :(
lolip0pi
 
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Post Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 8:30 am   

You are welcome, I agree with you that a turtle does well alone but once a turtle gets used to its company and then loses it, he feels lost because he no longer sees his friend/companion there anymore, there was a someone that had a sick turtle and had to separate it from the other two into a tank nearby, the whole time the other turtles kept trying to swim to the other turtle which was drydocked.
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 11:30 pm   

sorry about the news.

I know there are some who had their RES survive RI and I think there is a specific medication used (sorry, I don't know what it is...).

Let us know how the others are doing and you might want to give your tank a thorough cleaning just in case.
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Post Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 8:49 am   

I know one of the meds is Baytril, given by injection. I know there are oral meds but not sure what they are. Haven't had one with RI..knock wood.
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 1:03 pm   

Sorry to hear about your poor turtle. Baytril (enrofloxacin) can be given as an injection or orally. Do you know if this is what your turtle was given? It often causes loss of appetite in an of itself.

Turtles can survive RIs, but they must be caught soon and appropriate treatment given.

Clean the tank well for the others and keep an eye on them for any signs of illness. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.
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