General Care Discussion :: Turtle Basking all Day and not Eating

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:32 pm   Re: Turtle Basking all Day and not Eating

So she was ultimately diagnosed with a bacterial infection. She's been getting antibiotic treatments twice a week (7 so far) Today is supposed to be the last one. Her appetite has returned, but now there's another issue I noticed last week and that seems to be getting worse. The front of her body seems very swollen. I've seen instances after a huge meal where you can tell they are full to the brim, but then it subsides after they digest or take a nice big poop. This is worse than that and it doesn't subside. She's swollen. She doesn't even use her front arms when she swims. She just pushes herself around with her back legs. She also doesn't seem to be pooping much if at all. I told the vet on Friday (on the last visit), but it wasn't the exotic vet that was there. This was a regular vet that just gave her the shot. He didn't say much other than they are treating her for a bacterial infection and if that doesn't fix it they would have to take an x-ray (which is $400 yikes!) to see what else may be going on inside. I've already spent close to $400 in shots and tests.

It's hard to imagine it's obesity because she's coming out of a period where she's been eating way less than usual, not more.

I have an appointment with the exotic vet tonight. Theoretically this would be her last antibiotic shot, but I fear something else is going on that's worse. I'm hoping maybe she's just kind of backed up and constipated from the shots and will return to normal, but I'm fearing the worst.
wcrimi
 
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:15 pm   Re: Turtle Basking all Day and not Eating

There are several possible causes of swelling, but it's hard to know what's reason behind it. I'm not sure if constipation would cause it and you are saying she poops. In the past people would speculate there being some organ failure, has she had any blood work done?

An X-ray should not be $400, that's a bit outrageous. I forgot how much it cost me, but it should be significantly less, like $50-100.
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steve
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Post Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:48 pm   Re: Turtle Basking all Day and not Eating

Whatever was going on with her "swelling" it's slowly subsiding. She's eating, swimming, and basking normally and has her typical energy level back. So I'm going to assume all is well. The vet did another culture her on her and it came back normal. Thanks for the help. Just discussing it with someone clarified my decision making. :D
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