I have been keeping tortoises for 35 years and alarmed that my very mature Testudo Whiteii has developed a runny nose - the first incident of this kind I have encountered. She is having Baytril 1 ml daily administered orally. I am picking up on the internet that oral antibiotics
are harmful to the tortoise digestive system. Before i do any harm, can anyone please clarify.

I think the first thing to do is make sure that your tortoise actually has an infection. RNS is just a blanket term for a runny nose and it's not always an infection. If the tortoise is otherwise well ie eating, drinking etc as normal then there is no reason to say that it is an infection unless swabs have been taken. Many vets just give antibiotics without checking what the problem really is. One of my hatchlings that went to a new home was put into sandy substrate that it was not used to - to cut a long story short, it was taken to the vets given AB's and it died. Another vet diagnosed an irritation of the nares needing steam treatment, but it was too late and the baby died. I had a leopard tortoise once that used to get RNS but it never spread to the other torts and it never stopped eating, so was eventually diagnosed as having an allergy. It always resooneded to a temporary increase in temps and is still going strong many years later with no antibiotic treatment. I would say it depends on his other symptoms ;)

I would not give AB's to my torts though unless there were other symptoms.

Hope this helps

Sue

www.tortsmad.com 

I think the first thing to do is make sure that your tortoise actually has an infection. RNS is just a blanket term for a runny nose and it's not always an infection. If the tortoise is otherwise well ie eating, drinking etc as normal then there is no reason to say that it is an infection unless swabs have been taken. Many vets just give antibiotics without checking what the problem really is. One of my hatchlings that went to a new home was put into sandy substrate that it was not used to - to cut a long story short, it was taken to the vets given AB's and it died. Another vet diagnosed an irritation of the nares needing steam treatment, but it was too late and the baby died. I had a leopard tortoise once that used to get RNS but it never spread to the other torts and it never stopped eating, so was eventually diagnosed as having an allergy. It always resooneded to a temporary increase in temps and is still going strong many years later with no antibiotic treatment. I would say it depends on his other symptoms ;)

I would not give AB's to my torts though unless there were other symptoms.

Hope this helps

Sue

www.tortsmad.com 

Sorry didn't reply to the rest of your post - antibiotics can cause sterile gut syndrom, meaning that treatment with probiotics might be needed. If AB's were proved to be necessary, I would be giving injectable rather than oral, which are not as effective, other than to knock the gut out.

Sue

Thank you very much Sue. Unfortunately the vet in question was difficult to have a dialogue with as seemed to 'know' what to do. Seemed to be searching for signs of Vitamin A deficiency (as cause) and prescribed a high dose. No account taken of the 90% wild food diet tortoise is always fed (mainly dandelion). I won't give this. I would say the tortoise is eating more than I would expect for this time of year and not 'poorly'. Yes, dry skinned but because she is addicted to her basking lamp and rarely likes drinking
water. Her nose is still a bit runny today (day 3) but her head is up looking for food. She had an x ray which she wouldn't stay still for (very strong and stubborn) but lungs showed grey, not black as they should be, so vet said best not to wait for swab results - there was not enough mucous there at the time to get a good sample either. Mouth looks healthy. So, it's difficult to know what to do as not a vet I feel will listen re text book diagnosis re vit A. Too late to swab as she is on Baytril. If there is anything further you can add, I'd be grateful and good advice re probiotic. Thanks again. Linda

I'm wondering if you are in the Liverpool area as there seems to be a vet who has Vit A deficiency on the brain. Please do not treat for vitamin A deficiency without there being a definite diagnosis as it can be quite dangerous. Overdose of Vit A can cause a very painful skin peeling and even death in some cases.  If your tortoise is having a varied diet and being supplemented regularly, it's extrememely unlikely. Some vets are too keen to just prescribe without getting a clear picture, just bulldozing in there and sometimes causing a lot more problems than there were in the first place. This does not mean that you do not need a good vet on hand, but you should certainly be able to talk to them (this is why you pay the astronomical consultation fee for exotics). One vet actually killed one of my hatchlings (after going to a new home) by overprescribing and refused point blank to talk to me on the phone or via email, it was a nasty experience to put it lightly :( I am happy to tell you about it privately on wizzasmum@aol.com

I would be very guarded about treatment here and def not hibernate as gut flora will have been knocked out somewhat by the baytril, so making it more dangerous to lower temps too much.

Hope this helps a little

Sue

www.tortsmad.com