hi all,

daisy has some shell rot that i have been treating with a betadine solution. one of the areas is on the bottom part of the shell, when i was bathing her yesterday i noticed that it look rather bobbly, i ran my nail over it to see if it would come off or if it was rough and it started bleeding slightly. not sure wot to do, as it it is on the bottom of her shell it is hard to keep it clean as she likes digging as all russians do.

should i continue with the betadine or try something else, is there anything i can put on the shell to keep the area clean and dry?

Morning, Daisy has been having this treatment for some time now so I don't think that bleeding should be ocurring. If Daisy were mine I think I would be making a move to a specialist reptile vet. I have been following a thread on the TT forum on this very subject:

http://www.tortoisetrustforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=815 you will see just how quickly the shell deteriorated. Meantime i would try to make her substrate outdoors well drained and perhaps in doors - paper until you get a vets advise.

Good luck, and like always let us know how you get on.

Regards

Elaine

thanks for the response, i noticed on the link that they were using chlorhexadine, is this something i should try? where can i get it from? i have been using the betadine on the top of her shell and and it seems to be working, but i guess because that area gets dirty easier its not working as good. althought it does seem drier than a few days ago as i have been applying twice a day and just rinsing using cotton wool. so as not to soak the area. 

I honestly think the time that this has gone on for you need to get her SEEN for a hands on examination by a specialist vet. If you keep trying to do your best and an infection has started beneath the shell then you would never forgive yourself. Sometimes if you over use Betadine it can have the opposite effect, there are too many grey areas now with this problem to second guess treatment.

HTH

Elaine

Betadine would only keep the area clean, but not actually treat the shell rot.


You really need to see a specialist vet, if you can say what area you are in, one can be recommended to you.
We rehomed a tortoise with some rot, and used 2 different preparations prescribed by our vet, neither of which were betadine.
Laraine

hi i live in norfolk. i think the nearest tortoise vet to me is in norwich (chaplefield) i dont drive and this is about 35 miles away from where i live. i am trying to sort out transport but failling this i will take her to my local vet, they were helpful last time. what treatment did you use, i will ask my vet about it.

Sorry to keep harping on about this BUT I personally wouldn't mention any sort of treatment. That is what you are paying your money for and if the vet doesn't know how to treat this then it is time to walk away and try another.Having said that many vets do do a referal to specialist by phone. It is very frustrating not being able to drive as I have found a lot of the vets i have had to travel to were well off the beaten track, sorry I'm not nearer to you.

Good luck

Elaine 

i will phone my vets tomo and see what they say, because daisy has already been seen for this problem they sometimes dont charge consultation fees again, you never know worth a try. Will see if can get an appointment for friday as that is my next pay day. will keep you posted.

i sometimes that feel that i am doing everything wrong, there are so many things to think about and take into account that i lay awake with worry, its a tortoise nightmare.

It is an ongoing treatment so very much worth pointing this out to them! Tortoises can take a long time before they show any sign of illness, they equally can take a long time to recover too. Perhaps to keep Daisy on a hard surface when outdoors: like concreate and paper when indoors, this would keep it as dry and clean as possible during treatment but i'm sure the vet will advise. Don't loose heart, we're not being very helpfull at the moment as we can't see the problem and to take a stab at how best to care for the tortoise could end up causing more harm than good.

Hang in there

Elaine

Hi tobiesmum
You are doing everything right or else you would not be posting here on the site. I felt like you do when I first got Molly it seemed like it was one thing after the other, but boy do you learn a lot, so try to embrace these little hiccups, and draw comfort that everyone on this site is still learning and all want to give share in the good times as well as the more worrying times with you
Hope you it goes Ok with the vet

Regards
Jane

hi all, daisy has an appointment with the vet tomo. so will let you know what happens. will also get her checked for worms tomo may as well get it all done at the same time. She seems fine in her self and has been out in the garden today first time in 4 days because of the weather, as soon as we go out the back door her little head pops out and i swear she smiles at me.

will keep you up dated

hi all

daisy went to the vets on thursday and had a good check over, the vet said that the betadine had stopped the rot getting worse but that it wasnt healling as would be expected. he gave daisy a small antibiotic injection and has given me a tamodine solution to use twice a day for ten days and then take her back just for a check. have also got the vet to test her poo for worms etc. hopefully daisy will soon have a clean bill of health. thank you for your help.

daisy is enjoying the bank holiday sunshine in the garden with the rest of the family and seems really happy, bless her. will keep you updated. also will trying uploading some pics of her outside enclosurer tonight.

Hi, good to hear that Daisy is on the mend.  Being out in the sun will help her too.

Cant wait to see the pics, let us know if you have any problems

Regards Vivienne