Hi all, I am new to the forum and was given two lovely tortoises that had came from a street market in Cairo, we live here at the red sea and have a large garden and a few sandy areas they roam around in. The problem here is that there are only a couple of vets and i was given a dog wormer tonight to worm them? I know this is wrong but the big male is full of worms and I am distraught, they are both very good eaters, I also posted about giving cauliflower as its a natural wormer for dogs but I dont know if its even ok for the two tortioses to eat ? Also they have runny noses with bubbles, he told me not to worry about that? I just dont know what to do. I am new to haveing tortoises and want to do the best I can for them can anyone out there advise me please. Thanks alot !

Hi and  to the forum. Im afraid im not that clued up on Egyptians but i wouldnt recommend cauliflower. Is the wormer Panacur? If so then it is ok to use the dog one but your tortoises need to be weighed in order to give the correct amount?. Keep an eye on the runny nose and bubbles, this could just be a case of the worms that are causing it but if this doesnt clear up after their treatment then i recommend you go back to the vet.

Ali

Hi Ali , they are both spur thigh ...the vet said most likely brought here from Libya, this is a cruel trade and rife here. I took them because I hated the thoughts of them stuck in a box all day with a few dirty carrots when we can give them hopefully vet care( thats available here ) and a nice land to roam around. The wormer  was not panacur as the vet only had the tablets, he gave me the syrup in a syringe and I dident even see what the name was. The next time I have anyone coming from the uk I will get them to bring me the wormer 'for tortioses'  Another problem is the age ect,  it's just a guessing game really but the small one the vet thinks is a female is very very active trying to climb walls ect I will keep a close eye on them both. Never thought they would be so lively and active !!  I

Thanks a million

Hi Tara.  The runny nose with bubbles might turn out to be a problem whatever the vet says.  If it doesn't go away you might want to get another opinion on that. If it is what we call Runny Nose Syndrome there is a medicine that works quite well called Baytrill.  Baytrill isn't actually a medication for tortoises either, but it does work.

Panancur is reckoned to be the best for worms and its sold for horses mainly I think.  If you still have a worm problem and get hold of panacur, someone will help you work out how much to give the torts.  Its worked out according to weight.

Hi great advice, hopefully I can find Baytrill here, Yes I am worried about the runny nose and can't just leave it. Thanks a lot.

Hi Tara,

Just to echoe what Jonathan has said, your tortoise does need veterinary traetment in the form of antibiotics, usually Batryl.
Failure to treat RNS, an upper tract respiratory disease, can lead it to the infection moving into the lungs, resulting in pneumonia. It is very poor advice to say it will be OK:-(

HTH
Darren

Thank you for coming back to me, we are in Hurghada Red Sea Egypt and just have to make the best of the vets we have here. I can ask around to see if any of the vets carry batryl, or maybe a pharmacy ( it's unbelievable some of the things they sell over the counter here )!! The big male has had two doses of  dog wormer syrup and this morning there were a few more large live worms and a few nice eggs in his poo. The two torts are eating well and basking in the sun, I just hope I can find the things I need for them here and for sure I won't take 'its ok' even from a vet when I can see the poor things are just not right!! Thank god I found this website it's brilliant. Kind Regard and thanks a million !

Hi Darren, The bad news is that I can't get Batryl in Hurghada, the pharmacy told me it's not available in Egypt!  She gave me Curam 156,25 mg/5 ml and said it could be used. I won't use it until I know it is safe to give them. The lady in the pharmacy said it's used here to treat babies ( Human that is ) for penumonia and also gave me Phenadone which is anti allergic anti inflammatory!! Now I am at my wits end. Would you let me know if you have ever heard of this and if anyone knows how safe it would be to use on the tortioses as a last resort? Like I said I will not be giving it to them without sound advice. Thanks so much. Kind Regards Tara.

Hi Tara,

Have they ben treated for worms yet please. A heavy worm load will result in a tortoise becoming run down and will inhibit fighting any infection?

TC
Darren

Hi Darren, The male has been wormed and he passed around 15 large worms and on the last day I seen seen the same amount of smaller worms and quite a few eggs in his poo but the vet told me to worm him for the next five months to make sure we have got rid of all the eggs. To be honest I don't know how these little tortoises have survived with so many of these things living in their bodys I felt so sorry for the male. I only wormed the male because he has more weight  and I was worried about the dog wormer the vet gave me, it seems to have done him no harm so I will do the female now. Do you think I should leave any other treatment for a couple of months or at least until he has been wormed again to see if the runny nose clears up? I had a thought last night, we know a vet here who deals with poultery ect so I am giving him a ring today just to double check on the Baytril. Kind Regards Tara

Hi Tara,

Have you the drug names and concentration as opposed to the trade names for the medication you have please?

Kindest Regards
Darren

Hi Darren,

The drug name is Biomax ....active ingredients amoxicillian. but I can't find any information on the concentration. They both seem to have less runny noses after being wormed but I am keeping a close eye on them, they are also both walking high on their feet and eating well but I just hope it continues to improve and I won't have to use this drug ( if it turns out to be safe for them ) Kind Regards Tara! Thanks a million.