Lucy, the African Spurred Tortoise, Ate a piece of Wire
Below is a set of x-rays posted in a discussion on Veterinary Information Network, or VIN for short. This site is a large website where doctors, 30,000 to 40,000 veterinarians from around the world, can discuss cases, what is happening at their clinics or in their lives, animals of any kind, and just about anything else we decide would make a good subject. Mostly we discuss our cases (the ill pets we treat), help others with the pet health problems they are seeing in their clinics, or ask for help ourselves.
In Lucy's case, I wanted to ask for opinions from other veterinarians, who treat tortoises and turtles, on what they would suggest for her (treatment or surgery) due to damage caused by a piece of metal wire she has eaten. Look at the x-rays and read the discussion; then think of what you would do!
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VIN Discussion and X-rays:
Posted By Ray Emerson
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06/13/11 16:51 ET |
I've just seen a 12 year-old, 20# African Spurred Tortoise G.I. foreign body. She and another were shipped into Texas from Missouri a few months ago, kept at a dealers home for 3 months watching for disease problems, and then she wen to the new owner's 3 months ago. Both tortoises look great from the outside, but then, I took and x-ray of the girl.
She has been feeling great, but on Saturday, she began to lie around. She also regurgitated. The lady became worried, called several veterinarians who didn't work on reptiles, and finally ended up here. She is anorectic at this time, hasn't regurgitated anymore, becomes active after baths, but quickly reverts back to lethargy, and near totasl inactivity.
I talked to the lady about the substrate in the area where the tortoises live, dirt covered with grave. I anticipated the tortoise had compacted with gravel; I was wrong. She has eaten a piece of twisted wire. Please see the x-rays below.
I will greatly appreciate any suggestions. I have never had to go into a tortoise or turtle for anything like this.
Thanks!!
Ray
Images below:
The perfectly round object is an tortoise egg (right side of image). She has either laid the rest of her eggs in a nest, or she will be developing more.
You can see the piece of twisted wire, surrounded by other radiopaque (white objects in the x-ray) material, in or beside her digestive tract (left side of image).
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I have handled many turtle and tortoise digestive foreign bodies and impactions before with oral cisapride, but I am afraid this will need surgery. What do you all think??
Thanks,
Ray.
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| NEW 9. Posted By Dr. Jim |
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06/13/11 17:34 ET |
You need more than one time point to know whether the metallic object is moving or not. I'd also check a CBC and chem to get an idea of how this tortoise is doing metabolically. When did it lay the rest of the eggs?
Jim
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| NEW 10. Posted By Dr. Brad |
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06/14/11 07:43 ET |
Ray,
I agree with Jim but monitoring of the objects movement will need to be done rather quickly given the clinical picture you describe. My guess is that this will be a surgical case and that you should be prepared to go to surgery either yourself or to find someone more experienced if needed. Brad
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I talked with Dr. Sue Chen of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, 1111 West Loop South, Houston, Texas. She and Dr. Natalie Antinoff handle exotics at that clinic.
She said she had some turtles and tortoises that had carried materials like this wire for years, encapsulated I guess, in or around the digestive tract. She said that from the position, she would certainly worry it would perforate.
Lucy, the tortoise, was in today for another x-ray, blood work, and a fecal. She had two large BMs yesterday, has not eaten, but seems to feel a lot better. Apparently after passing all of the material which was well formed and contained no visible blood, she spent a lot of time moving about the yard normally.
I got a good blood sample and am sending it to the TAMU Diagnostic Lab at College Station. Overnight delivery should get those results back quickly.
Below are a couple of views of today's radiograph; the wire is still there, and it appears to me to be in exactly the same place, even with all of the stool passed!! Take a look and please tell me what you think.
Finding someone who was will to do the surgery was difficult. I talked to several doctors; all were very nervous about survivability.
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