Tommy the Tortoise
When Tommy, a 30 year old Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise, refused to eat after his winter hibernation, his owners brought him up to Summerhill Veterinary Centre.
He had always been in good health, roaming the garden in summer and hibernating in winter. This year, something was not right and Tommy’s owners were worried.
When vet, Sophie, examined Tommy, she found Tommy to be dehydrated and slightly underweight but in otherwise good condition. Sophie also suspected that Tommy was actually a female due to “her” shorter tail.
Tommy was admitted into the hospital and was first placed under a heat lamp to gain warmth. Reptiles cannot make their own body heat, so heat is a must to warm them up to the correct body temperature.
Once Tommy had gained enough heat to start walking around, a blood sample was taken to check the function of the internal organs. The blood test confirmed moderate dehydration but otherwise no abnormalities.
X-rays were taken which confirmed excellent bone structure and no evidence of major disease or abnormalities. However, there were some follicles (unshelled eggs) seen.
An ultrasound scan confirmed that there were follicles and that Tommy was therefore definitely female! The follicles looked normal.
Tommy's heart was checked for any abnormal fluid around the heart. Luckily Tommy’s heart was beating normally and looked in good shape.
Over the next few days fluids were given to correct the dehydration. Daily bathing in warm water three times daily helped to re-hydrate Tommy and encourage her to urinate.
The vets and nurses assist fed Tommy via a stomach tube with a mixture
of warm water and glucose. Tommy was a great patient and tolerated this well.
On the second day she started to urinate which was a good indication that she was now well hydrated and ready for real food. Tommy was offered various weeds and grasses – she particularly liked dandelions.
Tommy was sent home after three days in our pet hospital and is continuing to eat and put on weight. We will re-scan her to check if her follicles are changing in size. If they do not change, they may start causing problems and Tommy may need to be spayed. Until then her caring owners are concentrating on keeping Tommy warm with heat lamps in the colder days and putting her in the sun on warmer days. She is having regular baths and a variety of food.
The staff at Summerhill loved having Tommy to stay and are still wondering if she may be one of their oldest patients!
If your pet is older than Tommy let us know!
