Home

>

Reptile

>

Hi. My turtle's, red ear slider, eyes have closed up and are swollen. He hasn't eaten anything in weeks. His shell is almost pale white. He is 12 years and I've had him since day 1. The water temp had always been room temp. I have recently placed a heat lamp in the tank and also added a water heater. I don't know how to get him to eat, surely he won't survive much longer without food. He has also lost movement in his hind right leg, I'm guessing due to malnutrition.. can you please help?

Hi. My turtle's, red ear slider, eyes have closed up and are swollen. He hasn't eaten anything in weeks. His shell is almost pale white. He is 12 years and I've had him since day 1. The water temp had always been room temp. I have recently placed a heat lamp in the tank and also added a water heater. I don't know how to get him to eat, surely he won't survive much longer without food. He has also lost movement in his hind right leg, I'm guessing due to malnutrition.. can you please help?

Updated On December 5th, 2017

Pet's info:

Image profile

Answered By Ady Y. Gancz, DVM, ABVP (Avian), ECZM

Veterinarian, Board-certified avian specialist

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

Hi, and thank you for this question. Smudgy's condition sounds serious, and cannot be treated at home. He will have to be examined by a vet ASAP and will likely need some medication as well as supportive care. The vet would also have several options of getting food into him (e.g. by inserting a feeding tube).

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

See More Answers

Related Questions

left image

My barrel racing horse is refusing to eat. She stands with her butt against the stall wall and rests her hocks. She usually stops this when I exercise her. What is going on?

If she's not eating, she's eating painful, colicky, or both. Take a heart rate if you know how to do this--normal is 20-40 beats/minute. If it's higher than this, she's painful and needs to see a veterinarian. If she is rolling, looking at her sides, or not passing manure, she needs to see a vet as these are signs of colic. If you really think she's resting her hocks, then they are sore, and she needs xrays to see what kind of arthritis is going on and what steps you need to take to make her more comfortable. Hope that helps!

Read More

My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

Read More

My dog has a lump like in the photo on both sides. Not hard. Seems like swollen. Her regular vet thought it had to do with her hips and seemed confident they aren’t tumors. I think it has grown some though.

Hello. If Scarlett has 2 lumps pretty much over each hip, & with Scarlett being a slightly older dog, then my guess is she has "love handles". If Scarlett is also a little overweight, the hips are a common place for some fat to accumulate. Rest assured that tumors rarely happen in the same area on both sides of the body, & since your vet is rather unconcerned, then it sounds like Scarlett is fine. If you are really concerned, you can ask your veterinarian to do a fine needle aspirate in which a very small needle is used to remove a drop or 2 of sample from under the lumps. A quick look will tell if there are any concerns. I hope this helps & thanks for contacting Boop by Petco.

Read More

There seems to be two wounds underneath my cat’s ear. There is not one on the other side. Does it look like ringworm or caused by fleas? What can I use to help her? It was smaller a week ago.

Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Tor and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. Yes, I see the two wounds, and they could be caused by her scratching at her ear. While that could be due to fleas, it may be she has an ear infection causing her to scratch at her ears. Continually scratching at them would cause the wounds to get bigger. This does need to be checked out by a vet, as if she does have an ear infection, it could be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria. In addition, the ear drum needs to be visualized through an otoscope to make sure it's still intact before any medication is given. Ear problems can be considered an emergency as leaving them untreated can lead to hearing loss. Given that these wounds are getting bigger, I'd see if you can get her into her vet asap. I hope this helps!

Read More

My cat is having trouble passing a turd... He keeps producing small amounts of this brown mucous on the pee pad I have in front of the litter box, but hasn't been able to completely eliminate the actual piece. He's eating normally & drinking plenty of water, & he's at a healthy weight. I realize that I'm going to have to take him to the vet if this doesn't clear up, but in the meantime, is there anything I can do to help him?

Seeing your vet ASAP is definitely a good idea to make sure there isn't an impaction causing the severe constipation that may need an enema or stool softeners to resolve. In the meantime, you can try offering a little bland yogurt to try and help the soften the stool, as well as make sure he's drinking plenty of water by mixing some into his food, but if Booboo is in severe distress, hasn't passed any stool at all, or is having other symptoms such as abdominal pain or stops eating, you should seek out veterinary care from your vet or a local ER clinic immediately.

Read More

My cat was prescribed antibiotics for diarrhea and today was his second day of taking them. He’s required to take 0.5 mL of the antibiotic and another one after 12 hours (twice a day). Today, he lost his appetite (only ate a few treats) and threw up clear liquid twice and clear yellow liquid 3 times. He is also lethargic.

Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. I'm sorry to hear that Leo is having this problem. Many antibiotics cause gastrointestinal issues in cats so you will need to call your vet and let them know what is going on. Most likely they will have you stop one or both of the antibiotics and prescribe something different. I would also suggest that you put him on a pre/probiotic while he is taking antibiotics and then continue for at least one week after the antibiotics have been stopped. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Read More

right image
image

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored