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Old 16-09-2016, 08:45 PM   #1
Cjmur
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Default Tortoise suspected bladder stone surgery help please????

Hello everyone, just looking for some advice if you could spare a minute or two....

Long story short, my 3 year old Hermann called Jen, lost their appetite recently, was struggling to poo and has recently become very lethargic. Took a trip to the vets today and had horrible news. Jen has a 2cm mass (they are almost positive it's a bladder stone) and this is causing her to be backed up. She is only a small tortoise (10cm long and approx 196g) so the mass is very big for her size.

The vet said her only option is surgery to remove the stone, and I thought okay, great, even though the vet said the survival rate may not be good I thought it was worth it. Then I was told the price and my heart sank. I was told it would be in the £2000-£2500 range for the surgery and everything along with it. Honestly, I can't afford that much money, I just don't have it. I was thinking it would be £500-£750 maximum, which I could just about scrape together. I love my tortoise and it breaks my heart I can't afford to help them.

I guess I'm hoping for a miracle and someone to tell me there is some sort of alternative to surgery? Or even that my vets are overcharging and there is a cheaper option?

Thank you for your help.
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Old 20-09-2016, 02:41 PM   #2
Gordon
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That seems an awful lot of money.
Have you tried bathing her in as warmer water as you can and deep so she needs to stretch her head up to breathe stones only tend to happen when a tort is dehydrated if you keep doing it she might drink enough to make her pass it you will be amazed as to how they can pass such things but sometimes they will.
Leave her in the water as long as you can if it goes cold start again.
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Old 20-09-2016, 05:20 PM   #3
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Hello,

Thankyou for your reply. Since posting this I have since found a cheaper vet who can do the same operation. Sadly my tort has been admitted to the vets and isn't very well and it's unsure as to whether she can actually have the surgery. We will know later this week.

Does anyone know if I did anything wrong to cause such a thing? I have another younger tortoise you see and I am very paranoid that the same thing will happen. I have a good set-up of a tortoise table (not a vivarium) indoors and an outdoor area for summer. They are fed a green leaf based diet of mixed weeds/plants and the occasional treat. I supplement their food with vitamins/minerals a few times a week and they are bathed daily and have access to water when they need it. Did I just have really bad luck or can someone point out something I am doing wrong?
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Old 20-09-2016, 06:46 PM   #4
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http://www.tortoise-protection-group...k/site/163.asp

I am sorry to hear this. And poor little Jen. I've hyperlinked some information that TK's should all be aware of. Gordon is massively experienced so try that also. Is your Vet on a hill? I suggest they saw you coming or thought you had private insurance. A weeks stay in hospital with surgery for a little tortoise at the local society cost £250, so I cant see how on earth it would cost that much. I would ask around if I were you but try Gordon's solution meanwhile. keeping on paper / dehydration / too much limestone / too much calcium...just add water and see it solidify - all can contribute especially if pre disposed. Keep us posted and good luck. Try lettuce /cucumber too. And if can add hipp baby food organic carrots to the bath water for extra vits. or Reptoboost. CB
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Old 20-09-2016, 08:25 PM   #5
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Goodness me, no wonder your heart sank at that estimate!! It seems very steep.
As said, keep up the warm baths and I'll keep everything crossed that she can pass the stone herself. Was the stone diagnosed via an x-ray?
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Old 20-09-2016, 09:07 PM   #6
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This does seem like a huge amount of money. One of my tortoises had an operation under general anaesthetic and stayed overnight. The cost was a few hundred quid.

It must be worth shopping around. Is there a small animal hospital you can get to?
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Old 20-09-2016, 09:55 PM   #7
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Forgot to say that I also have a UV lamp and a heat lamp in my set-up too and a thermometer to ensure the temperature is high enough.

Thank you for the additional replies too, my posts don't seem to be showing up straight away, but I am grateful for all your help.
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Old 21-09-2016, 12:11 AM   #8
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I am sorry to hear this. My own vet is ill at the moment and I have had to shop around searching for someone I can trust and B wont cost me an arm and a leg!!

Has your vet referred you? A friend of mine has recently had her beloved female spayed and her vet referred her to Great Western Exotics, Swindon. With all the follow up visits to her own vet she stopped counting at £3,000 Another friend had her female spayed (which I am assuming would be a similar op and it cost her £800. So there is a lot of variation.

If it were me I would ring round vets explain the situation and ask what they would charge for the op. Good luck
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Old 21-09-2016, 07:03 PM   #9
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I remember taking my dog to the vets for his jab which I paid for and the vet charged me a consultation fee. I asked the receptionist why and they went and enquired and came back and said because I asked what the life cycle of a flea was. I just stood there blinking I honestly thought she was joking. Shop around and ask for their code of practice or code of ethics too if unsure but definitely ask for a breakdown of the costs as you will find they will charge for things like two pairs of rubber sterile gloves @ £5.99, and other items you can choose not to have, like a supplement of 10 grammes taken from a jar of 100grammes and pay for the whole jar.. where another surgery won't. CB
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Old 23-09-2016, 08:40 PM   #10
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I think you have to watch what's vets do and charge. Some seem quick to take your money but not very keen to refund it. When poor Georgia died I had paid mega bucks for the care and investigations beforehand.....and paid money for a urine test just hours before she died.... I didn't get a refund.
I took a hedgehog I found coughing to the same vets and was charged £40 for an injection, only to discover later I should have had the injection free because hog was a wild animal.
Sadly, this vets group do specialise in torts etc so I guess reepsnlots of rewards x X X x
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