LadyGascoyne
Well-Known Member
Fantastic news scats, hopefully she is now on the mend.
Vet trip for Tia
- Thread starter scats
- Start date
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Lovely to hear that there's a small step in the right direction. Really hope the rest of the recovery continues in a steady pace onwards and upwards for Tia.
{{{{{{Vibes}}}}}}
{{{{{{Vibes}}}}}}
Bearsmum
Well-Known Member
That is great to hear, she must be feeling better, otherwise they just stare at food as if you've offered them a rock to eat!
Ratface
Well-Known Member
Dratted Cat! Dear Madam Fatty Chatty Carrie Catty is rapidly running out of Stars for Good Behaviour: this morning, at 0400hrs, Madam turned up her alarm clock shriek (Fooood! NOOOW!!") to gale warning velocity. Crawled out of the bunk, Madam running between my ankles and being a furry trip hazard, and gave her her usual amount of breakfast biscuits. This emptied the pack. Back to my bunk. Madam appeared on the pillow, repeating her refrain several decibels louder and in a higher key, keeping time with a metronome foot on my eyelids. I suggested that she got off me. Tiger-like claws hung on. Shrieks upped several ranges. Madam wanted "Mooore Fooood" and was channelling the spirit of Freddy Mercury in that she "Want(ed) It NOOOW!". I said some disobliging words to her, grabbed car keys and got off the barge in the pitch black, high tide, rolling wave, ditto pontoons. Drove two miles to garage, got cat biscuit, drove back, shimmied over gang plank, along narrow side deck, chambered down ladder to aft quarters and galley. No sign of Cat. Eventually found in her snug, wrapped up fast asleep in her tail. Filled cat bowl. Madam still asleep, twelve hours later. Cat bowl not touched. Dratted Cat.
scats
Well-Known Member
She ate a whole dandelion this morning
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
Go Tia! 
Bearsmum
Well-Known Member
Yay to that, well done Tia, you'll be trawling round the supermarkets looking for her favourite nibbles soon.
oldandgold
Well-Known Member
Good girl Tia, keep eating them dandelions. Have read this morning of a tortoise who has had a bladder stone bigger than a tennis ball removed
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scats
Well-Known Member
Good girl Tia, keep eating them dandelions. Have read this morning of a tortoise who has had a bladder stone bigger than a tennis ball removed
My friend sent me that link yesterday! Huge wasn’t it?
That’s why it is important to ensure tortoises are passing urates in their pee a couple of times a week. If this doesn’t happen, it can cause bladder stones.
Tia passed urates this morning, thankfully!
scats
Well-Known Member
Huge improvements again this weekend 
Tia started actively seeking out food yesterday (previously had to encourage her to get her going) and wolfed down her dandelions and cucumber.
Today she took herself over to her feeding slate and ate kale, dandelions and cucumber. I then offered her some of her tortoise pellets and for the first time in months she tucked in to those too!
She’s also much more alert, wanting to come out and explore the room rather than stay in her house. It feels like we’ve got Tia back
Tia started actively seeking out food yesterday (previously had to encourage her to get her going) and wolfed down her dandelions and cucumber.Today she took herself over to her feeding slate and ate kale, dandelions and cucumber. I then offered her some of her tortoise pellets and for the first time in months she tucked in to those too!
She’s also much more alert, wanting to come out and explore the room rather than stay in her house. It feels like we’ve got Tia back
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
Come on Tia! Eat up! 
Rumtytum
Have Marmite, will travel
Go chomp Tia! 
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
How do you still her hibernating, just keep the temperature up?
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scats
Well-Known Member
Yes keep the temperature up and lighting as normal and also keep feeding her as normal.
I didn’t hibernate her last winter either as I was advised to wait until she was at least 4 (which she is this year), but she probably won’t hibernate now until she is at least 6.
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Go Tia Go!
Bearsmum
Well-Known Member
Excellent, that is good news, it's been a long journey, but hopefully she is now coming out the other side
scats
Well-Known Member
Tia went for her next check up today. Think it’s been 6 weeks since surgery now.
They are delighted with her. She’s still gaining weight and is eating pretty much normal quantities now every day of her own accord. The next step is to start weaning her off the tube feeds. I had cut them down a bit, but I’ve got a plan now to get her off them in the next 2 weeks, monitoring her weight weekly to ensure she’s not losing. She could do with putting a bit more on still.
Then she will do 2 weeks completely without tube feeds (provided all goes well) and then she goes back to the vet in November and if she’s successfully eaten every day and gone 2 weeks off the tube, they will consider removing it
I hadn’t met this particular vet but she was actually the one who did the sawing into her plastron during the surgery, so she was really delighted to see how well she is doing. Tia has got quite a fan following there now!
We arrived a bit early so she had wander around the car
They are delighted with her. She’s still gaining weight and is eating pretty much normal quantities now every day of her own accord. The next step is to start weaning her off the tube feeds. I had cut them down a bit, but I’ve got a plan now to get her off them in the next 2 weeks, monitoring her weight weekly to ensure she’s not losing. She could do with putting a bit more on still.
Then she will do 2 weeks completely without tube feeds (provided all goes well) and then she goes back to the vet in November and if she’s successfully eaten every day and gone 2 weeks off the tube, they will consider removing it
I hadn’t met this particular vet but she was actually the one who did the sawing into her plastron during the surgery, so she was really delighted to see how well she is doing. Tia has got quite a fan following there now!
We arrived a bit early so she had wander around the car
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Yay, go Tia! I presume you're feeling cautiously relieved. Hope it continues to continue onwards and upwards {{{{{{Vibes}}}}}}
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
Great news about Tia! 
Ratface
Well-Known Member
Great news! I'm so pleased that Tia seems to be on the mend. Also that you have a good veterinary team to rely on. I hope that her recovery continues.
Bearsmum
Well-Known Member
That is good news, at least this mild weather means there is still plenty of dandelions about (well in Norfolk there are) so you should continue to have a fresh food supply
oldandgold
Well-Known Member
That is good news - keep on eating Tia
scats
Well-Known Member
Tia and Oakley
scats
Well-Known Member
Guess who is tube free?
Tia had another check up today, to see how she was getting on after I stopped all tube feeds and meds.
All great news! She has gained more weight and the vet was happy to remove the feeding tube!
She said she can now go back onto her substrate again, though to hold off on baths until after Christmas.
She’s got a bit of flaky tissue build up where the feeding tube went in to her neck, which the vet tried to get out, but it was quite stuck so she didn’t want to make a Tia sore. So she has said that it may well heal and go away or it might stay the same, but should cause Tia no issues at all.
She advised keeping some heat on overnight as we are not hibernating her and it’s getting to the colder months, but basically we are pretty much back to normal… so Tia has been signed off from the vets!
The total cost came to a good chunk over £3.5k, but I have a healthy and happy tortoise to show for it
Tia had another check up today, to see how she was getting on after I stopped all tube feeds and meds.
All great news! She has gained more weight and the vet was happy to remove the feeding tube!
She said she can now go back onto her substrate again, though to hold off on baths until after Christmas.
She’s got a bit of flaky tissue build up where the feeding tube went in to her neck, which the vet tried to get out, but it was quite stuck so she didn’t want to make a Tia sore. So she has said that it may well heal and go away or it might stay the same, but should cause Tia no issues at all.
She advised keeping some heat on overnight as we are not hibernating her and it’s getting to the colder months, but basically we are pretty much back to normal… so Tia has been signed off from the vets!
The total cost came to a good chunk over £3.5k, but I have a healthy and happy tortoise to show for it
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
scats
Well-Known Member
oldandgold
Well-Known Member
Fantastic news for you both - she is one very lucky girl to live with someone prepared to pull out all the stops for her.Guess who is tube free?
Tia had another check up today, to see how she was getting on after I stopped all tube feeds and meds.
All great news! She has gained more weight and the vet was happy to remove the feeding tube!
She said she can now go back onto her substrate again, though to hold off on baths until after Christmas.
She’s got a bit of flaky tissue build up where the feeding tube went in to her neck, which the vet tried to get out, but it was quite stuck so she didn’t want to make a Tia sore. So she has said that it may well heal and go away or it might stay the same, but should cause Tia no issues at all.
She advised keeping some heat on overnight as we are not hibernating her and it’s getting to the colder months, but basically we are pretty much back to normal… so Tia has been signed off from the vets!
The total cost came to a good chunk over £3.5k, but I have a healthy and happy tortoise to show for it
View attachment 127574
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
Great news about Tia!
scats
Well-Known Member
I’m looking forward to putting all her substrate down today and I can’t wait to see her dig again!
She loves to dig and bury herself, so she’s been quite annoyed at being on newspaper for the last couple of months
The vets have been fantastic and anyone in Cheshire area who needs an exotics vet, I’d highly recommend Birch Heath in Tarporley. I’ve had to travel a bit to get there (only about 40 minute trip) but it’s been well worth it. All the vets and vet nurses have been fantastic, aswell as the reception staff. If I’d have known we were being signed off yesterday, I’d have taken them in a gift.
I will definitely be using them for any vet issues to do with Tia in the future.
She loves to dig and bury herself, so she’s been quite annoyed at being on newspaper for the last couple of months
The vets have been fantastic and anyone in Cheshire area who needs an exotics vet, I’d highly recommend Birch Heath in Tarporley. I’ve had to travel a bit to get there (only about 40 minute trip) but it’s been well worth it. All the vets and vet nurses have been fantastic, aswell as the reception staff. If I’d have known we were being signed off yesterday, I’d have taken them in a gift.
I will definitely be using them for any vet issues to do with Tia in the future.
Rumtytum
Have Marmite, will travel
The best news scats, am so pleased for you, Tia and the vets (who sound brilliant)!
Looking forward to some Tia digging pics
Looking forward to some Tia digging pics