Title. A constipated and emaciated red-eared slider. What to do?
INTRODUCTION
All healthy red-eared sliders love to eat and swim. They poo inside the water daily.
This slider eats but no stools for over 7 days. The owner was worried. "Whenever she is submerged in the water, she would swim to the surface for air," the owner told the vet.
Day 3 of in-patient.
Complaint of constipation for "one week".
Surface quickly when he submerged her in the tank.
DIAGNOSIS - X-RAYS
TREATMENT
Syringe feed critical care
Antibiotic
Laxative oil for the past 3 days. Still no stools.
OBSERVATIONS DAY 3
Not moving towards pellets --- lethargy
Ate around 70 pellets when pellets were close enough
NO STOOLS
1 ml of laxative oil was given.
OBSERVATIONS DAY 4
Moving
Ate 10 pellets
Medication given yesterday
OBSERVATIONS ON DAY 7
Day 7.
Constipated slider still had not passed stools on her own for the past 5 days. We gave oil laxative daily for the past 5 days.
What a relief to see loose oily stools were seen in the swollen anal area on Day 5. (video).
These were removed by forceps. Gastric impaction should be cleared by today.
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| Swims lop-sided to the left after stool clearance from inside the cloaca |
OUTCOME
After 7 days of in-patient treatment with antibiotics, critical care and pellet syringe feeding and laxative oil, the slider pooped and was sent home. No more complaints from the owner on follow-up 7 days later.
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Original unedited images. Do not use for video production
