Urgent Care :: Not urgent, need advice

[Amersboo]

My 10+ year old RES has liver problems. We just got bloodwork done and it appears that's what the issue is. Our vet is recommending herbs to get his liver functioning better. Has anyone else experienced this? Did herbs work? It seems like feels bad most of the time and it's sad to see.

[steve]

This is probably the first time I'm reading about something like this. There's a lot of unknowns of reptile medicine, but you might want to look into a second opinion. What are his symptoms?

[Jeremiah]

You might want to get a second opinion from another vet. Is your regular one well-versed in exotics?

I ask because liver failure is a difficult situation to deal with, especially in chelonians. In addition to that, I've never seen or heard of it in RES. Any possibility of a mis-diagnosis could make a huge difference in the amount of time and money you'll spend for your turtle in the future.

[Amersboo]

I actually just sent the results over to my old herp vet in another state. He confirmed that he does in fact have liver problems going on and will need the herbs - as that is his best bet. I think both seem a bit mystified as to why. He eats a healthy diet, weekly water changes, sunbathes regularly and has grown substantially. In fact, there are two other turtles in our tank that have been doing well for all these years, no problems. I just don't get it. I am also concerned that he is suffering a lot. He stays at the bottom of our tank all the time, doesn't like to come up. He's always been shy but you can tell he just doesn't feel good. How can you tell if he's in pain or discomfort?

[steve]

I guess I would look for suppressed appetite and inactivity. Is he kept separate from the other turtles? How fast was his growth? That seems to be one of the main factors in health related issues.

[Jeremiah]

Please describe what his diet consists of. If you're unintentionally feeding him too much Vitamin A or too many fatty foods, that could be the reason.