Re: Sulcata shell damage from dog

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Posted by Craig McDonald on July 01, 2002 at 16:14:51:

In Reply to: Sulcata shell damage from dog posted by Mimi on July 01, 2002 at 15:27:30:

: My 3 month old sulcata was atacked by my dachsund. It has a small piece of shell broken of on the edge close to the leg, a small, shallow puncture on the top of it't shell, And a crack on the bottom. I will never leave it alone with the dog again, but was wondering if the shell will heal or regenerate. It would not come out of it's shell for a couple hours, but then came out and acted normal, crawled around like there was nothing wrong. Also, how quickly will it grow and heal if it does heal?

: Thanks alot and please help me out here.

Well, my first reaction is that you are very lucky. About three years ago, our golden retriever/cocker spaniel mutt attacked some of our tortoises. We had 4 tortoises in the pen, and she killed three of them. (two red-foots and one sulcata) All of them were juveniles, and the dog just tore right through their shells. I learned that lesson the hard way.
Now, as to healing, our Sulcata which survived (Jolie) is doing remarkably well. Her shell, however, is permanently disfigured. WHere the dog's teeth punctured her carapace, there will always be a hole. The carapace and the skin WILL heal, but your tortoise will never look the same as it did. On Jolie, the dog tore part of her gular process off, and it will never be replaced. If you have not taken your tortoise to the vet, do so immediately!!!! Dogs have all kinds of bacter ia in their mouths which can cause infection if unchecked. The vet will probably give you an antibiotic ointment to pack into the wounds, and probably an antibiotic wash to clean them. Be sure to thoroughly clean and pack the wounds as the vet advises.
Like I said, Jolie is doing very well, now. The shock, however, did halt her growth for a while. the nearest my wife and I can figure is that her body was concentrating on healing, so couldn't spare any energy for growing. She is finally growing again, but is took almost a year for her to gain any weight. We were very concerned. We now have her housed in a huge enclosure with tow subadult Sulcatas, and she holds her own just fine. I can not stress enough the importance of going to the vet. Even though the damage may not look very bad now, your tortoise could still very easily die of an infected wound, if it's left untreated.
You were SOOOOO lucky. our tortoises were all much bigger than your 3 month old sulcata when they were torn apart. I'm glad to hear you've learned your lesson about dogs and tortoises. I'm enven more glad you didn't have to learn it the way I did.

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: : My 3 month old sulcata was atacked by my dachsund. It has a small piece of shell broken of on the edge close to the leg, a small, shallow puncture on the top of it't shell, And a crack on the bottom. I will never leave it alone with the dog again, but was wondering if the shell will heal or regenerate. It would not come out of it's shell for a couple hours, but then came out and acted normal, crawled around like there was nothing wrong. Also, how quickly will it grow and heal if it does heal? : : Thanks alot and please help me out here. : Well, my first reaction is that you are very lucky. About three years ago, our golden retriever/cocker spaniel mutt attacked some of our tortoises. We had 4 tortoises in the pen, and she killed three of them. (two red-foots and one sulcata) All of them were juveniles, and the dog just tore right through their shells. I learned that lesson the hard way. : Now, as to healing, our Sulcata which survived (Jolie) is doing remarkably well. Her shell, however, is permanently disfigured. WHere the dog's teeth punctured her carapace, there will always be a hole. The carapace and the skin WILL heal, but your tortoise will never look the same as it did. On Jolie, the dog tore part of her gular process off, and it will never be replaced. If you have not taken your tortoise to the vet, do so immediately!!!! Dogs have all kinds of bacter ia in their mouths which can cause infection if unchecked. The vet will probably give you an antibiotic ointment to pack into the wounds, and probably an antibiotic wash to clean them. Be sure to thoroughly clean and pack the wounds as the vet advises. : Like I said, Jolie is doing very well, now. The shock, however, did halt her growth for a while. the nearest my wife and I can figure is that her body was concentrating on healing, so couldn't spare any energy for growing. She is finally growing again, but is took almost a year for her to gain any weight. We were very concerned. We now have her housed in a huge enclosure with tow subadult Sulcatas, and she holds her own just fine. I can not stress enough the importance of going to the vet. Even though the damage may not look very bad now, your tortoise could still very easily die of an infected wound, if it's left untreated. : You were SOOOOO lucky. our tortoises were all much bigger than your 3 month old sulcata when they were torn apart. I'm glad to hear you've learned your lesson about dogs and tortoises. I'm enven more glad you didn't have to learn it the way I did.

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