General Care Discussion :: Oral meds.

[CRice]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to see if I could score some suggestions on getting my baby RES to take oral meds (cod liver oil). He has a slight eye infection and I took him to see a herp specialist. She informed me its definitely due to a lack of Vitamin A. She has me feeding him cantaloupe, spinach and other veggies. So hes been good about the eye drops, but he will not open his mouth for the cod liver oil (not that I can blame him.) Any suggestions, so that I can sneak a small soft plastic pipette in?? Much appreciated .

[RunninWideOpen]

Was it a herp vet that you took your little friend too? Those seem like odd suggestions to me.

Anyway, the only way I was able to get my little one to take the oral meds was to really tick him off. Poke him in the head and the sides of the face and get him to bite the syringe. The first couple days even took about an hour before I could even get him to bite it. After that it took only a few minutes.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[steve]

Well, spinach should be avoided. If you get a cod liver capsule (the kind from a pharmacy or health food store), puncture it and moisten some pellets with it. You can also apply it directly to the eye or pick up some Zoo Med Repti Turtle eye drops, many pet stores should have it. Carrots are also a good source of vit A.

Was a lack of vitamin A the only reason given? Many people, including vets, jump to the idea that eye problems are usually attributed to vit A deficiencies and I'm not always inclined to agree.

[CRice]

Yes she is a herp vet, her practice is at the local animal hospital. Also yes to the vitamin A question. She wants me to bring him back on saturday to see how he is progressing from the treatment. Today he was a bit better about the pipette, at first wanted nothing to do with it, but once I harassed him a bit he popped his jaws enough for me to get a solid drop in there. Also the oil can be applied directly to his eyes? Would that do anything to counteract the drops she prescribed for him (gentamicin sulfate). Also just a quick spot about me, my name is Colby and I've owned a RES previously, but he got a little too big for me to keep so I donated him to my local aquarium. My current baby RES is Irwin and hes about 18 mos old.

[RunninWideOpen]

Welcome to the forum colby! Keep us updated on how your baby's doing.

[marisa]

Feeding food containing beta carotene as you've been doing (your turtle is eating it, I hope) is good---you won't have to worry about your turtle getting too much Vit. A. How much and how often does you vet want you to give your turtle cod liver oil? You can put a little on the eyelids (usually done when the lids are swollen from a Vit A deficiency) and a some will be absorbed into her system. Cod liver oil is high in Vit A, though, so I'd be clear with the vet how much, often and long your turtle is supposed to get it.

[CRice]

She said 1 drop twice weekly. Hes still just a little guy 16g.