Gastrointestinal foreign body in a tortoise

16 Gastrointestinal foreign body in a tortoise








Clinical Examination


As tortoise clinical examinations are restricted due to anatomical constraints, findings were brief:








DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES


Inappetence is a common presenting sign for many illnesses in reptiles, and further investigations are required to determine the disease process(es) occurring.


The differentials for reduced faecal output were:







The differentials for hindlimb paresis were:
















Case Work-Up



Radiography


Three views were taken of the conscious tortoise – dorso-ventral (Fig. 16.1) using a vertical beam, and cranio-caudal and lateral using a horizontal beam. These orthogonal views outlined the presence of foreign material within the gastrointestinal tract. The object was less dense than bone but more radiodense than soft tissue, and its shape was consistent with a piece of gravel. The absence of gas near the mass suggested that it was not completely obstructing the gastrointestinal tract. No musculoskeletal pathology was detected on the radiographs.







Anatomy and Physiology Refresher



Gastrointestinal tract


The chelonian oesophagus passes on the left-hand side of the neck (Fig. 16.2). The stomach is simple and fusiform, positioned caudal to the liver on the left with the pylorus centrally or to the right. Thick folds at the cardia in Testudo spp act like a sphincter; there may be a muscular sphincter at the pylorus. The small intestine is not well divided into sections, and lies caudally in the coelom. There is a muscular valve between the duodenum and caecum, caudally on the right. The large intestine consists of ascending, transverse and descending colon. The colon empties into the coprodeum of the cloaca, and thence material is voided via the vent. Various membranes and ligaments suspend the intestines, restricting movement of some parts of the gastrointestinal tract and permitting others to move more freely (e.g. the transverse colon can move dorso-ventrally, and heavy ingested material commonly becomes trapped in this region owing to gravity).


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Sep 3, 2016 | Posted by in SMALL ANIMAL | Comments Off on Gastrointestinal foreign body in a tortoise

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