Comeback Kid!

My blood test results show no more anemia, yay! Dr. Johnson was delighted when he called, saying, "The great thing about Grandma is she always responds positively to treatment." Yep, that's me!!

The tests show that I do need daily feedings of Mazuri to prevent anemia. Most tortoises don't need that much protein, but I do, so now we know I've been malnourished without it. And that leads to dehydration and anemia and scale loss (hence my unsightly "turtle neck"). And that means one sick and skinny tortoise.

I also need monthly steroid injections to manage the muscle wasting disease Myocitis. Steroids manage this autoimmune disease by reducing immune response, so that means I need to stay very warm to keep mine as revved up as possible to prevent infections. A drop in temperature means a drop in immune function. Hibernation means no immune function at all. Yikes!

I also got lots of help from Dr. Reed, veterinary opthamologist at Eye Care for Animals. She prescribes the eye drops to reduce inflammation in my eyes and prevent infections. She even suggested Omega-3s for my autoimmune disease so I just started on Booster twice a week. It's a gooey orange supplement that I consider a real treat. Mmmm, it tastes THAT good! But I can't take too much of it as it's very rich and oily, like fish oil for people. But Booster is made from red palm oil, who knew? Find it here.

Well now we know what I need to feel better. We are all so grateful that when I get the right treatment, I always make a comeback. I'm feeling better already!

Grazing and blogging again

Wow, I am one lucky tortoise. I've had such good care all summer, complete with shredded food and medical care to address my neurological/autoimmune disorder that causes muscle wasting. I even had three tortoise sitters checking the back yard at various times of day during the hottest part of the summer (119 degrees -- yikes) when my Tortoise Mom and Dad went on vacation. (Thanks, Terry, Meghan and Brenda!!)

The steroid injections are down to monthly now, instead of weekly, and the anti-inflammatory eye drops are only once or twice a week now, but they have really helped. I can see and I'm downright perky (for me). And hungry! A very good sign for a tortoise who needs to tank up on vital nutrition for hibernation.

This is how Tortoise Dad gives injections. He's fast, I'm patient--a winning combo!

I didn't fare well during boarding at Dr. Johnson's office back in April. I dehydrated so badly that it was downright dangerous. The techs called in Dr. Johnson to help but then he realized that despite their best efforts, you just can't put a 48 year old tortoise in an indoor environment to eat and drink in an all new way. I was so stressed and dehydrated that I lost nearly 15% of my body weight in 10 days. And it took nearly two months of my Tortoise Mom's extra care to help me recover. So no more boarding for me.

So for their next trip, my Tortoise Mom and Dad called on three really nice friends of mine to check on us and the yard to make sure there were no "catastrophic events", as Dr. Johnson called it. That means checking morning and evening to make sure no one accidentally flipped over or got caught out in the heat. We were good and stayed underground most of the time to avoid the extreme heat. I don't remember it being this hot during 99% of summers. It hit 122 back in 1990, but I was in my 20s then and also living in a different back yard. No problemo. This summer has been hard, and even the burrows heat up too much. But it's been cooler for a few days, so I came out to catch you up on the news.

I haven't been blogging because I have been underground so much this summer, and also pretty weak after getting so dehydrated back in April, and then really getting a lot of daily medical care from my Tortoise Mom. But it has all paid off, and I'm feeling a lot better now. I'm even coming out to graze on cordia flowers morning and evening, just like old times! I also get Mazuri diet plus organic kale (mmmm). The best is a Mazuri salad with Bermuda grass clippings mixed right in. Yum! I'm supposed to get 50% of my diet from grass, with Mazuri diet to provide extra protein for my muscles. With more muscle, I start doing laps around the yard. Actually my shell thumps on the patio are I lurch along, so I might need some padding. 

Potty Training

I love to play in my blue soaking pan. Please don't tell me it's a cat litter box, no way! It's my personal blue lagoon where I get soaked twice a week to battle ongoing dehydration, and play in it when it's dry the rest of the time. It's just fun to climb in and then flip it up and flop out the side so my shell makes a loud "thunk". It's one of my favorite toys, besides my yellow box that I like to hook on my shell and then drag around. It turns me into a larger tortoise, like getting a "shell job."

Today I surprised my tortoise mom when she found me in my blue soaking pan. I was feeling quite pleased with myself because I did my business in a ladylike way right in the pan, and it was totally my idea. Mmmm, I love my little blue pan. And my little yellow box. Perfect toys for me!