PREVIEW

A 16-year-old Galapagos tortoise from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has been getting a special CT (Computed Tomography) scan to help Zoo vets pinpoint the cause of his recent lameness.
“Bruno started limping a few weeks ago, and there were no obvious reasons why,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s curator of ectotherms, Winton Ray. “He seemed to drop to one side in his hind end when walking and have a hard time getting going in the morning.”
The MedVet firm has helped the Zoo over the years with cases that required more sophisticated imaging equipment than its animal hospital has, but most of those animals have been the size of pets that are regularly treated at the Cincinnati veterinary care facility. Zoo vets were concerned that Bruno the 180-lb tortoise might not fit through the scanner. His shell is about two feet wide at its widest point and nearly a foot and a half tall, but the CT scanner opening is about a two-foot perfect circle. Unfortunately, Bruno is not a perfect circle, so the vets were worried they were trying to fit an oval peg in round hole.
“We decided to go for it anyways, even if he didn’t fit all the way through, we may be able to get information from the front and back parts that did fit. But luckily, we got the measurements wrong, and the opening was barely wide enough for all of Bruno!,” said Cincinnati Zoo veterinarian, Dr. Jessica Heinz. “The scan revealed abnormalities in Bruno’s back/spine that are likely causing muscle soreness. The curvature, similar to scoliosis, puts extra pressure on one side or the other, and that would explain his abnormal gait.”
Pain medications may alleviate the symptoms in Bruno’s case, but because their spine is fused with their shell, the spine cannot be repaired. Having the information about what his challenges may be, however, will help the reptile team come up with a plan for exercises and physical therapy to prevent further complications.
“We’re also planning to scan one of the other tortoises, Mishell, to compare the look of her hips and joints with his and check her lungs and heart because she has some signs of fluid buildup in her body,” said Dr. Heinz. “We’re grateful to the team at MedVet for sharing their equipment and expertise to help us provide the best care possible for animals of all shapes and sizes.”
Cincinnati Zoo is home to four Galapagos tortoises. In addition to Bruno and Mischell, there’s 15-year-old Knobby and 16-year-old Husker. They all weigh almost 200 pounds and are not close to being finished growing. They will certainly outgrow any medical equipment designed for pets or humans!