Reptiles and Amphibians Q&A 19

This necropsy specimen is of a tortoise’s forelimb incised in sagittal section. The tortoise had been reluctant to walk.

Question	Answer		Article
What is your diagnosis?	Periarticular gout.		Link to Article
Had this tortoise lived, how would you have treated this condition?	Increase the tortoise’s hydration by feeding moisture-laden food – for example, soft fruit. Decrease sources of dietary animal protein. Administer allopurinol orally (10–15mg/kg daily). Allopurinol will only reduce the amount of urate salts produced by the liver; it does not diminish the urates already deposited in and around the joints and in other sites. Small (0.10–0.75mg/kg) oral doses of aspirin will provide some relief from the pain associated with gout, but may predispose the tortoise to gastrointestinal irritation and bleeding.		Link to Article