THE TRIBUNE (San Luis Obispo, California) 12 July 06 Pismo vet puts Stompy the tortoise on the slow road to recovery (Larissa Van Beurden-Doust, Mariecar Mendoza & AnnMarie Corne)
Stompy was moving excruciatingly slow — which was odd, even for a tortoise.
Malnourished, with mouth sores and pus oozing out of his nostrils, the 30-year-old California desert tortoise was suffering from pneumonia when his owner took him to Cat and Exotic Care of the Central Coast in Pismo Beach. After his owner decided it was going to be too much work — and money — to save Stompy, Maxwell Conn, veterinarian and owner of the facility, took him.
"I had a soft spot for the tortoise," Conn said. "These guys can live 50 years or more and oftentimes out-live their owners, so I looked at this big guy and thought, ‘This is something I could turn around.’ "
After two weeks of helping Stompy recuperate from pneumonia, Conn found he also had a bladder stone 3 inches in diameter.
To stay alive, the 12-pound tortoise had to undergo surgery.
"It was like cutting the top off of a pumpkin," said Conn, who had to use a circular saw to slice through Stompy’s thick shell.
Nearly two hours later, Conn successfully extracted the 4.5-ounce stone, about the size of a racquetball, and patched up Stompy’s shell.
Stompy now lives with Arroyo Grande resident Bob Thomas, who agreed to temporarily care for the tortoise at his facility, The Home for Wayward Turtles and Tortoises.
Thomas, who breeds and rescues reptiles, can care for up to 300 animals at a time at his facility and is a member of Too SLO, a chapter of the California Turtle and Tortoise Club.
After Stompy recovers, in six months to a year, he will be ready for adoption.
Conn hopes Stompy’s story will encourage reptile owners to be more proactive with the care of their pets.
"Because they tend to hide their signs of illness, reptiles can be ill for a long time before the owner sees external symptoms," Conn said, "and by that time, it’s usually too late."
Conn attributes his interest in exotic animal care to his pet iguana, 15-year-old Pico, whom he’s had since college.
For details about The Home for Wayward Turtles and Tortoises, call Thomas at 481-5222.
Pismo vet puts Stompy the tortoise on the slow road to recovery