8/26/2005: Tortoise gets fiberglass replacement belly

This tortoise is named Cactus, 40 years old, living at the San Francisco zoo. Ten years ago it was discovered that he had bladder stones; last year, he was doing poorly, and an xray showed that the stones finally had to be removed.

They removed one stone the size of a baseball, and three the size of golf balls. Those stones took up a pound of the guy's ten pounds of weight. And there's how they patched him up afterwards.

full story

Imagine 10% of your weight in stones...YIKES. Hope he does OK. I'll have to look up how one gets bladder stones. Ech.

Bladder stones are hard buildups of mineral that form in the urinary bladder.

Bladder stones are usually the result of another urologic problem such as urinary tract infection, bladder diverticulum, neurogenic bladder, or an enlarged prostate. Approximately 95% of all bladder stones occur in men. Stones originating in the bladder are much less common than kidney stones.

Bladder stones may occur when urine in the bladder is concentrated and materials crystallize. The patient feels symptoms when the lining of the bladder is irritated by the stone or when the stone obstructs the flow of urine from the bladder.

More info

Geez, wouldn't that be great. doctors open you up, take out your appendix, then patch you up with a good dose of Bondo®.

I like how the blonde spokes-model in the photo dyed her hair to complement the tortise.

I'm digging the doc's expression, holding the chunk of crystallized urine..........
"I wonder how much I can get for this on Ebay..."

I'll bet he feels soooooooo much better!

this is a quantum leap from " fiberglass underwear". Glad He's doing better. Hope he doesn't react to fiberglass the way capnhowdy does. Makes me glad I have skin.

I can see that little guy at Turtle School Show and Tell--

This is my fiverglass stomach, and this is my pancreas, and this is my gall bladder, oh wait, I don't have one of those anymore. . .

I can see that little guy at Turtle School Show and Tell--

This is my fiberglass stomach, and this is my pancreas, and this is my gall bladder, oh wait, I don't have one of those anymore. . .

There's a great description of how they are removed in humans in one of the Baroque Cycle books. I can't remember which book but it is satisfyingly detailed.

The turtle had a somewhat different procedure. Urinary bladder, not gall.

I don't know if I want to read a detailed description of gall bladder surgery. I mean, I've had it done, and did research it beforehand, as well as having seem my secretary's videotape of her surgery. But sometimes well-written descriptions are so much more vivid. And icky.

I haven't read the book and the most recent mention of surgery was gall bladder.

Without any further description, I think the stone you're talking about is probably kidney, if it's blocking the ureter.

No at all !
It's a race tortoise that was winning too easily and ned handicap !

What a lucky little guy he is.