This is Hazel Grace and she is a Russian Tortoise that needs your help to get the lifesaving surgery she needs on September 10th.

Your support means everything.

I don’t know her age, but she is 30+ years old. She came to live with me 8 years ago after a friend’s friend didn’t have time for her and before that she was brought to a rescue center after someone found her wondered around outside.

Hazel is loving, goofy, sweet, funny, stubborn and my best friend.

At Easter 2024 I found some red streaks on the sides of her shell and I thought it was the first sign of sepsis and got her the first possible appointment a few days later at the veterinarian’s office.

When we got there they didn’t think it were sepsis, but since it’s not a good sign to have red streaks on the shell they did a blood test, stool test and she got a ultrasound to see if they could see any eggs, which they couldn’t. We could get home and should get a call when they know more about the test they made.

Two weeks later I get the phone call from the veterinarian that said the blood samples indicated that she might have some eggs and that we should come a few days later and make an x-ray to see if this is the case.

The x-ray showed that her stomach took up more space in her shell than it should and that her liver were enlarged, no eggs were visible. The only way to know more about this is to make an CT.

The CT were very expensive and almost all of the money I could get from my insurance until August 1st I booked a CT on August 1st and hoped that Hazel didn’t get sick. The only two symptoms she had were weight loss and the red streaks that were fading by this point so I hade the decision to wait the two months and monitor her health so I could see if she got more symptoms.

Since I used most of my savings on veterinary visits and I lost my social security benefits in November and only got money from my part time job money is really tight. I found a foundation called Chickas minnesfond that helped me with almost the whole cost that the insurance didn’t cover for the CT and Hazel and I were beyond grateful.

August 7th I got the call from the veterinarian and she told me that Hazel’s stomach were filled with eggs and that I had to decide between letting her sleep in or surgery to remove her eggs. Her liver were still larger than it should be and if I choose surgery she highly recommended to test the liver to see what’s going on. I got the report emailed to me (I’ll paste the Image diagnosis at the bottom) and that I should take the night to think it through.

I didn’t really need to think about it, surgery was the only decision I considered. She is now booked for surgery on September 10th.

The big problem is that the surgery is 31 750 SEK, the insurance company will pay 13 370 SEK out of that, so the amount out of pocket are 18 380 SEK.

This covers the cost for the surgery, liverbiopsy, insertion of a stomach tube to help her eat and give her medicine, medication, three veterinary visits and the trips there, bedding and things for her temporary set up she has to live while healing, antibacterial bandages for her wound.

I’m doing everything in my power to get Hazel her lifesaving surgery and I would be so greatful to have your help to fund it. Every donation matter, even the smallest one. Your support would mean everything.

The money will go directly towards veterinary costs, medication or other post-operation things she will need. The recovery after the surgery will take months and I will do my best to make it as good as possible for Hazel.

Here are the diagnosis from the CT:

- Follicular stasis/pre-ovulatory egg-binding with evidence of advanced stage of disease given the varying size, attenuation and shape of the follicles. A mild degree of peritonitis cannot be excluded. Surgery is recommended.

- Suspected mild hepatomegaly. Lipidosis is considered likely but unfortunately not confirmed based on the Hounsfield Units. Other infiltrative diseases such as inflammatory or neoplastic cannot be excluded.

- Moderate mineral material in the cranioventral colon can represent mild or early impaction.