HAWLEY, Pa. — Jimmy is a Sulcata tortoise. Despite the name, Jimmy is a she. She spends her days eating treats like corn on the cob and running the Padrone household in Hawley.
"It's amazing how she acts and listens. She's part of the family," said Robert Padrone.
This past summer, Jimmy's owners, Tari and Robert, noticed the tortoise had trouble getting around.
"All of a sudden, we took him out one day, and his one back leg wasn't working. It was like he was just dragging it," Robert explained.
"We had to do whatever we could to help her," said Tari.
Eventually, the other leg began to drag.
After some phone calls to find treatment, the Padrone's were connected with Cornell University Hospital for Animals in Ithaca, New York.
Dr. Nicola Di Girolamo performed a cutting-edge procedure to remove a 4-inch bladder stone.
"He invented this new procedure, which is amazing for turtles because normally, the procedure is to cut the bottom shell and move it. That is extremely painful because their shell has nerve endings," said Robert.
The doctor performed prefemoral cystotomy—a surgical technique where the tortoise is turned on its side, and doctors make an incision on the back leg. From there, they can break up the stone and remove it.
Jimmy is the first tortoise at Cornell University Animal Hospital to receive this type of procedure.
"We were lucky that the people we met really gave Jimmy a new lease on life," said Robert.
At 13 years old, Jimmy has a lot of life left to live. These tortoises can live up to 70 years.
See more pets and animal stories on WNEP's YouTube playlist.