Urgent Care :: RES Treatment of Thurman

[kodiack]

How big is your turtle? 8 inches appr. 10 years old
How long have you had it? adopted 6 months ago ,no idea of health history

What is the water temperature? 88F now,usually 79-80 F
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 12 gals
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes fluval intank

What is the basking temperature? 94 F
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? plastic with felt type reptile substrate cover
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets,romaine lettuce ,repti sticks, shimp ,tuna ....being weened off the shrimp tuna since adoption and diet variety increased within basic care
When was the last time your turtle ate? today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 55 gal tank
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? treated with Baytril ,on day 2

I know his enclosure is too small ,he does get daily outdoor time when weather permits but with colder weather coming a bigger setup is in the future.


So as noted he is being treated for what we suspect is a RI ,his appetitte is still really good but his symptom of the bloody mucus from his mouth has increased since treatment started 2 days ago.
Is this part of the healing process or should I be concerned about something else,he did have the float lopsided as well as the mucus but eyes are fine no real sign of wheezing coughing and his breathing looks even when he inhales/exhales.
He spends about 99% of his time in the basking area as well which was the big warning sign that started it all (started the day before treatment along with the lopsided float and the mucus)
I also started to give him cod liver oil on his diet to increase his vitamin A and D.
I really just wanted to get some more advice as this group seems to really have a wealth of knowledge and experience with these cute little guys.

Cheers and thanks for the great website,it has helped me alot in the last few days.

[steve]

Has a herp vet been examining him? Could the bloody mucus be from a cut in his mouth? How obvious was the lopsided floating? In a tank with shallow water, he might just be balancing himself. You don't need to use too much cod liver oil as it has very concentrations of vitamins.

[kodiack]

A herp vet did examine him and he said his overall health is excellent with exception of the 3 symptoms.
I didnt want the injection of baytril due to necronic damage and he agreed and he takes it orally fairly easily.
I cannot see any mouth lesions and he is definately lopsided ,its present even if i hold his balance for him.
I only gave him 1 half capsule cod liver oil orally the rest is mixed with his food.

[steve]

I think it's a good sign that he still has his appetite. The lopsidedness could be from an injury or disability... are these symptoms new or he's had them since he's been in your possession?

[kodiack]

Its a new symptom,he was fine until the last week or so and spent almost all his time in the water now he very very rarely goes in the water and when he does he struggles to get out as quick as possible.I have held his weight on the water and its very oblivious he is lopsided ,He is on day 4 of Baytril treatment so hopefully he will come around.
The bloody mucus is what has me stumped .

[kodiack]

After looking tonight while giving him his batril I noticed he had a scratch inside the upper part of his mouth,it must be from the batril syringe.Is there anything I should do to speed up the healing of it?

[steve]

Dry dock usually helps certain wounds heal quicker. What kind of syringe are you using? The oral form of Baytril is a pill.

[kodiack]

The oral Batril I got from my vet is a liquid,Im using the very small plunger syringe they gave me with the prescription.
He is drydocked and the vet warned me the batril will kill the bacteria colony in his tank so he recommended I take the ceramic filter media out and put it in the freezer until the antibiotics are done,but he hasnt been in his tank for a few days now and I already did a full water change as per his direction.
I have a tropical fish tan with fish in it can I use some of that water to jump start the colony in the turtle tank or is it different bacteria?
I also just got home from work and I checked on him,now his left rear foot is swollen............geez this is endless.

[steve]

Sorry to hear that.... Definitely need to consult with the vet on that one. Haven't heard of the Baytril theory before though the freezer will kill the bacteria too. Maybe they meant fridge?

[kodiack]

I had poor Thurman to a different vet today to check on the fluid in his leg and to check on the pneumonia status,now her recommendation was to keep him on the baytril daily instead of the 2nd day schedule the other vet precribed,she was a little confused by his instructions.She drained and tested the fluid in the leg and it came back white blood cell fluid only so it was good that there wasnt anything in it that was too drastic and she believes it was due to the drop in batril dosage that was the main cause,if he gets swelling again we are going to run blood tests.

[steve]

Thanks for the update! Hopefully this new vet will put Thurman on the right path.

[kodiack]

Just to update Thurman is doing great ,he is back to shy old self.
He is floating perfect and swimming up a storm in the new 100 gallon indoor pond I made for him out of a poly water tank I scavenged.
I put in sand substrate and some river stones and hornwort as well as a few small fish.I will upload some pics in the indoor setup when I get a chance.

[steve]

Sounds great! Would love to see some pics of his new home.