Urgent Care :: Bone Exposed

[conniesue]

My turtle Cloud came from a pet shop that didn't take care of her. She is recovering wonderfully. She is regaining color and is friendly and active. Her appetite is amazing. I absolutely love her.
I'm worried about her shell care still though. Her scutes began to shed, which is normal. But the scutes around the edge of the top shell lost the entire thing, leaving a line of bone exposed. I know they came off naturally, I saw the chunk come off myself. She is still active and seems fine but I took her to the vet just to be sure. He said it was probably a fungus. He recommended using an athlete's foot spray on her exposed shell every 3 days or so. What do you think? Any suggestions? Does that sound right?

[SpotsMama]

Oooh my! I'm pretty sure the vet isn't a herp expert!

Could you show us a photo of your turtle's shell when it's dry? Some of the people on here have had to deal with shell problems and we could share our experience with you once we see what his shell looks like.

In the meantime, why don't you hold off on the athlete's foot spray. If the bone is really exposed, she's need treatment with betadine (diluted) to disinfect followed by antibiotic salve and dry docking. If there is a fungus infection, it too will need to be treated.

[steve]

Treatment will depend on the severity of the exposed bone. I would also suggest a different vet (the guessing is a bit random).

[a_raygo]

I just went to the herp vet yesterday because my turtle has bone exposed between all her scutes due to the care before I got her. My vet told me to mix water and betadine in container and soak her for 10 minutes everyday and "baste" the top of her shell. The water level should reach a little over halfway up their shell and then brush the rest. Add the water first and then add just a little betadine until it is a very light orange color. She told me to do this daily for 4-6 weeks.

[SpotsMama]

Betadine (iodine) is a good disinfectant.

What did the vet say about letting your turtle back in the water after the betadine soak? Did she give any suggestions on keeping everything extra clean while the healing is underway?

Also, did she give advice about long term care once your turtle's well? Whatever conditions were harmful in her old habitat must be corrected. Also, her diet probably needed a major upgrade. Long term shell health requires a good balanced diet with lots of calcium and lots of basking under good UVB light, as well as a clean and temperate tank.

[marisa]

Really make sure the Betadine is diluted well. Iodine can cause problems, and some will be absorbed through the skin.

[a_raygo]

Betadine (iodine) is a good disinfectant.

What did the vet say about letting your turtle back in the water after the betadine soak? Did she give any suggestions on keeping everything extra clean while the healing is underway?

Also, did she give advice about long term care once your turtle's well? Whatever conditions were harmful in her old habitat must be corrected. Also, her diet probably needed a major upgrade. Long term shell health requires a good balanced diet with lots of calcium and lots of basking under good UVB light, as well as a clean and temperate tank.

My vet told me to soak her for 10 minutes and baste her. When she is done with the soak the risnse her really well and dry her off completely before returning her to her enclosure. As for keeping everything extra clean I explained how often I cleaned and what my set up is like and she said it would be fine.

I just got my turtle a few weeks ago so I am not sure what her habitat and diet were like before I got her. Her shell was in this condition when I got her from the pet store. The vet tech has had RES for over 20 years and she went over the diet/habitat with me and said I was doing everything right.