Urgent Care :: Update on Samson After Vet Visit

[Polynomial]

How big is your turtle? 4" long 3 1/2 wide
How long have you had it? 2 months

What is the water temperature? 72 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 4"
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 85 degrees
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? 75w Tight Beam Sun Glo Basking Spot Lamp

Is there a UVB light? no

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, feeder fish, earthworms
When was the last time your turtle ate? Week Ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? kinda

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? yes

Update:
I just picked him up and thought he was dead. He has a slight reaction if I touch him. This is so awful.
Just the Facts:
A couple of weeks ago Samson looked sick, eyes swollen, wasn't eating and only basking. Turns out we didn't have the right light bulb. Now we have an UVA light bulb for the day and at night an Infra Red Lightbulb to keep him warm on basking area. We also purchased a Turtle Bone and Repti Turtle Eye Drops.
Immediately (well 1 hour later) he looked good again. He went back into the water and was playing. Than it's like he fell in love with the filter where the water comes out. It's a pretty strong current and he keep holding himself in front of it. I noticed he was shedding and it looked like he liked the feeling of the water removing the peeling skin. He did this for almost 24hrs.
Than he went back on his basking area and hadn't moved since (about 36hrs). Earlier today I read that putting the turtle outside in the sun would give him the UVB rays he needed so out he went to a secure area with Larry the Russian Tortoise. btw, this turtle Larry could live through a nuclear bomb. I told my Dad (the owner) to bring him in if it got cold and went to see New Moon (it was awesome!). When I got back my dad said that Samson was dead because he wouldn't move. I picked Samson up and at first he was all limp, legs and head/neck hanging out. I put him down and than with determination I picked him back up again. This time he kind of reacted so I knew he wasn't dead but he was definately lethargic.
I immediately figured out my dad never brought him in and he got too cold. I put him in an isolation tank with the heat lamp right over him. The temp is between 90-95 degrees. He is now reacting to movement and looks better but still sick.

Note: he is now finally flinching his eyes and moving his head.
Oh #$%^, he's now opening and closing his mouth which I read is a sign he is really sick.
Please help, my Dad is the cheapest guy in the world and I know he wont take him to the vet.

I was going to add 2 pictures but I can't figure out how to add them.

[TheComputerGremlin]

To add a photo, you need to first upload it to a free photo sharing site like Flickr or Photobucket, and then once you have the picture uploaded, you need to right click on the picture and "copy link location" which will give you a http:// address. Put that in between the brackets so it's like [img]http://[/img] and it will show up. Make sure your photo is public too. Or you can put the hyperlink to it.

First and foremost, don't worry about vets and the whatnot right now. Right now, you need to make sure he's alive since vets can't do much for dead turtles. Putting him under a lamp is good, but don't let him get too hot! I would just put him back on his basking area in the tank so he can get in the water if he gets too warm. Otherwise, move the lamp back some, you only want the temps to be around 75 degrees right now, you just need to get him warmed up.

Once he starts moving around again, get him back in his tank. Then you need to watch for any symptoms of an RI, but he'll likely be fine. A little cold shouldn't kill them necessarily. In the future, take a little more care of your pets. You are the only one that is responsible for them, and he shouldn't have been left outside while you were away.

[Polynomial]

[worldpeace]

Man, he doesn't look too good. Just make sure you keep him warm and don't let him get dehydrated. This might prove to be a little difficult since he's not moving a lot yet. Maybe you can put him in just a cm or so of water from time to time so he can drink some if he can.

Hope he's going to get better.

[Polynomial]

Thank you for the water advice. I think he drank a little. I feel like a dummy, this whole time I was wondering why he wasn't sleeping. As soon as I put turned off his Basking Light and turn on his Infra Red Light he went right to sleep. Poor baby, I was keeping him up with the bright light.

He kept trying to keep his head up so I crudely made him a pillow which he seems to like cause he keeps using it. He's still opening his mouth once n awhile to take a breath. Poor little baby.

[vear]

oh no, poor baby. Just one small advice, you should try raising the temperature of the water by a few degrees. You say it's at 72 degrees, perhaps bring it up to 75 or so.

[Polynomial]

I took Samson to the vet this morning and the Dr. thought he was already dead. He was all limp his head, neck, legs hanging out. The Dr couldn't hear any breathing and saw no reflexes until finally he pulled his back leg. The Dr. gave him a shot of fluids and oxygen in an incubator for about 10 mins and he started to respond.
I was upfront with Doc about finances (recently lost job) and he was honest with me that it was pretty much too late to help Samson. He said I could spend a lot of money and he might still die so I asked him to euthanize him cause he was suffering. Samson started looking better so the doc said we should take a chance and he gave him a shot of medicine for his respiratory (sp?).
Im supposed to call him tomorrow morning. I have Samson in a quasi incubator keeping him snug as a bug in a rug. Im giving him sugar and water every hour per Dr's orders which seems to life him up a little. He's been getting some deep sleep since then. Just now he wanted the sugar water I gave him by opening his mouth a little. He's still gapping a little and still looks gravely ill but better than last night or this morning.
I'm not giving up on Samson. I hope he makes it.

Pic is of Samson in his isolation tank with what the doctor told me to do.

[TheComputerGremlin]

At least you are trying! That's the best you can do. It sounds like the doctor gave you some good advice. You should also occasional get him in the water, so get a small tub and use room temperature water. You can add some Pedialyte (basically Gatorade for small children) and make it about 50:50 with the water. Get him in there probably at least twice a day to make sure he doesn't dry out. Dry him off before you put him back in the incubator. Don't give up hope and just keep trying. I'll keep him in my thoughts ...

[Polynomial]

At least you are trying! That's the best you can do. It sounds like the doctor gave you some good advice. You should also occasional get him in the water, so get a small tub and use room temperature water. You can add some Pedialyte (basically Gatorade for small children) and make it about 50:50 with the water. Get him in there probably at least twice a day to make sure he doesn't dry out. Dry him off before you put him back in the incubator. Don't give up hope and just keep trying. I'll keep him in my thoughts ...

Thank you, he's looking better this morning.

[bradmeisel]

i hope sampson pulls thru