Urgent Care :: friends res thrown thru window and attacked by dogs

[tkjbird]

I am currently taking care of this young res that has had severe trauma and am having some concerns with its condition. The res was thrown through a trailer window by my friends 3 yr. old grandson and fell about a good 10 feet to the outside ground which is nothing but dirt and rocks....then was attacked by the 2 dogs that stay there. The turtle is eating seems in good spirits and all limbs are in tact but there has been bleeding and is damaged on shell. The following is the damaged areas of the turtles shell ... On the Carapace (top shell) the vertebral and marginal have been severly damaged and parts of the pleural as well by the very back tail area. Also the Plastron (bottom shell) the left underside by the back tail the anal and femoral and marginal have severe damage inside the left leg cavity. There is also a puncture wound on the lower part of the Carapace between the pleural and vertebral. Also there is pink in color areas between scutes on some other areas of the top shell. My concerns are I have not seen her take a poop but she is eating and drinking I have been keeping her in a box with clean linen heated by a heating pad and only put her in the water for sulfa dipping treatment , to eat and drink and treatment of antibiotics. I have been treating her with iodine and triple antibiotic ointment. Can you please help me with any advice or how to make sure she isn't in pain and what to do to make sure she isn't going to die from not being able to poop??!! And what to do or how to protect her after healing from more injuries to her from where she is missing whole shell pieces will they grow back?? Help me please I have rescued a lot of these res but never have had any injuries like this or seen anything like this thankyou

[tkjbird]

wow

[aal]

What must be done is a trip to the vet right away. Shell growth requires ample time and bleeding is indeed severe. Her future isn't gonna look good till you bring her to the vet for proper medication.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Are you a turtle keeper? Or is this your first real experience with turtles? I know you said you rescued a lot of them, but to some people, rescued is thrown them in their backyard pond.

Anyways, pictures are worth a thousand words, so I recommend getting some pictures up so we can help out better. Have you been watching her constantly every minute of every day? If you haven't, she has more than likely pooed and just eaten it. They are quick little buggers, I've had my turtle for over 2 years and I've seen poo twice, not that I'm especially looking for it, but just saying, it can be a rare thing to see. Yes, she will die from not being able to poo, though, and if you suspect any of the intestines or tail were damaged in the attack, she needs to be seen and treated by a herp vet immediately. It will likely require surgery, which can be expensive, but if this was a wild turtle, some vets will do surgery pro bono.

I would get her to a vet ASAP, but the course you are taking so far sounds like a great start. You want to keep her warm, dry, and the wound covered so it won't dry out. She'll need to go into the water several times a day, and the water should be extra clean. You can wash her in a dilution of betadine in water and apply the antibiotic ointment and allow it to fully dry. I don't know if the sulfa dip is necessary, I believe that is mainly used for shell rot and she may develop a future immunity to it by using it now, or it may hinder her healing process.

You can apply a piece of plastic over the wound and tape it down good for times she is in the water, and keep her water a little on the warm side (78 degrees F). It will take a long time for the shell to grow back, but the area should begin to get hard soon and not show any blood or organs, it will just still be a soft shell until it fully hardens.

[bradmeisel]

I hope it works out. Poor little turtle.

[marisa]

If you can, post a pic of the turtle. I would say, though, given your description, a herp vet visit is indicated.

[jozzep]

Talk about a "bad day"....Poor turtle.
It seems like you're doing your best, but like others mentioned, if you can, a vet trip would be in order.

[DocShay]

Would it be wrong of me to suggest maybe the child should have to go through the same "experience"?

My god...

Maybe i'm taking this to personally, but even at 3 a child should know to not do such things, or if not - Not allow access to be ABLE to do such things.

Vet, ASAP.

[theartbook35]

Would it be wrong of me to suggest maybe the child should have to go through the same "experience"?

Preschoolers are very mean to animals sometimes. They are often times psychologically too curious about what will happen to a living thing if they do something so awful to it. It's an extreme lack of common sense, which we all had at that age. This is why I don't let the kids I know hold my turtles. Ever.

I feel terrible for the poor thing. Falling out a window is scary enough, but being attacked by what they consider a predator is even worse.

I'm glad the turtle is eating, that's a good sign.

However, there could have been internal damage, and you must bring this turtle to a veterinarian who specializes in treating turtles. Even a vet that specializes in herpetology care is appropriate.

Even though the turtle is eating, it's already been exposed to the danger of one or more infections. Note that the shell wounds take a very, very long time to heal over. If it starts showing signs of pain, sluggishness, and several infections, it may be in the turtle's best interest to have it humanely euthanized. Do not close or cover any wounds until you are 100% sure that the wounds have been successfully cleaned out. You don't want to trap bacteria inside her body.

[PATTI]

THE TITLE OF THIS LETTER IS SO VERY, VERY AWFUL THAT I CAN'T EVEN READ IT!!!! IF YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO HEAL THIS TURTLE, I WISH YOU BOTH THE BEST.

[LittleResQNorth]

We have a turtle in our oganization that was hit by a car and part of her shell never healed leaving an open would that has to be flushed out, she had to get $700 worth of vet treatment to make her better. She is not in my care so on your behalf I'm going to ask the person who cares for her if he has any advice.
Taking the turtle to a vet is it's best chance at survival, it will need injection antibiotics to prevent further infection (injection work more thuroughly then oral meds.) The turtle not pooping is a serious problem and constipation kills people in foreign countries that don't see doctors so a turtle can most certainly die without treatment.