Urgent Care :: Leg caught in Filter!

[fryman86]

I have a canister filter in the tank. When I came home tonight I discovered that somehow the guard piece on the intake filter had fallen off and Donatello's leg was caught in the intake pipe! He had been sucked in, and I don't know how long he was there. I cut off the filter and took the intake hose off the canister to release the pressure, and then slowly helped him get out of the intake area. The foot that was trapped in the hose is a pinkish color, and the there's what appears to be a skin bubble (probably from the suction). He is currently swimming around in the tank as if nothing happened, but his foot is obviously hurt due to the color and skin bubble. Any suggestions? Does this need a Vet, or is there something I can do for him?

Here's the basic info:

How big is your turtle? 4-5 inch shell
How long have you had it? 1.5 years.

What is the water temperature? 76
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? about 45 Gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Chlor-Out
Are you using any filtration? Canister

What is the basking temperature? About 90
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? Floating dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Reptomin and Turnip Greens
When was the last time your turtle ate? This evening

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 55 Gallons
Is the tank near a window? Unfortunately
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? My bedroom

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No

[fryman86]

No responses so far, probably due to it being early in the morning, so I went ahead and applied some, neosporin and dry docked him for the night. Hoping for responses in the morning.

[Lantic]

pictures would help us determine how extensive it is.

[fryman86]

I don't have a digital camera, but I can tell you that he is still able and willing to use it to swim, but he draws it in when holding still. When I applied the neosporin, he didn't act as if it hurt for the qtip to touch it.

[SpotsMama]

How does it look when he walks? Hopefully he can walk ok, which means it's not broken.

The danger, of course, is some degree of tissue death. Do you have a good vet for her? If not, go ahead and call around and find one. Even if you don't take her in this time, it's good to know a good vet in case of a future emergency.

If her leg looks bad tomorrow, swollen or discolored, or if she starts having trouble using it, then I'd go ahead and take her in.

[fryman86]

He was walking around in the carrier where I have him dry docked, and he seemed okay. Could he be pulling the leg in while floating because the skin bubble/soreness makes it feel different, and not necessarily because it's severely injured? The leg and top side of the foot look fine, it's just the underside of the foot that has the skin bubble and pink color.

I took him to the vet about a year ago, a bit after I got him, just to make sure he was healthy. I guess I could take him back there. As long as he's using it, and if the skin returns to normal color and swelling goes down, he should be okay, shouldn't he?

[SpotsMama]

He sounds better off than some we've seen on here that had the same experience. He's pretty lucky.

If he's got a blister on his foot, it will probably break at some point and then you'll need to put more antibiotic salve on it to prevent infection.

Was he able to breath air while he was stuck? Usually they get stuck underwater and then either drown or get a lung infection. If there's any chance he breathed in some water, also keep an eye out for respiratory infection.

Keep us posted! Because this happens from time to time (usually with tragic results) we recommend supergluing the guard to the intake pipe.

[fryman86]

Thankfully when I found him his entire head was above water, and he was able to breathe the whole time. I keep calling it a skin bubble, but it does look more like a large blister, which would explain why he wouldn't want to stand on it, but would still be able to use his foot and swim as normally. Thanks for the help SpotsMama, even if it is 2 AM! Thanks so much!

[SpotsMama]

You are welcome.

Get some sleep!!!

[jameshermanto]

haha spotsmama is kind and will help you whenever you need help =P haha

[boonyam]

Hi

my terrapin has injured like below, any suggestion / medicine to purchase to cure ?

http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss29 ... 072010.jpg

He was walking around in the carrier where I have him dry docked, and he seemed okay. Could he be pulling the leg in while floating because the skin bubble/soreness makes it feel different, and not necessarily because it's severely injured? The leg and top side of the foot look fine, it's just the underside of the foot that has the skin bubble and pink color.

I took him to the vet about a year ago, a bit after I got him, just to make sure he was healthy. I guess I could take him back there. As long as he's using it, and if the skin returns to normal color and swelling goes down, he should be okay, shouldn't he?

[steve]

That looks very serious, though it's not too clear. I would look for immediate veterinary assistance.. what caused this?

[boonyam]

The terrapins are fighting, not sure due to what thought.

That looks very serious, though it's not too clear. I would look for immediate veterinary assistance.. what caused this?

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Yeah that leg does not look so good. Take him to the vet and when he comes back separate the turtles into different enclosures.