Urgent Care :: Soft shell - going to herp vet this afternoon

[KalinaBallerina]

Hi everyone - I know I've only posted here a few times, but just wanted to give you all an update about my turtle, affectionately known as Turtle. I took her out of the tank yesterday to do my monthly vacuum, etc. and noticed that her shell was REALLY soft around the top of the carapace (where the marginal scutes meet the plural scutes) and also where the carapace itself meets the plastron. I was SO shocked, because in the 6 years that I've had her, she's always been so healthy. At any rate, my husband pointed out the fact that she hasn't been basking very much (actually, he said "at all") for the last month or so, and has not been swimming, just floating in the tank. I felt SO terrible not to notice these things! (My poor excuse: I just started my BSN program in nursing school 4 weeks ago, and have been SO overwhelmed with school, I'm afraid I haven't been paying much attention to anything that doesn't directly pertain to school.) I don't know how she could have gone south so quickly - she has an awesome set-up (90 gal, good basking area with appropriate UVA & UVB lights, 79 degree water, 90 degree basking platform, strong filter, always available anarchis and cuttlebone). She doesn't have any lesions or sores on her shell, so I don't suspect any sort of rot, but the thing that scares me is that it looks to be MBD. So, the first thing I did last night was priority ship a new UVB bulb, so it should be here by Wednesday (the other one isn't even a year old yet - around 8 months, but it could be the bulb I guess). I also made an appointment to take her in to the vet this afternoon - we'll see how that goes. I just don't know how she could have gone south so quickly. Anyway, I'll keep you all updated. Thanks for the positive thoughts

[jenaero]

That does sound strange that it happened so fast. I wish I had some answers for you. Good luck at the vet, and let us know how it goes.

[KalinaBallerina]

Okay - saw the herp vet. She thinks its MBD - and she's not sure why, as she said my set-up was more than adequate. Interestingly, she said that herp vets are trying not to give Calcium injections anymore, because the introduction of so much calcium at once can send the turtle into renal (kidney) failure. So, she gave Turtle some oral vitamins (A, D, and E) and set me up with antibiotics (once daily for 14 days, enrofloxacin-baytril by oral syringe) just to be sure that there wasn't anything else going on with her. I'm supposed to manually bask her for 3 - 4 hours each day out of the tank under the UVB light, as she isn't strong enough to climb on her basking platform yet. I am also supposed to mix all of her greens with phosphorus-free calcium powder to up her calcium intake daily. The whole visit (for any one who's interested) cost $103 and that was including the meds for the next week. I have to take her back next Tuesday for another oral vitamin supplement.

For anyone who needs a Colorado herp vet, her name is:
Virginia Rickford, DVM
Centennial Valley Animal Hospital
259 Century Circle
Louisville, CO 80027
(303)666-9363

They were so great, and were able to get me in right away. Also, they specialize in other exotics as well.

[steve]

Best of luck, you're giving your turtle a fighting chance. Thanks for the detailed info and let us know of the progress.

[marisa]

Good luck with your turtle---I'm sure your vet is doing well with her, but just be aware Vit A and Vit D can be toxic if overdone. The phosphorus-free calcium supplement is good.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Another trick: you can grind up the cuttlebone & add to something mushy like cooked sweet potato or mushed-up cooked squash. Occasionally when I feed my RES a raspberry, I fill the open end of the berry with cuttlebone powder too. Feed with spoon so you can avoid getting your finger taken off, LOL

Great job on reacting so quickly & getting your turtle the help she needs!! Keep us updated!

[KalinaBallerina]

Good idea with the ground cuttlebone. About the toxicity - I'm going back next week for more oral vitamins because she spit out almost the whole dose yesterday - she's very smart! So, I don't think she has any chance of overdosing. She took her antibiotics today with no trouble - I tempted her with half a frozen cherry - she was so quick to open her mouth! I would definitely encourage anyone to go and see a herp vet if you suspect any problems. The vet emphasized that turtles are exceptionally slow to show signs of problems, so once they do, they can go downhill quickly. Luckily, she said that Turtle's MBD is very slight, so it should be highly treatable. I'll keep you all updated on her progress - thanks for all the positive input!

[steve]

I would stick with a calcium supplement, like Rep-Cal Calcium instead of crushed cuttlebone. You can still live pieces in the tank though. Sounds like your doing a great job!