Urgent Care :: Sneezing (?)

[the_mushroom]

Hi

i haven't been around the house much since i have my final year graduation tests going on. So, naturally i wasn't around my turtles enough..

Napoleon doesn't seem to be swimming much, he's floating on the water which he does often enough..but he's slightly tilted, he seems to be doing okay but i'm still concerned as i thought i heard a sneeze from the tub when i was sitting next to it and it distinctly sounded like someone sneezing (and he was sitting on the rock)

Earlier, i found him opening his mouth a little, i don't know if he was asking for food, but i took him out and he seemed to be walking around just fine.

I'm afraid of pneumonia, but it's summer here (india) and there's virtually no chance he can get pneumonia. Are there any more symptoms for it?

So what i wanted to ask you was, do turtles sneeze?
Thanks!

[DavidY]

Sounds like respiratory infection! He needs to see a veterinarian since it can be fatal if not treated quickly. The sooner you can get him to the vet, the better the chances of his recovery. Try to find a vet that knows how to treat turtles.

Check out this link for more info...http://redearslider.com/index_health_1.html

[SpotsMama]

I agree with DavidY. Those sound like classic signs of an RI. I hope you can get him/her to a vet right away Good luck - keep us posted.

[the_mushroom]

That's the problem

i don't know if there are any vets around here who are trained to treat turtles (since they're basically illegal) and i don't know if i will find time (because of my exams) to find him a vet..i will try my best to get him to a vet.

In case i can't, is there ANYTHING at all that i can do? any kind of advice will be very valuable. I hope you all can help me protect my turtle, he's like my baby and i CAN NOT lose him, it's just not an option.

Please try to get names of medication etc which i can administer myself or something

(P.S: i'm not reluctant to take him to a vet because of the law or anything, laws are bent like the're pancakes over here)

[the_mushroom]

Right now, i've tucked him into a shoebox with warm towels etc..

When he breathes, his mouth opens and his neck swells up so it's typically a case of a respiratory disorder.

Is there anything else that i can do for him right now that will make him feel better? he appears to be normal (unaffected by it, apart from the strange breathing and is sleeping peacefully)

[SpotsMama]

Keep him warm - 80 or 82 degrees - and protected from drafts. Avoid stressing him by handling him except when you have to. Make sure he gets plenty of good quality food and stays hydrated. When he's in water make sure the water is very clean.

Unfortunately the meds for RI are perscription by vets, so far as I know. If anyone else knows differently, they'll let you know. It's very hard for a turtle to survive an RI without good antibiotics. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and your turtle and hope that you're able to get him to a vet soon.

Good luck.

[myrtle1123]

I agree with Spotsmama and Davidy / from stories I've heard sound like RI!

-like everyone has said.. vet and boost the tempature

[Hoooneylynn]

Yep, I agree... its RI, and he needs to go to the vet in order to survive... like spots mama said, he needs meds to get him through this... I would ask family or friends to help you during your finals... where do you live?

[marisa]

I recently took my smallest painted to the vet because I noticed he appeared to be tilting to one side when he swam (after several days of appearing to have an eye infection). Out of the water, it was hard to tell anything was wrong with him. As soon as I noticed a problem, I raised the water temp to keep him warmer. He had no other symptoms and ate well.

The vet saw him and felt that the way he looked and behaved he didn't have a respiratory infection, and an eye culture and poop culture were negative. It was suggested that I keep him out of the water for a few days except to feed him, basically to let him dry out. I kept him in a tank with towels and a light (switched out for an infrared heat light at night because it's still fairly cold here). He appears "cured."

It would be good if you could find a vet and have him seen, but until you do, keeping him as you have been (with feeding periods to hydrate him) doesn't sound like a bad thing to do. Is he eating? I don't know about his opening his mouth, but when they breathe, the neck/chin area often puffs/swells up so that doesn't sound unusual. Is he having trouble actually breathing?

[the_mushroom]

Yep, I agree... its RI, and he needs to go to the vet in order to survive... like spots mama said, he needs meds to get him through this... I would ask family or friends to help you during your finals... where do you live?

India

[the_mushroom]

It would be good if you could find a vet and have him seen, but until you do, keeping him as you have been (with feeding periods to hydrate him) doesn't sound like a bad thing to do. Is he eating? I don't know about his opening his mouth, but when they breathe, the neck/chin area often puffs/swells up so that doesn't sound unusual. Is he having trouble actually breathing?

I put him in the water in the morning, when there's sunlight and sufficient heat, he was basking then.

He has his normal appetite, he's ravenous while eating.

I know the neck swells up but this is surely abnormal since there's a noise an i heard him sneeze once too. I don't think it's hurting him because he seems to be moving around/swimming/walking very normally but it's still a matter of concern, right?

i'll keep you posted and thanks for the support and replies.
lemme see if i can locate Baytril anywhere (that's the drug that's mentioned on the page DavidY told me to look up.

I found an organisation, but they said they would have to file a legal case against me and that turtle could be taken away from me (which would mean he will eventually die because there's no system to keep stray animals alive here. Hell, you should see how people live here)
So i'm definitely not taking him there. a private institution would be better for him, so i get to keep him after the treatment.

[DavidY]

Yikes! definitely don't go there.

[the_mushroom]

Yikes! definitely don't go there.

Don't worry, i'm not going to..

Update
i've been looking for private vets around my neighborhood through friends and i've got a couple of numbers. Just need to call them up after my tests tomorrow and fix up appointments.

in the meantime..napoleon's secreting some kind of white fluid from his mouth. He still appears to be okay, he was in the water for about 4 hours in the morning when it's warm and since then he's been in the shoebox sleeping and walking around. he still appears to be normal so i'm taking that as a good sign, been eating well too..

i'll keep you all posted.

[SpotsMama]

Thanks for the update. We're pulling for you and little Napoleon.

[the_mushroom]

Thanks for the update. We're pulling for you and little Napoleon.

and i cannot tell you how much i appreciate that..

i just called one of the numbers, the vet was nice enough to give me free advice over the phone. She asked me for the specific symptoms and told me to get these oral drops and put it in the water, she told me to do that for around 2 to 3 days. I really hope it helps..

Napoleon's in the medicated water right now..

again, i'll keep you posted