Urgent Care :: sick juvenile turtle, have seen vet but have some questions

[step]

We have seen the vet twice now, and she has received antibiotics and vitamins both times, however, there is no improvement. She is not eating, will not swim, and is very lethargic. I have bought baby food (lamb), strawberries, and salmon cat food (wet kind) to try and tempt her to eat, but she is unwilling so far. I may have to force-feed her

Is there anything else I can do? The vet is thinking ear abcess (which was my first thought) because she first presented with what looked to be vertigo - trouble swimming and walking, as if she had no depth perception. She hasn't ate in days, but will drink water. Her sister is doing fine, happy and healthy.

How big is your turtle? Tiny, about 2". Not much bigger than an Oreo.
How long have you had it? About two months. They were purchased on a whim by my grandfather from a "backyard breeder." However, we've spared no expense or taken any shortcuts in their care as far as I am aware of, and they've been healthy so far. They are friendly, well, as friendly as turtles can be.

What is the water temperature? 76 F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? I don't recall the # of gallons, but plenty for them to swim around in. They are in a large rubbermaid container, which is over half-full of water.
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes, we have a very good filter.

What is the basking temperature? Around 90 F
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes, two of them.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? One is a regular rock we cleaned and sterilized prior to using, the other is a floating platform purchased at the pet store.
Is there a UVB light? It's one of those Repti-Sun bulbs.

What have you been trying to feed it? Normally they eat their aquatic plants and turtle pellets, but Flipper (the sick one) refuses to eat anything.
When was the last time your turtle ate? It's been several days. We noticed she was not acting right on Tuesday, and took her to the vet on Wednesday and again this morning.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? It's either 18 or 22 gallons, with around 14 gallons of water.Is the tank near a window? Near but not directly under.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No, although the cats think of it as "Cat TV - Reality Turtles" lol They love to watch the turtles, but have never so much as stuck a paw in there.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? No. Sorry.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? At first, she would not put her head back in her shell, but now she will put her head in most of the way.

If there is anything more I can do, please let me know. My daughter is very attached to her turtles and I hate to see the poor little thing so sick. There isn't a reptile vet nearby, but our vet does have some experience with turtles, although Flipper is the smallest turtle he has ever treated. He's trying to get ahold of a herpetologist that he knows so I'm awaiting his call, but I thought it would be a good idea to see if any of you have some suggestions. Thanks.

[step]

another thing, her ears are not puffed out like this http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21522 and she was never swimming sideways, more like swimming drunk. Kind of wobbly. Now she won't get in the water at all, I'm having to wet her myself.

[step]

No shedding, no mucous, no wheezing.

I have her set up right now in a makeshift "turtle hospital." I didn't want to risk her drowning in her home, so she's in a spare aquarium with a pie pan of water in case she feels like getting in and the warm light on her, and I'm occassionally using a wet q-tip to keep her from getting too dry. She feels so rotten though

[steve]

Has Flipper acted that way from the beginning? Is she separated from the other one? Can you post a picture of your setup? Is the Reptisun new? Did it have a burn-in period?

First thing to do after you separate is bump up the water temps to about 82F. The erratic swimming could be dangerous, you need to make sure that it does not worsen and Flipper won't get stuck or drown.

How has she been responding to the food?

[marisa]

If the turtle is having trouble swimming, I wouldn't make the water very deep, so less energy is expended swimming.

[SpotsMama]

How are her eyes? And swelling, signs of irritation?

Has she been pooping normally?

Excessive yawning, breathing with her mouth open?

It's really hard to say what's going on. If she continues to refuse to eat, you can let her soak in a solution of 50% unflavored Pedialyte (a solution for sick children you can get from places like Walgreens) and 50% water. this may help some. You are doing the right thing in offering her tempting food like cat food...it would be good to get some calories in her.

[theartbook35]

I would try canned tuna. It's very smelly, and the smellier the better. Protein is all right at the moment because it will help your turtle get its strength back. I would warm the tuna up a tiny bit, like, 10 seconds in a microwave, cold food might be harder for her to eat.

I've never heard of giving a turtle cat food, but in an odd sort of way there is a lot of stuff in canned cat food that actually is good for turtles, so, that is very smart on your part.

Try putting in some romaine lettuce too, sometimes they get in a mood to graze lightly for a while. Carrots are a very sweet smelling food, my babies really go after them.

There is the live food option, like mealworms, which also have protein for strength. Your turtle will probably be excited by the idea of live food, and mealworms will be easier to catch than feeder guppies.

(Once your turtle is feeling better, make sure you cut back in the protein).

[step]

Thanks everyone, but she didnt' make it. I'm pretty sure it was an RI, she seemed to be having trouble breathing towards the end. There just wasn't anything more we could do for her.

Her sister is doing well though.

[marisa]

I'm sorry to hear you lost her.

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. The little ones are kind of delicate, unfortunately.