Urgent Care :: red ear slider with closed eyes - saw the vet, still sick

[UmmmmMe]

Hi - I am hoping someone might be able to help me although I am told there isn't much that can be done for my turtle.

I have a very small Red Ear slider that was given to me since it was a hatchling. It was found in our neighbors pools after a bad storm and was doing great up until about 3 weeks ago when I noticed his eyes started getting puffy. I took him to the vet, who didn't seem to know much about RES but unfortunately is the only vet that we have around here that will see turtles. He gave me Gentamicin Sulfate for his eyes and Vit A to put on his food (although he hasn't eaten in well over two weeks) and also Chlorhexidine to mix with water for him to sit in twice a day.

Nothing is working - I have tried cod liver oil on his eyes as well. Is there anything else I can do?

Any suggestions as I hate to see this little guy in the condition he is in. I was told I could bring him to a vet across town for injections but I do not have resources or the money as I just spent $300. at the last vet and am not able to afford anything more.



How big is your turtle? small
How long have you had it? 6 months

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? 30 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? heated lamp - not sure
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? not sure - it is a turtle rock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? anything....lettuce, squash, shrimp,pellets, turkey meat, tuna
When was the last time your turtle ate? over two weeks ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? no
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

[jozzep]

Seems like you did a lot to save your turtle, and the vet that charged $300 was more interested in the money than actually helping your turtle.
Puffy eyes are usually a vitamin A deficiency, UVB too strong, or a respiratory infection.
Have you called the vet to let him know the turtle is not getting better and won't eat the food so he can't get the vitamins?

[UmmmmMe]

I did and actually called another vet and they told me that there was really nothing else I could do. That basically I would just have to watch it die. Really sad and very sad for my daughter....little guy is hanging in there and I just want to make sure I am doing every thing on my end to try and save him.

[jozzep]

That really is so sad.....
2 weeks is a very long time to not be eating. Did either of the doctors tell you exactly what's wrong with him? Is it a respiratory infection or a vitamin deficiency?
If it's the first case, only injections of antibiotics "could" save him. If it's the second, you can try to get a liquid multivitamin you can put in a bowl where you submerge the turtle and he can drink the water.
Either way, you did your best.
Good luck

[UmmmmMe]

The doctor told me it is a vitamin A deficiency and would not give an injection because he is too small. What kind of liquid mutlivitamins? He won't even open his mouth so am not sure if he is drinking....very sad to see him like this.

[marisa]

I'd bump up the water temp to about 82F for starters and get a thermometer and check the basking area temp. to make sure it's 90 - 92F. Warmth aids the immune system in fighting infection.

Are the eyes swollen shut? If so, he won't be able to see to eat...Have you tried holding a bit of tuna, salmon (or whatever) in front of his nose in the water to see if he'll take it (forget foods like lettuce or squash)?

You could get some plain Pedialyte and dilute some 50/50 with water and let him get hydrated in it to give him some electrolytes if he drinks any. If you want to try vitamins, you could get some Poly-vi-Sol (a liquid children's vitamin) or liquid vitamins for birds and try a bit in the water or on some food.

When he was "doing great," what foods was he being fed? When you tried the cod liver oil, how many days did you apply it? What form is the Vit A that the vet gave you in?

[UmmmmMe]

The cod liver oil I was applying once a day. He was eating small turtle pellets for and small dried shrimp. The temp is raised to almost 80 degrees now and he sits on the rock under the heat light but I can tell he is losing strength. The Vit A that the doctor gave me is in a bottle an I don't know what kind. Just written with vit. A.

I've tried tuna but again, he won't eat a thing....I can't get him to open his mouth.

[Kemul]

RI can't be cured by vitamin A, that's for sure. I dislike the vet who charged $300
to care for a small turtle. Anyway, if the turtle is too small for injection, the drug
(antibiotics) can be administered orally. Just ask the vet to dilute the antibiotics
to proper amount according to the turtle's weight. Then, you need to somehow
put the liquid inside the turtle's mouth. That's the hardest part.

In my opinion, if it's really RI, forcing the mouth to open is better compared to
letting the turtle die. I tried this already with my turtle Ramen. It got RI a few
days after I got it, but it's now living healthily. I got Ramen almost a year ago.

Good luck.

[UmmmmMe]

But this is the problem, how do I force his mouth open? Is there anyway to get the antibiotics? This vet will not give to me and was talking surgery. He is the only one in my area and I believe he did not know a thing about RES.

[papoopeepoo]

Are you absolutely sure that it is not your UVB bulb that is causing the swollen eyes?

The swollen eyes would explain the loss of appetite because he can't see his food and he may be in pain.

[gwennie]

I'd call another vet, besides the two you've spoken to. There's got to be a vet out there that will work with you, no matter how long the road might be. To give up on the poor guy just isn't good enough in my opinion.

[Kemul]

I used a toothpick to force open my turtle's mouth.
I really don't think surgery is a solution here.
You can try turning off UVB and see if the eyes improve.
Try talking to the other vet.
Keep offering food in the meanwhile. My turtle survived for a month without food
when it got RI, so you still have some time. Keep the water at 80-ish though,
like has been suggested.

[XclickarooX]

This same thing just happened to my turtle who is about 16 months old. I took her to the local vet and the vet gave me Vetropolycin to rub on my turtles eyes twice a day and also Zosyn,which i inject into my turtle once a day for two weeks. Also the vet fed her and injected her with vitamins.(my turtle did not eat for 2 weeks as well) This was monday it is friday now and still my turtles eyes are shut, but not swollen! She still can not open them yet though. Also she is more active in her tank and has been trying to eat food off the bottom of the tank because she can not see her food. So maybe you need the Zosyn medicine??? not sure but it only cost me 175 to see my vet and get all the medicine and shots. Good luck.

[UmmmmMe]

Yes, sure bout the UVB light. I found another vet that was about an hour and a half away from my house who gave him a shot of vit A and suppliments for me to inject into his mouth but it is the same issue as before. He will not open his mouth. I try to force it open by putting a cotton swab next to his mouth but it just makes him go further back in his shell. I have pinchced his back feet and pused on his back side but nothing so that I can get food in his mouth.

His eyes are still swollen shut, although it is still only two days. I was not given anything else to put on his eyes. Not sure what else or if there is any thing I can do at this time.

[Kemul]

It's weird why vets only give vitamin A and supplements. If it's really an infection,
antibiotics is the only cure. Mention Baytril (enrofloxacin) to the vet. A good vet
should be able to approximate the dosage to give according to the weight of the
animal.

I used a toothpick to force open my turtle's mouth by sliding the point of the tooth-
pick into the front of the beak. Then slowly tried to open the mouth that way.

I really hope your turtle can get well.