Urgent Care

Our red eared slider is six. We've had him since he hatched in a creek near our home. Water is kept clean, shell is firm and healthy. Skin coloring bright. He's never been sick or had a reason for a vet.

About six weeks ago his eyes were suddenly swelled shut. After doing reading we dry docked him and gave him Vit A drops (ZooMed) twice a day. After four weeks we took him to the Vet since he still won't open his eyes, though the swelling is virtually gone. The Vet gave us stronger drops and said he looked so good she felt a shot wasn't necessary, but if no improvement in two weeks come back. Well we are now going into the second week and his energy is great and we take him outside for two hours a day on top of the drops 2x a day but still he hasn't opened his eyes. Should we go ahead and go back now? How long does this take to heal? We're worried he may be permanently blind. He's our baby and any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

Separately, thank you guys for helping me keep Larry so healthy, even though you've never seen me here. This is my first post to the forum but I've been an avid reader since my son brought him home as a hatchling after Larry and his siblings got washed out from a storm (he was the only survivor). I had never owned a turtle and learned everything through res.com.

How big? 7-8 inches. Not fat but not thin.
How long we've had him? Six years. Since he hatched.

Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 30 gallons of water plus additional 20 gal space for docking station, basking lamp.
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes, changed weekly, turned off when feeding with waste scooped up by hand too.

What is the basking temperature? 75-80
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? ZooMed
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Dried shrimp, pellets, meal worms. We used feeder fish(before his eyes swelled)
When was the last time your turtle ate? Yesterday, appetite is decent.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 50 gallons
Is the tank near a window? Yes, in front of large window.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Occasionally he groans when he first wakes up but he's always done that. He just seems to do it once a week now... Before it was rare.

How long have you had the UVB light? Usually the first 3 things to try are to stop using the UVB light, try to get some exposure to natural sunlight and apply some cod-liver oil to the eyes. The other things to try after is to check water quality parameters and perhaps a medicated eye drop (zoo med turtle eye drops or a prescribed antibiotic).

Thanks for responding!

We had UVB on him for yrs then two yrs ago we moved and upgraded his tank but removed UVB light. Since he's in front if large window we, incorrectly, assumed that would suffice. He's been fine all that time up until 6 wks ago. After the vet visit last wk we installed a UVB light.

We've done the drops, first ZooMed and now prescription. He goes outside two hrs a day. Haven't done the cod liver oil but based on what you mentioned above, we've done all of it. I'm wondering now after reading more on this site if the vet was wrong and he has a respiratory infection.

Based on general knowledge, what's the typical timeline on an eye infection, assuming it's strictly a Vitamin issue?

Have you tested the water quality? High levels of ammonia can also affect turtles' eyes.

Sorry I don't know how long it should take for his eyes to heal. What are the drops you were prescribed? He might need antibiotics if that's not what the vet prescribed.

I hope it works out soon!

We called the vet and she still wasn't concerned because he is improving (swelling almost gone). She said a check of his lungs were fine. Basically she said to be patient and call her next week if the eyes aren't open. Right now he's on antibiotic/vitamin drops twice a day.

We dry dock him at night with us in bed. Sounds nuts but he has a pallet between us unless he decides to snuggle in my arms all night, like he did last night. We're not wild sleepers and it's a king bed, so we are cautious with him and he seems to love it. He likes it so much that once we get up in the morning, he sleeps under the covers another two hours lol. Now he fusses when he goes in his tank for a few hours each day to eat/potty.

How is he doing now?

Thanks for asking, Steve. I held off giving an update to see what happened.

Last night my husband put him in his tank and he sunk like a stone to the bottom. When he pulled him out he was spitting up water. So what I thought was happening, was proved out. We took him back to the vet and she confirmed he has a respiratory infection and touch of pneumonia. He's on shots every other day for 2 1/2 wks. His first shot was today and his energy is better.

Rather than putting him in his tank for two hours, we have him in the sink with warm Pedialyte. She said he hadn't lost weight, which was good but he hasn't been eating or drinking much the last few days. When we put him in the Pedialyte bath he drank a lot and ate a little.

So now it's more dry docking for the next three weeks. I'm hopeful he'll push through because he's been so darn healthy his whole life. The vet said to keep doing what we've been doing as far as his care because it was unusual to see a turtle who was brought up as a hatchling from the wild have zero issues until recently. Not sure if that's true but I appreciated hearing that we are good parents to Larry.

I will keep you guys updated and I'm sure I will be asking questions around the board as we get through this! Thanks again for caring!

Well we did the Pedialyte bath, only put in 3/4 inch of liquid in his bath. He dipped his head under a couple times then when we took him out he is now having noticeable trouble breathing. His legs and arms are limp. He sneezed four times and yellowish gunk came out, my husband had been tilting his body somewhat down and gently pulling his arms in and out which has seemed to have helped. But he is extremely lethargic. Was the Pedialyte not a good idea or did he get water in his lungs from his bath? The bath was 2 hrs ago.

We called the vet but it's after hours... So we will call in the morning. Is he going to be ok or did I make him worse? Before the bath he had perked up, now we are checking on him around the clock.

Oh, he is dry docked in laundry basket with bedding. Heater is on him and we pulled his UV light from his tank and have that over the basket. I know that keeping him warm is critical but anything else we should do/consider????

Any ideas, tips, help is gratefully appreciated. Tonight is the first time we are really scared we may lose him.

I hate to be a bother but can someone please reply?

It's 14 hrs later, vet hasn't called back. He sleeps off and on but breathing is labored and he's lethargic and limp. We took him outside for an hour to get direct sun. He's now in his room with a UV light on him and we use a dropper every hour or so to keep his eyes moist. We also try to squeeze a few drops in his mouth. Water is treated with ReptiSafe.

We are so worried because through all this he's largely been the same demeanor until last night. It's night and day. Now we have to stare at him to confirm he's still with us. Any advice from those who've experienced this is appreciated.

We lost him about an hour ago. We are devastated.

I just saw this. I don't think there was anything else you could have done. I share your devastation

I'm very sorry for the late reply, I feel terrible about it.

Thank you for your words and help, Steve, it meant a lot and we had him so long because of the things learned on this site.

We think he got ahead of himself when he got in the bath (because the shot made him feel good) and tried to breath underwater but couldn't and ended up with water in his lungs. We gave him CPR last night and it brought him back but he was struggling so much that the last time he stopped breathing, we let him go.

He's never had even one issue before this, so it's a huge shock to us but it shows how sick he really was if one setback took him down. It was hard to judge, even for the vet, because she was saying he'd be fine...hadn't lost even an ounce of weight... Sigh...

We buried him today in the rock garden by the pool. It's where he stayed when sunning himself outside so it seemed right. :mrgreen:

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I can't even imagine what you must have gone through.

Urgent Care :: Eyes Swollen after six weeks w treatment....

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