Topics in medicine and surgeryClinical Technique: Chelonian Shell Repair
Section snippets
Triage
There are many differing opinions concerning wildlife rehabilitation and the treatment of injured wild animals. For the author, if an injured chelonian can be treated and returned to the wild, medical and surgical intervention will be attempted. If the animal cannot be returned to the wild, it will be humanely euthanized. Evaluation of a patient's condition over the first few hours will often determine which individual should receive treatment and which should require euthanasia. This may be a
Initial Workup and Treatment
With every case there is a starting point, and supportive care (e.g., analgesics, fluid therapy) is a good place to initiate therapy. Once a tortoise is brought to the hospital, it should be immediately evaluated. Once a prognosis has been assigned, supportive care should be initiated and a total treatment plan developed and implemented.
Wound Care
Once fluid, antibiotic, and analgesic therapies have been administered, wound care should proceed. The techniques used for reptile wound care are similar between chelonians and other reptile or mammalian species. There are a few tricks and tips that may assist with treating the unusual combination of bone and soft tissue of the chelonian patient.
Aquatic Turtles
Aquatic turtle behavior makes wound care more challenging. Depending on the area and severity of damage, these animals can be held out of the water for 10 to 14 days. However, PO or ICe fluid therapy and short baths must be administered to maintain patient hydration. Aquatic turtles with simple, closed fractures can be kept dry docked for 7 to 10 days, and then wounds can be cleaned and have SSD ointment applied. Ilex ointment (Medcon Biolab Inc, Grafton, MA USA) is applied to keep water out of
Nutritional Support
In most cases, wild chelonians will not eat consistently during hospitalization. In the author's experience, wild tortoises may eventually start to eat after 1 month. However, aquatic chelonians are commonly anorexic during the treatment period. To best facilitate enteral nutrition, the placement of a pharyngostomy/esophogostomy feeding tube is necessary. This is one of the most important tools used to provide supportive care to injured chelonians and should be used when necessary. With a
Anesthesia and Monitoring
There are many different approaches to reptile anesthesia that use many different combinations of drugs.14 In the past, reptile anesthesia has been a long and difficult process; however, with the advent of short-acting drugs and reversible drug protocols, reptile anesthesia has become safer and easily achievable. The author recommends general anesthesia for most shell repair procedures and close monitoring of the patient while under anesthesia. An overview of chelonian anesthesia is beyond the
Fracture Fixation
Over the years, chelonian shell fracture fixation has changed and been modified. There are many different techniques for chelonian shell fracture fixation, and indeed they all have merit and may be used in part or in combination. The technique used by the author has been developed by many people and has been used with great success. Using removable hardware such as screws, plates, rods, and wire may be combined with techniques that use epoxy and other materials.
Conclusion
Medical and surgical intervention of chelonian shell fractures can be prolonged but very rewarding. These reptiles often have life spans greater than 50 years. By rehabilitating an adult chelonian, you are assisting with conservation as well as helping individual animals that are often overlooked and never treated.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the Veterinary Services Department of Disney's Animal Kingdom, including the veterinary technicians, hospital keepers, and wildlife interns who look after the day-to-day needs of these chelonian patients. Special thanks go to Leanne Blinco and Beth Schille for assistance with compiling this paper.
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Cited by (26)
Reptiles
2022, Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, Sixth EditionEmergency and Critical Care
2019, Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and SurgeryReptile Formulary
2019, Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and SurgeryReptiles
2018, Exotic Animal Formulary: Fifth EditionTreatment of Turtle Shell Ulcerations Using Photopolymerizable Nano-Hybrid Dental Composite
2016, Journal of Exotic Pet MedicineCitation Excerpt :It is also recommended to provide supportive care to the chelonians that present with ulcerative shell lesions in the form of fluid therapy and nutritional support (e.g., critical care diet), especially in extremely debilitated patients.21 Complete shell healing of infected ulcerative lesions requires 1 to 2 years, with even the formation of a granulation bed taking approximately 1 month.22-24 Another concern for aquatic turtles with these types of lesions is the need to dry-dock them during treatment, further increasing the stress of the patient.
Reptile Critical Care and Common Emergencies
2016, Veterinary Clinics of North America - Exotic Animal Practice