Emergency turtle hotline.

Keep these numbers handy for when you see any injured or sick freshwater turtles.

Published by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Aquatic veterinary medicine, pathology and educational services for fish. A repository for useful information and events. View all posts by TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish

Cathy Eckstein says:

2015/07/12 at 17:19

I found a North American box turtle in my backyard. She has an obvious left ear abscess. I am unable to take her to a reptile vet until tomorrow(Monday) afternoon as said vet is closed until that time. What can i do in the meantime to insure her safety & comfort. I read up on the issue & discovered the only viable treatment is for the vet to put her under general anesthesia & either aspirate the abscess or lance it to remove the puss/infection followed by antibiotic injection at the site. I am extremely concerned for this little creature & am praying she will hold on until tomorrow when i can get her to the vet. My fear is that the abscess will rupture. She is eating heartily & moving about with no apparent problem. Thank you for taking the time to read this dissertation…sincerely, Cathy Eckstein…
ceckstein@comcast.net/home tel:1-615-221-0932

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1. TheFishVet - Richmond's School of Fish says:
  
  2015/07/12 at 23:26
  
  I’ve not treated a box turtle before, however, I think soak him in a shallow dish of water for 30-60 minutes to rehydrate him, then keep him in a dark cardboard box to rest until you see the veterinarian.
  
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