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Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: Myrtle Beach State Park, SC
Arrival Date: 5/11/2019
Age: Juvenile
Weight: 2.7 kg (6 pounds)
Case History
Timon was found stranded by Myrtle Beach State Park rangers who were out doing sea turtle nest inventories. Park rangers observed how weak and thin Timon was and contacted South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Luckily, this little green was quickly transported to the South Carolina Aquarium by Linda Mataya of the North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol team.
Treatment
Upon admit, Timon was incredibly thin, weak, and in very critical condition. Timon had chronic Debilitated Turtle Syndrome (DTS). Bloodwork indicated that he was severely dehydrated and had a low glucose level, among other issues; he had been sick for a long time. Timon was given lots of fluids to begin rehydrating him, emergency drugs to help increase his heart rate, and was started on antibiotics to help prevent any further infection present in his body. The tissue on his front flippers was covered in fibrin, and was sloughing off; we usually see this in very debilitated turtles. Timon’s prognosis was very guarded given his bloodwork results and overall body condition. After he was triaged, he was left to rest comfortably on a foam waterbed and staff checked on him throughout the night.
Updates
May 12th: Timon pulled through the night, but was still very weak. His glucose (blood sugar level) was rechecked and had stabilized; more fluids were administered to continue to rehydrate him. Timon was offered food, but showed no interest. Because he was in such a debilitated state and had no energy to move except to take breaths. Knowing that turtles are more comfortable when in water, staff built him a kiddie pool that was able to float and have filtered water move through it so he could be in a filtered tank and more comfortable while resting. Timon still has not shown interest in food and will continue to receive fluid therapy, and we will keep his tank water at a lower salinity to help rehydrate him as well. His prognosis is highly guarded as he is a very critical patient.
May 30: Timon has made great strides since our last update! He was so dehydrated that he was receiving fluids daily. He was also put on another antibiotic, and cold laser therapy was started to help the skin on his flippers heal. He has an area on top of his head with exposed bone that is also receiving laser treatment. Timon finally started eating, defecating and has really perked up over the last week. We were able to remove the kiddie pool because he was strong enough to swim in shallow water. Hopefully this positive trend continues with this little guy!
Release Date
Release Location
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