3045. An 18-year-old red-eared slider had swollen eyes, breathing difficulty and white gums and tongues

Mar 7, 2016

"The other vet rejected me as he does not treat turtles," the man in his 50s had to look for another vet who treats turtles.
"How do you know Toa Payoh Vets treat turtles?" I asked.
"My son surfed the net and found your surgery."

So, here was a gasping red-eared slider. Every minute, he would open his mouth wide, tilt his head up to breathe in air.

"His tongue and gums are white," I showed the owner. "He has much fewer red blood cells or such cells do not have sufficient haemoglobin. Hence your slider is open-mouth breathing."

"He looks like he cannot survive," the man said.
"Chances are not good as we cannot do blood transfusion in turtles."

The slider had lost a lot of weight and appeared puffed up. The snow-white gums and tongue
indicated a severe loss of blood inside the body. Probably a burst artery leaking blood for the past 3 days.

3044. A 10-year-old Westie has smelly wet ears and itchy body

March 10, 2017

The owner was referred to me as her Westie's ears got worse, becoming wet and smelly. The Westie kept shaking her head. Consulted vets but no resolution. So she clipped bald and treated the skin disease with washes and spas. No use. Body odour. Keeps scratching. Paw licking.

Diagnosis: Generalised ringworm. The owner did not want a blood allergy test. Treating for ringworm and given anti-allergic diet.

3043. A carnivorous 20-year-old male red-eared slider has a painful fishy-smelly armpit

Feb 7, 2017

Day 2 of hospitalisation.
Necrotic abscessed tissues under the right armpit.

Fishy smell from a swelling in the right shoulder area. The slider could not swim properly with the
right arm.

DAY 1









Dr Daniel incised the swelling. Cheesy pus drained out partly. More inside the armpit was curretted out on Day 2.

DAY 2





 

 

DAY 3. Armpit wound is healing well after antibiotic injections SC Baytril 0.2 + Pred 0.01 ml in back limb on Day 1 and Day 2.










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3042. BKTP Images

3041. A 20-year-old female red-eared slider is lethargic, not eating, not moving for over 10 days

Red eared slider, F, 20 yrs

egg binding

Egg binding is most probable cause of lethargy and not eating for over 10 days.
Owner took home and provided a sand box for egg laying for the next 6 days, but no eggs were laid.
The slider usually laid eggs in batches of 3 in the water in a tank shared with a male slider, during the past years, but this year, she had not laid any eggs.

X rays show around 13 eggs.
The vet advised oxytocin injections for the next few days but the owner wanted the slider home.
Feeding orally the Critical Care from Ox bow 6 times a day. "She was able to walk a while, after
eating, but soon became lethargic," the lady owner told me yesterday, Mar 7, 2017.

I advised warm water and putting her back to the tank in which she used to lay eggs in the water durng the previous years.

As at March 8, 2017, the slider had not laid any eggs in the sand box. So