Posted by:
PHWyvern
at Tue May 22 18:42:38 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by PHWyvern ]
>>What have you been feeding them?
>>Is it just me or have other people been reading the labels on the turtle & fish pellet foods?
>>Wheat gluten is in many of them... check your labels & see if possibly the food has the same problem dog & cat food do.
>>I check the AVMA website often, a ferret food has now been added to the recall list.
>>Makes me fear pellets for any of my pets no matter what the species.
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>>PHRatz
If the food can be ruled out and the only constant seems to be the rain, then it's very possible that they suffered from a strain of Botulism (which would coincide with your vet's assumption of a bacterial infection). This nasty bacteria can lay dormant in soil for a long while and then when it rains, run off into the ponds and then start producing the toxin. I know here in the mid-Atlantic area we have had a bit of an outbreak in botulism infecting birds (mainly water fowl and raptors) within the past 6 months or so. While botulism tends to be more prevalent in birds and fish, I don't see why turtles could not also be infected. At work we spent 2 months rehabbing a white domestic duck that became partially paralyzed from the toxin after a minor flooding of the lake due to heavy rains last November. Another infected duck did not survive. A couple months ago we had a red-tail hawk come in that was assumed at first to have been hit by a car but in fact was having trouble flying due to being infected and fell into a roadway. He has since recovered from that, but apparently had a secondary infection in one of his feet that is now taking hold. He may or may not make it. He had to have one talon amputated and he's at risk of losing 1 more and it's on the back part of the foot.. if he loses it, he will never be releasable. If the entire foot becomes infected to the point of having to remove it completely he will have to be euthanized.
Come to think of it, we had an eastern garter and a couple of baby black rat snakes that came in at various times this winter/spring that were behaving strangely, lethargic, erratic movements, convulsions and soon died. If I remember rightly it was during periods of rain. It might be they too could have been suffering from the botulism toxin.
I would try to see if you can get your vet to run some tests on the water from your pond, maybe the soil around it and even a blood test from the dead or still remaining live animals to see if there is indeed a strain of botulism involved. Nasty stuff it can be. Humans can become infected too.
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PHWyvern
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RE: mysterious turtle and tortoise death - PHWyvern, Tue May 22 18:42:38 2007