Reptile & Amphibian Forums

a vitamin A shot and an antibiotic shot. He has gotten worse since he received his shots. He just lays on his rock and doesn't even move. Do they usually do this after shots or is it not looking good for him?

vitimin A shots are often the cause of death in young turtles...they really are part of a very archaic veterinary plan.
perhaps your vet needs more up to date info
but i am no vet so perhaps it was required.
but sadly many turtles do die from HYPERvitimiosis A as a result of a vit A shot administered in an attempt to cure HYPOvitiminosis A.

i'll send you a link about it soon.
keep them warm and the water meticulously clean
don't give up hope.

again,
i ma no vet and i have not even seen this turtle but it may be worth it fo you to consider this article:

vitimin A by c tabaka

prior to the vet visit. Thanks for the info.

to keep him warm, should I keep him in water or take him out and give him occasional soaks?

well what exactly were his symptoms....?

He is a baby between 1-2 inches. His eyes were swollen, occasional open mouth breathing, constant basking, and not eating. The doctor (and others) say keep him warm. I keep his basking area between 85-90 and his water between 75-80. If he gets in the water he just floats and I put him back on his basker.

yeah sound like respitory stuff
when i get these sick sliders (i have had quite a few brought to me over the years, its amazing how easily people give up)
i try to keep them in shallow water which i clean EVERY day. I either keep them in small containers which i can easily dump or i put several floating objects in the water so that much of the surface is covered. Lately i have been using the tops to plastic containers ...i float some in the water and attache some to the glass in the tank just under the water surface with suction cups. this makes "shallows" and it helkps out the turtles which are to weak to swim or dive for food. They even drown sometimes so i think this is help ful

Definitely keep him warm.
Try to keep him away from loud vibrations/noises and other turtles/animals.

what antibiotic were you given?
Are you to administer more injections?
there isn't much more you can do but keep him clean and warm and keep offering him food (easy to catch really good smelling stuff like tuna, boiled chickn, boiled eggwhite, crippled (legless?) crickets, but clean the water after.

hopfully his appetie will return.

Have his eyes opneed?
Were you given some ointment to put on them?

He goes back to the vet two more times for antibiotic injections. The swelling, in his eyes, is down but he is not opening them. The vet didn't give me ointment. You have been so helpful. I am new with turtles and I hate to see any animal suffer. Thank you so much!

wish i or somebody could do more.

try to find out what antibiotic is being used...
don't castigate the vet for the vit A but maybe you could search around and get mor einfo on it and present it to him/her.

good to hear the eye swelling is down, that could be a good sign

as for the getting worse, every animal seems to respond that way to the intial dose of antibiotics (peopl too, right?) then they usually get better.
so there is still hope for this guy. don't give up on him.
many of the little sick ones DO make it with loving care, and you certainly seem to be trying your hardest to make sure he gets that.
keep us posted.

Just thought I would let you know my turtle died last night. He put up a good fight. I'm glad he is no longer suffering.

I had a hatchling that could not have been more than 3 months old, and he just wouldn't eat. I think he may have eaten two pellets the whole time I had him, which was about 2-3 weeks. I read somewhere that some hatchlings that you get at pet stores are just ekpt in such awful conditions that they stop eating. Anyway, I took my little guy to the vet and she gave him the very same shots and advised me to keep in under a basking lamp on a rock. I did this, but he dies a few weeks later. I definitely agree that you need to keep him warm, but I have always thought that maybe my guy got dehydrated, so just be careful of that! And good luck :~)