Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

A week ago i noticed that my turtle (Sandy) had a lump on the side of his head. I brought him right to the vet, who said he had a vitamin A deficency. He gave him 2 shots of vitamin A and told me to give him infant vitamin drops daily. Now, a week later, the lump is still there, if not worse. Also, he has developed 3 small red sores (each about the size of this "o" ) on his plastron. I have never seen anything like this in the 3 years i've owned Sandy. Could the two be connected? Should I go back the the same vet or get a second opinion?
Sandy is a painted turtle, i'm not sure quite how old, but probably about 8 years.

Any advice is apreciated, i'm so worried about sandy!!!!!

Thanks, Kathlyn

I think you need a new reptile vet.

It sounds like your turtle has an ear abcess, which usually needs to be lanced (under anesthesia, preferably!), the hardened puss removed, and flushed. Usually a vet prescribes systemic antibiotics of some kind, such as injectable Baytril or Amakacin. Usually you have to flush the wound with peroxide for a week afterward.

Most vets realize these days that it VERY easy to OD on straight Vitamin A (such as injections and oral suppliments), and are hesitant to give such large amounts, or will give doses half of what used to be recommended. Vitamin A overdose can be painful and deadly.

So long as your turtle is getting a variety of foods - a variety of greens, pellets, earthworms, insects offered a variety of veggies, ect., I wouldn't worry too much about vitamin A deficiency. You can try offering thin slices of sweet potato, as some aquatics will eat that. This is a safer way of getting A into the body than through suppliments, but I still don't think that's the underlying problem.

I also find it odd that he's recommending oral suppliments for an aquatic - how are you getting it into the turtle, since they only eat in the water? Are you forcing the mouth open and adding the vitamins, or putting it on food?

How are you keeping the turtle? What are your water temperatures, do you have a good basking spot with a heat light and UVB light, how is the water filtered?
Do you ever offer extra calcium in the form of cuttle bone?

Katrina

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Posted by: rubymaser at Sun Oct 17 21:47:17 2004
Hi,

A week ago i noticed that my turtle (Sandy) had a lump on the side of his head. I brought him right to the vet, who said he had a vitamin A deficency. He gave him 2 shots of vitamin A and told me to give him infant vitamin drops daily. Now, a week later, the lump is still there, if not worse. Also, he has developed 3 small red sores (each about the size of this "o" ) on his plastron. I have never seen anything like this in the 3 years i've owned Sandy. Could the two be connected? Should I go back the the same vet or get a second opinion?
Sandy is a painted turtle, i'm not sure quite how old, but probably about 8 years.

Any advice is apreciated, i'm so worried about sandy!!!!!

Thanks, Kathlyn

I feed Sandy cuttle bone, and also the turtle calcium blocks, which he loves. I feed him more fruit (grapes, melon) than veggies, but i will change that.

The rest of his diet is a mixture of zoomed and reptomin turtle pellets. I haven't been giving him live food, but will now. He has always seemed to have trouble eating (my other turts wolf down the food in minuts, while he takes a long time and makes more of a mess, alomst like the others swallow it whole, but he tries to chew it up. )

He's in a 75gallon tank with a fluval 4 internal filter (not enough, i'm buying a canister but i cant decide between a filstar XP3 and eheim pro 2 2028, any suggestions?) . I change the water weekly and feed him in a seperate container. His basking area has a floresent (repitsun 5.0 i think) and a heat spot light. The water temp is 75F and the basking area is 85-90.

I was giving him liquid baby vitamins in a dropper, he would bite the dropper (while in water) and i would squeeze a couple drops into his mouth. I stoped doing this after reading about overdose.

could the sores be from too much vitamin A? if not, what else might they be from?

When I first got Sandy, he was in bad shape. He had been kept in 2in of water in a 10gallon with no light or basking area. The top of his shell has improved greatly since then. I applied "animax" cream (prescribed by the vet) and kept him dry for a few hours daily for the first few months. He has never had other problems up till now. I feel so bad, this poor turtle has been through alot

Also, any suggestions on picking a vet? Mine said he used to be a herpetologist, and took care of zoo reptiles, so I trusted him

I am in the Cleveland, OH area if anyone knows of one around here.

Sorry this is so long, and thanks for your input!
Kathlyn

Sounds like your vet does not know much about turtles. Try these:
Lori A. Koenig, DVM
Lakewood Animal Hospital
14572 Madison Ave
Cleveland, OH 44107
Tel: (216) 226-0400
Victoria A. Wendt, DVM
Roberts & Wendt Animal Hospital
1458 W. 117th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
Tel: (216) 521-0533

A friend's boyfriend lives in that area, so I'll ask her to ask him which vet he uses (he breeds reptiles).

Katrina

These are some herp vets in the area.

Katrina

Victoria Wendt
216.521.0533
1458 W. 117th St
Lakewood, OH 44107

Will Mandel
440.449.6644
5387 Mayfield
Lyndhurst, OH 44124

Frank Krupka
124 Miller Rd.
Avon, OH 44012

Check with NOAH help line- there are other good herp vets in NE Ohio area. Try Dr. "T" (long eastern European name I forget for the moment) in Parma, also. (Tuledzewski????)

Many vets are not completely competent in all reptile diagnoses. A unilateral swelling indicates a middle ear infection and must be treated with injectible antibiotics, such as amikacin or baytril. Vitamin A deficincy produces bilatteral swelling of the eyes because of the breakdown of the epithelium of stuctures immediately behind the eyes. If the middle ear infection persists for a long time, the pus solidifies and must be surgically removed under sterile conditions (with antibiotic support continuing to prevent the spread of infection.)Trust me - I have treated this condition many times.

I just got back from the Lakewood Animal Hospital. They lanced the abcess and flushed it out, and gave me antibiotics to apply daily.
I was very happy with this vet, they seemed like they knew what they were doing, and admitted it if they didnt know something, unlike the other one.
Thanks for everyones help!!!

Kathlyn & Sandy