"Barrington"
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Hilton Head, SC
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06/02/2011
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juvenile
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34.4 kg (~75 lb)
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This 38.6 kg (85 lb) loggerhead was rescued from the surf in Hilton Head on 2 June 2011. The eyes and nares were nearly sealed shut by a crust of barnacles, and epibionts on the carapace included tube worms, sea squirts/tunicates, and small crabs. The keratin is missing from the soft tissues, and a bright pink layer of epithelium is exposed.
This animal is extremely sensitive to touch (likely a pain reaction), and received pain meds upon arrival. The barnacle crust was removed from the eyes and nares, and Barrington can finally breathe through the nostrils. Initial treatment also included SQ fluids via catheter, multiple antibiotics (ceftazidime & danofloxacin), and vitamin therapy. Barrington's blood work is amazingly good and indicates that this disease had a very acute onset. His prognosis is poor.
20 June 2011: We are still very concerned about Barrington. He refuses food and typically floats motionless on the surface of his tank. Keratin continues to slough off his head and flippers, and he still reacts very painfully to touch (he tenses up completely). A potential skull wound is now visible on the head, which would explain the flotation issue and account for the lethargic behavior. However, the skin does appear less inflamed and is returning to a more normal coloration. Steroid injections begin today.
11 July 2011: While Barrington's body has healed beautifully, he remains inappetant and lethargic. The skull fracture on the head is now completely visible, and we suspect some type of blunt force trauma (hammer strike?) is the cause of Barrington's problem. We are consulting with human neurologists for treatment options.
13 July 2011: A big thank you to Dr. Jason King and staff at the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center, who graciously provided Barrington with an MRI and CT scan yesterday. The CT scan allowed us to specifically identify a large bone fragment that had been shoved downward toward the brain due to blunt force trauma to the skull. Surgery will be scheduled soon, and prognosis remains poor.
19 July 2011: Assisted by Dr.’s Nora Schmidt and Cheri Ristau, Dr. Boylan successfully removed the offending bone fragment on July 14th.
7 August 2011: Barri had another MRI/CT scan on Friday, and his first massage therapy session on Saturday. His behavior is better than it was pre-surgery, but his movements are still abnormal. When stressed, he tilts his head up and to the left, he intermittently uses and overextends his front flippers, and he moves in circles. Radiographs show unequal lung inflation now as well. We've seen all these symptoms in another head trauma case (Myrtle) before, and prognosis remains poor.
15 September 2011: Barri is responding well to massage therapy and is able to completely relax during his sessions (thank you to Lisa and Ronda!), but he is still primarily lethargic and inappetant. However, he does not appear to be in any pain. We are tube-feeding twice weekly and body condition is fine, but overall prognosis remains very poor.
1 November 2011: After five months of diagnostics, surgery, and treatments without sufficient positive results, our veterinarian decided euthanasia was in Barrington's best interest. While we were successful in healing Barrington's body, necropsy revealed that his brain was damaged beyond repair by the initial trauma.
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Photo thanks to Barbara Bergwerf
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