"Yawkey"
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Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve, Georgetown, SC
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07/13/2011
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juvenile
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9.3 kg (~21 lb)
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This tiny 13.56 kg loggerhead is the smallest wild loggerhead ever reported to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Small juveniles of this species are typically pelagic animals in the North Atlantic Gyre and often found around the Azores. However, Yawkey was thriving in the wild until he was struck by a boat propeller just offshore of Yawkey Wildlife Preserve. The prop sliced deeply through the right side of his head, damaging his cranium, eye and beak; caused minor damage to his neck and shoulder; and sliced deeply through the right side of his carapace.
Yawkey's heart rate was strong upon arrival (48 bpm) but his blood work indicated that extensive hemorrhaging had occurred. He received pain meds, injectable vitamins, antibiotics, and fluids upon arrival. His wounds were carefully flushed to remove debris, and our veterinarian was able to use hardware and sutures to neatly close the carapace (see pic). Yawkey's damaged right eye was extremely swollen upon arrival, and we are unsure if the eye itself is functional. The head and carapace wounds were packed with ointment and covered wtih tegaderm.
19 July 2011: We are very concerned about internal bleeding that was diagnosed the day after Yawkey's admittance, when a coelomic tap revealed blood and Yawkey's PCV had dropped dramatically from the day before. On a good note, flurbiprofen and antibiotic ointment have dramatically reduced the swelling around the right eye, although we have yet to assess its function. Yawkey remains on pain meds and is fairly lethargic. His beak is damaged but remains intact, so we carefully offered him food today, which he promptly spit out. Prognosis is guarded.
21 July 2011: Recent radiographs revealed a severe break in Yawkey's right humerus (see photo). This turtle has a long road ahead.
28 July 2011: Yawkey's PCV has improved and is now 26%. However, he still typically floats motionless on the surface of his tank, and we are concerned about potential neurological injuries.
7 August 2011: Yawkey travelled with Barrington last Friday to the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center for a CT scan, which revealed a depressed cranial fracture similar to Barri's. We will be performing head surgery on Yawkey soon. Prognosis is very poor.
14 August 2011: Thanks to the expertise of Dr.'s Jason King, Nora Schmidt, and Cheri Ristau, Yawkey's depressed skull fracture was filed down and altered to reduce inward pressure on the brain last Thursday. While the surgery itself went perfectly, Yawkey failed to breathe on his own until 44 hours after surgery (an abnormally long time). He is currently stable, on daily fluids, and able to rest in his tank of water. It is currently unknown if he will fully recover from his head wound, however.
15 September 2011: Euthanasia may be our only viable option with Yawkey. Although his surgery site is beginning to heal, Yawkey's behavior is very worrisome. The slightest touch causes him to constrict his muscles in a manner that may indicate pain, and we are unable to do physical therapy with him as we are doing with Barrington. Despite force-feeding and tube-feeding, his weight has dropped dramatically over the past two months. On a good note, his damaged eye has healed beautifully. However, Yawkey still exhibits severe neurological symptoms, and we are running out of treatment options.
22 September 2011: The decision was made to euthanize Yawkey yesterday. Despite our best efforts, he was not responding to treatments, and we felt it was best to alleviate his suffering. Necropsy revealed severe brain trauma and hemmorhaging and confirmed that euthanasia was the right choice for this turtle.
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Photo thanks to Barbara Bergwerf
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