Green (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: North Myrtle Beach, SC
Arrival Date: 4/12/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 5.36 kg (11.79 lbs)
Case History
This little green washed ashore in North Myrtle Beach lethargic, emaciated and debilitated. Based on the load of epibiota covering this turtle, it was evident that s/he had been sick for quite some time. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources received a phone call about the turtle and a permitted member of the North Myrtle Beach Turtle Team made sure that the animal was transported quickly and safely to the Aquarium!
Treatment
Upon arrival, we observed a very weak turtle. Biscuit was covered in a lot of epibiota and had lesions on all flippers. Diagnostic imaging showed that there is more damage than just visual to the flippers: One is dislocated, another is shorter than it should be and the areas are swollen. There is no way to know how this damage occurred.
At admit, Biscuit’s heart rate was steady and respirations were decent. Bloodwork further showed us how weak this turtle was, with very low glucose. We administered fluids, dextrose, vitamins, antibiotics and pain medication to help kickstart this turtle’s rehab. After all treatments were finished, we decided to see if this little green would do better in water. After observing Biscuit in shallow water, we determined that s/he was too weak to handle it, so we set Biscuit up in a wet dock overnight.
Updates
April 17, 2024: Over the last several days, we have seen Biscuit make good initial strides in recovery. We are starting to finally see an increase in glucose levels and energy. After a few days in a wet dock, Biscuit was promoted to a kiddie pool and is now doing well in shallow water in a tank! We started offering food and are happy to report that Biscuit has an appetite and has started eating as well. Here’s to hoping Biscuit continues in the right direction!
May 15, 2024: Since Biscuit has arrived, we’ve seen some improvements. This patient is doing well with tank depth increases and has started eating vitamins! We have seen that Biscuit prefers to eat lettuces over vegetables, such as peppers and zucchini. Overall, we’re happy with the progress that Biscuit has made thus far!
June 15, 2024: This last month Biscuit has shown some marked changes, with some unfortunate setbacks. This patient’s appetite drastically declined and we were not seeing much fecal matter in the tank. After some diagnostic images revealed a significant amount of backed up material in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, we revised our treatment plan to include more fluids for hydration and oral medications that treat GI issues. We have also performed a series of enemas to attempt to break up and flush out blockages. So far, the majority of the enemas have not resulted in much fecal material passing. This concerns us that there are more serious issues with the functionality of the colon and disease processes. We are continuing diagnostic imaging and expanding our medical plan to assess how to best treat Biscuit.
July 15, 2024: It has been quite an eventful month for Biscuit! After several unsuccessful enemas, we have finally made some progress on Biscuit gastrointestinal (GI) blockage. We often have to get creative and think outside of the box to treat our patients. The combination of multiple oral medications and a highly productive enema that utilized a mixture of cod liver oil and organic mayonnaise to coat the GI tract (yes, you heard that right!) finally broke up the fecal mass blocking the colon. Biscuit has begun defecating on her/his own and seems to be properly digesting food and absorbing nutrients now. We are pleased with her/his progress so far and will continue to monitor their GI tract with CT scans and radiographs to ensure Biscuit continues to digest properly. Fingers crossed for ongoing success!
August 15, 2024: We are happy to report that the mayonnaise seems to have really done the trick, and Biscuit’s digestive tract has continued to move appropriately! Repeat diagnostic images are not showing any signs of material backing up in the gut or colon. With Biscuit properly absorbing nutrients again, we have been able to slowly increase this energetic green turtle’s diet back to where we’d like it. This also gives us more fish to utilize to stuff with vitamins and any other oral meds that Biscuit may need. We’re hoping if things stay clear that Biscuit will be able to be evaluated for release in the future!
September 15, 2024: This charismatic green sea turtle has continued to progress well this month. Biscuit is now off all medications and will be monitored for a short time to ensure her/his digestive tract continues to work properly without the medications. Later this month we will recheck bloodwork and radiographs to evaluate if Biscuit will be a candidate for release in the near future.
September 25, 2024: Biscuit was released into the protected saltmarsh of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge! Swim strong, Biscuit!