Green (Chelonia mydas)

Stranding Location: Hilton Head Island, SC
Arrival Date: 7/13/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 1.88 kg (4.14 lbs)

Case History

This little green sea turtle was found stranded on Hilton Head Island with multiple boat strike wounds and was very weak and lethargic. Thank you to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for transporting this critical patient to the Aquarium for rehabilitation.

Treatment

On admit, Quiche was lethargic, but alert. When trying to obtain a blood sample, s/he was active, and we were unable to successfully get a sample. Based on mentation and the circumstances, we gave Quiche fluids with dextrose (sugar) and pain medication.

Our next steps were to determine the severity of the wounds. The largest of the wounds curved from the plastron (bottom shell) to the carapace (top shell) around the left front flipper. There were additional wounds to the left side of the beak, and two wounds on the carapace near the spine.

Upon analyzing radiographs of Quiche, we determined that s/he would likely need the left front flipper amputated because the boat propeller had crushed the humeral head. In addition to radiographs, we took a CT scan to assess the severity of the boat strike wounds over the spinal cord. Fractures over the sea turtle’s spine can be fatal or can render a patient paralyzed. Luckily for Quiche, the CT showed that these wounds on the carapace were shallow and a few centimeters away from the spinal cord. This doesn’t mean that there is no nerve or spinal damage at all, but at admit Quiche had retraction in both rear flippers which is a cautiously optimistic sign.

Following the diagnostic imaging, we administered antibiotics and wound treatment and bandaged the large strike wound near the left front flipper. We then placed Quiche in a wet dock overnight to rest.

Updates

July 15, 2024: Two days after admit, we were finally able to obtain a blood sample from Quiche with results that seemed promising for surgery. We proceeded with amputation surgery of the left front flipper, which included thoroughly cleaning and closing the large boat strike wound with a fish skin patch. This is a biological medical device derived from fish skin that is antibacterial and accelerates healing by providing a tissue “bridge” over large wounds.

July 19, 2024: In the days following surgery, Quiche looked brighter and more alert, so we added this little green turtle to a kiddie pool. Quiche was calm, resting at the surface and breathing easily. On the second day in the kiddie pool, Quiche even ate a piece of fish, which was surprising with the extent of the injury to the beak! Fingers crossed, as this little green is still in critical condition and has a long road to recovery ahead.

August 15, 2024: This little green is a fighter! The amputation site continues to heal and looks a little better every day. Quiche, though seemingly interested in food, did not eat anything for about a week and half following that initial piece eaten. This is likely due to Quiche’s healing jaw and beak wounds. To allow Quiche more time to heal and avoid the potential pain s/he might feel with eating, we surgically placed a feeding tube that enters the esophagus from the right side of Quiche’s neck and runs down and into the stomach. This allows Quiche to get all the necessary nutrients to heal, and we can even give necessary medications through the tube to avoid pulling Quiche as often for injections. Every day we make Quiche a delicious fish smoothie called gruel, with some added vitamins and medicine to hopefully get this small turtle feeling better and help fuel the healing necessary to recover from the boat strike wounds.

September 15, 2024: It has been a very eventful month for Quiche! Utilizing a feeding tube, we were giving Quiche the essential nutrients and medications with the hope that this would help encourage Quiche to begin eating on her/his own. The only way for us to know when Quiche would be ready was to offer a couple pieces of food every day in her/his kiddie pool (in addition to the gruel we were feeding via the tube). After about two and a half weeks, Quiche began nibbling on food all by herself/himself! It was a very exciting day for everyone! We made sure that Quiche ate consistently and without our help for a few days before we removed the feeding tube.

After a few days of eating fish on her/his own, Quiche began to show a significant increase in energy, so staff cautiously tested Quiche in deeper water to assess her/his ability to swim and energy levels. To the extreme excitement of staff, Quiche immediately began swimming and did a surprisingly good job navigating the tank and surfacing to breathe! In fact, Quiche looked so great in deeper water that s/he officially graduated from the kiddie pool!

Despite this phenomenal progress, Quiche continues to face many challenges. Although the boat strike wounds to the carapace did not fracture the spine or sever the spinal cord, Quiche is still not using the rear flippers normally. S/he can rub the flippers together, curl them and the limbs are reactive if touched, but Quiche is not using them to steer or push off the bottom. In addition to the struggles with her/his rear limbs, the wound from the boat strike was severe and had a lot of necrotic (dead) tissue and bone. To make sure this wound continues to improve, veterinary staff debride (clean) it every three days when Quiche is out of the tank to receive injectable medications. Please keep your flippers crossed for Quiche, as this patient still has a long journey of healing ahead.

October 15, 2024: While Quiche has not yet begun to fully utilize those rear flippers, s/he has been hard at work healing the boat strike wound that led to the loss of the left front flipper. This wound is by no means done healing, but while it used to be lacking muscle mass and was full of sand and necrotic tissue, it is now filling in beautifully with fibrin (scab material) and the skin is healing. Now that this wound is no longer in critical condition, we can begin offering enrichment items to Quiche to encourage further development of her/his navigational skills and promote more use of her/his rear flippers. While Quiche has a long way to go, staff are constantly impressed by the progress this little green sea turtle makes every day.

November 15, 2024: Little Quiche’s boat strike wound continues to look better and better and s/he no longer needs regular wound treatments! Quiche has been offered a variety of enrichment items over the last few weeks and is constantly navigating through them, rubbing against them and sleeping under them. We have a few more tricks up our sleeve to test and strengthen Quiche’s rear flipper use and navigation ability, so check back to learn more about her/his treatment!

December 15, 2024: This month we added a new element to Quiche’s treatment — we moved Quiche into a larger tank on the first floor of the Aquarium! The tanks on the first floor of the Aquarium are deeper and more spacious than many of the tanks in the basement hospital. This allows us to not only accommodate larger patients, like adult loggerhead sea turtles, but is equally helpful in providing physical therapy to patients like Quiche. Come say “Hello!” to Quiche during your next visit at the Aquarium!

January 15, 2025: Recently, Quiche has been more buoyant than usual, and has experienced some digestive issues. We prescribed this little patient with medications to manage the gut flora and aid in digestion. Luckily, the medication can be hidden in fish or veggies, allowing Quiche to take it without additional handling. In a short amount of time, Quiche’s defecations have already become more regular, and s/he has been more level and diving in the water column. We’re happy to see Quiche’s behavior and activity improving! Come by and see this little green sea turtle in Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery™!