A hail damaged Eastern Long-neck turtle: a case study
Abstract
Veterinary practices may be presented with both captive and wild turtles that have sustained shell fractures caused by such things as road trauma and dog attacks. With the appropriate care these animals can be successfully treated. The initial nursing care provided to these patients can greatly affect their long-term survivability.
This case report details the treatment of an Eastern Long-neck Turtle (Chelodina longicollis) that sustained a shell fracture after being struck by a large hail stone. It highlights the treatment required to initially stabilise the turtle, the options available to repair the shell fracture and the post-operative care needed for a successful outcome.
In March 2010 Melbourne experienced one of the most severe storms in living memory. High winds, torrential rain and huge hail stones caused widespread damage across much of the city and surrounding suburbs. One of the hardest hit suburbs was that of Lysterfield in Melbourne's south east. With almost every house in the suburb sustaining some sort of damage it was not surprising that there would be some casualties but no one could have predicted one turtle's plight.
On the day after the storm Tatiana, a 13-year-old female Eastern Long-neck Turtle, was presented to the Karingal Veterinary Hospital after her owners found her seeking shelter under some trees in their back yard. On examination she weighed 311 g and was considered to be in excellent body condition. She was bright and alert. When placed on the consulting table she readily walked and showed no evidence of lameness. She had an approximately 3 cm depressed shell fracture on the left side of her carapace (Figure 1). Closer examination of the shell fracture revealed that is had penetrated the coelom and the left lung was visible. There was a moderate amount of contamination of the wound with leaf litter and dirt. Tatiana also had a slight bilateral epistaxis. This was considered to be secondary to probable lung trauma she had sustained as she had no evidence of head trauma.
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