Urgent Care :: steam to help turtle?

[daniella]

sorry for bothering you all again over my turtle, Gabanna that almost drowned. The vets in nyc are verrryy expensive, so I made an appointment at one back home. But it's not until next week. Anyways, my mom said maybe steam would help him. I guess they do this with people who had pneumonia. I have him in the bathroom right now, in a bucket, so he can breathe the steam in from the shower. I read too, that they do "steam treatment" on turtles who have pneumonia..whatever that is. I am hoping he makes it until next week. anyone think this could help him or have ever heard about it??

[megcornell]

That sounds like a bad idea to me. Not only will the additional stress help to further weaken him and his immune system but one of the causes of RI (especially in your case with the near drowning) is fluid in the lungs, and by forcing the turtle to breathe in steam it seems to me like you are acerbating the problem, not helping it.
The best thing to do until you can get to a vet is to keep him safe and warmer than usual. Heat his water to around 80-82 instead of the usual 75-78 and try to keep his appetite up. He'll need nourishment to fight the RI and boosting the temps will help improve his immune system. Turtles are cold blooded so their metabolism is based on the outside temperatures.
Also, make sure the vet at home is a herp vet. A regular small animal vet is not experienced in reptiles making them a poor choice. A lot of times they don't know exactly what to do and it can hurt the turtle more than help them. Herp vets see RI cases daily so it's much better to find a good herp vet. Also, be wary if they try to give vit A injections. Not only are vit A deficiencies not terribly serious but they can be easily corrected with dietary changes. However, if the shot is too strong, vit A overdoses can be fatal, especially if the turtle is already ill, so it's better to be safe than sorry and correct the issue via the diet.

[daniella]

thats what i thought too..it would only bring more liquid in his lungs. but after i took him out he was very more active than usual, and lifting his head. he's been sitting in the same spot for about 3 days.

[Bumby's Mom]

I would call the vets back and tell them it is an emergency. My vets office has a policy where if your animal is sick they take it over a non sick animal.

[daniella]

yeah, i would like to..but i'm away at school and have to wait until i go home. which is in 3 days...it kind of sucks, this happened at a horrible time.

[mikee]

daniella -- you said the he stayed in one spot for three days? Was it in the basking light or in some corner that got very little light or warmth?