Urgent Care :: Injured arm?? Advise please.. :(

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

I posted a while back about my turtles getting some kind of fungal infection on their shells. my yellow bellied slider had it the worst... they just completed treatment but Im still working on their basking plat form so I put them outside every day to get natrual sun for now. My yellow bellied slider was fine when I put her out today, she was swiming and acting completely normal. She was outside for about 3 hours and when I brought her back in she didn't seem to be able to swim well.... after watching her I noticed she wasn't fully extending her right arm, she couldn't get to the top of the water and after really looking close at her right arm I noticed her skin inside the skin seemed to be potruding.. so I pulled her out to watch her walk. her right arm just doesn't seem to be coming out all the way, she is babying it and not using it much... I'm taking her to the vet indefinatly for this one... but hoping for someone to ease my worries... what could this be? Should I be hugely worried? I obviously can not put her in her tank.. how will she eat?? Im just a mess, really worried turtle mommy.... Please help.

[steve]

Do you think she was bitten or hurt by trying to escape? You can put her in shallow water to allow her to drink and eat, under supervision of course.

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

My first thought was VET ASAP!! but really I don't think my male would have bitten her, and my other animals have no interest in them at all. I wonder if she strained herself trying to escape, they try to dig themselves out all the time. I've been reading and googling all night and all ive read says its hard for them to brake a bone and its more likely a sprain, or that she over strained herslef which, in all honesty, seems more likely. So I decided tomorrow first thing I will go buy a 30 or 40 gallon tank and set her up what has been mentioned on my searches as a "hospital tank" shallow water with the same light requirments but a little warmer water, fortunatly I keep a heater and filter in back up in case one of my main supplies fail. I will set her all up quietly in my master bedroom where kids and animals won't be a bother, and hope for the best. I think I will give her one week, if she shows no improvment I will take her in. Does that sound like a good plan to you Steve? Im really concerned and while no expence is spared for the well being of my pets, I would still rather avoid an pricey bill if I CAN.. so what do you think?

[penelope]

The cost of a vet is probably less (or just a bit more) than the cost of a new 30-40 gallon tank - here, in California, a plain ol' vet visit is $55. A 30-40 gallon tank is a close runner up in cost.
Personally, I think the peace of mind from seeing a vet is the better bet, and you will get the additional benefit of peace of mind.

I would recommend keeping her in shallow water (supervised), as Steve mentioned. If you can't supervise her all the time and are afraid she may drown, it is OK to take her out of the tank as long as you keep her warm (dry-dock) and let her go for a supervised swim, eat and drink until you get to the vet.
I'm sending my best wishes. I hope all turns out well.

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

Thank you so much. We are supposed to go out of town tomorrow, and I really don't want to get up and hope that the herp vet is in, unless i really have no choice.. I don't want to leave her un supervised either.. however she seems to be getting around just fine, just cant swim to the top of my 55 gallon tank... if she is in shallow water I am confidant she will be fine... I will wake early and see if my herp vet is in, if not I guess I will set her up in a hospital tank (which Im sure she will need either way) at my sisters house so she can keep an eye on her. If she shows no improvment by the end of the weekend I will take her in first thin monday morining. sigh. poor baby.

[penelope]

Yeah - a vet on a Saturday is not an easy task to accomplish. It seems like Penelope always waits until the vet is out of office before getting ill or injured.
All things considered, if she is with your sister over the weekend then you've done all you can.
I'm still sending good thoughts

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

Thank you so much for your well wishes. I will do all i can, within my power and beyond to make sure my girl recovers completely and entirely... these sliders are a lot of work, but worth every second of it. thank you for your help and adivse I will let you know how it goes!

[steve]

It does sound serious enough to warrant a vet visit. Hopefully nothing is broken, though they rarely injure themselves to that extent (not including falls).

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

I've kept her in a "hospital tank" for the past almost 2 days, she stayed with my Dad while I was out of town, he said she seemed to climb to her platform well.. though her leg is still not looking great.. I have NO idea how she could have gotten hurt... She is the aggresive one out of my 2 sliders, my other slider is really mellow. They where in a cage where, even IF one of my other pets where curious, they couldn't have gotten to her... and my kids where not at home with her at all.. I really think the only way she could have done it, is by trying to dig herself out of the cage.
SO the strange part is this, as I was driving her over to my Dads house, her tub was laying slanted, she was trying her best to climb to the higher end of the tub, her front legs where working and extending fully... both of them. So I kind of feel its definatly not broken... Im torn, I kind of feel if I take her into the vet, she will most likely tell me to do exactly what I am already doing... I wish I knew for sure what they do to treat a sprain...
Maybe I will call the vet tomorrow and ask her advise, and go from there.
My poor gal.

[steve]

Is there any discoloration? There might not be anything broken, but there could be some necrotic tissue or damage to blood vessels.

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

No, it looks completely fine.. no dicoloration or anything. She lets me pull it all the way out so I can actually get a really good look at it. Another thing I've concidered was that maybe when i put her back in her tank, she may have jammed it on the rock on the bottom of her tank or maybe the glass of her aquarium. I've pulled her out today to watch her walk and she seems to be using it much more efficiently. but still definatly 100% yet.
I made her an appt for wednsday. If she doesn't show sugnifigant imporovment by then I will be taking her in... I'd like to have her shell checked out as well anyway, she still hasn't shed her shoots. I worry i haven't beat that fungal infection completly.
Anyway I will keep you updated. Thank you so much for all your help!!

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

Vet visit results:
They gave her an xray, it is most certinly broken in the upper joint (shoulder). Their interesting solution was a make shift sling they drilled into her upper and lower shell... I opted for the xray because the vet had said if it where only a sprain then the sling could cause more harm then good, and if its broken and doesn't have a sling it may not heal at all. So she put the sling on so it will hold her arm inside her shell just close enough to heal but far still giving her enough mobility so that as it heals her arm won't freeze up. I have to keep it on for 8 weeks. then they will re xray and go from there.
Poor turtle. Im so glad I choose to take her in... Im going to try her in the large tank and see if she can swim and function with 3 legs, if not she will have to be in the "hospital tank" for that time... I will post some pics later of my little trouper.

[penelope]

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me on how how these little ones go on and on, even with an injury.
Drilling through the shell is no small matter (at least in my view). What did they use for the sling itself to make sure she doesn't bust loose?
I was trying to look back and see if she lived with other turtles. If so, they may try to take advantage of her temporary "handicap," or try to eat it - sounds crazy but, Penelope will try to eat anything she has not seen before. If she lives alone, then scratch that lat comment.

Yes. please keep us posted.
and thank you for the reminder that the physical signs of illness/injury wax and wane - when in doubt see a vet.
Sending some little "turtle hugs" to you super trooper!! I hope she feels better soon!

[Tye&TinaTurtle]

She does live with another, a male. though he is super mild manored and so far she seems just really deffencive and cranky with him when he gets near her... I will keep a close eye on them. Yeah I wasn't really happy to see the holes in her shell. they are VERY small so and they used stiches string to tie the sling on, its a rounded piece of plastic of some sort... I will have to upload a picture to show everyone.
My turtles are the same way, they try to eat anything forgin in their tank, even a new water heater.. lol
Thanks so much for your support.. there is definatly a large learning curve when it comes to these turtles!!