Urgent Care :: my turtle has a mysterious spot on her leg!!

[hector]

In front of her left leg there's an oblong tan spot in her flesh. I will attach a photo of this. I am worried and need some help, please. http://www.flickr.com/photos/85393635@N08/7951821616/ so click on this link and it will take you to the enclosed image. Other than this spot which appeared some time Thursday the 6th she has been healthy and happy. Her water temp. is around 78 degrees. She gets about 10 hours of UVB light and has a separate heat lamp for basking. Her basking area stays about 90 degrees and she basks often. She eats every 2 -3 days and only enough pellets that she can consume in about 15 seconds ( she's a pig, eats like a Marine! ). She has eaten about half of a cuttle bone in the last 3 days and before I got her I don't think she ever got calcium or UVB light. She acts very healthy, as in, she has a lot of energy and is very alert and active ( when she's not basking in all her turtle glory ). Any information would greatly be appreciated. The closest "turtle" vet is about 100 miles away. Thanks again turtlers. Here's a follow up. I enlarged the photo I've included and this looks like she might have torn her skin and that tan mark might be muscle bulging out, is that possible?

[penelope]

Is there anything in her tank that she might have cut herself on? Is the spot in the picture larger than it was on Thursday?Is she able to move her leg like normal? Did it start out looking like a blister (abscess) that popped?
While the picture is large, the clarity is still a bit lacking. The edges appear to be smooth, unlike an infected lesion.
A better close-up may help. Right now it is hard to see what's going on.

[steve]

Looks similar to this: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33263

I'm not sure what it could be, though it does need to be closely observed.

[hector]

Howdy, Hectors mystery spot is some what smaller and lighter in color today and I can see the skin patterns through it. We changed her habitat recently and made sure that there was nothing she could get caught behind or hurt on. But you know how kids can be. It turns out that the habitat kit we bought had been returned to the store and may have been used before we got it. We tried to make sure to clean everything with clear vinegar and rinsed in filtered water before letting Hector move in. I also found out that he foam filter material missed the vinegar rinse. The filter has been doing a good job of keeping the water clear. But it's what you can't see that can hurt us the most. I have gotten some advice from another source that suggested dry docking Hector and cleaning everything again and make sure we don't over look anything. She swims just fine as far as I can tell and doesn't seem to be in any distress. From what I've read dry docking is something that should be done on occasion to prevent fungal infections. Once Hector is really dry I will be able to get a better idea of how her leg looks. Since the tan coloring appears to be fading and she is very active I think I was wrong when I said she may have cut herself and that there appeared to be muscle bulging from her leg. Let me know what you think about dry docking Hector. On a lighter note, Hector has gotten the begging for food thing down pat. She gets right up to the glass and looks right into my eyes and then swims over to where I keep her food and then swims back giving me that feed me stare and will glance back at her food and back at me. It quite comical. I am making sure not to over feed her. Anyway thanks for the replies.

[steve]

Hopefully it will clear up soon. Thanks for the update.

[hector]

I just wanted to let the turtle world know that Hector has made a full recovery from her mysterious mark on her hind leg. She has even started to get some color and markings back on her shell. She was kept in a sink by the previous owner and was never exposed to UVB light not even directly from the sun. Thanks once again.

[dumbork14]

that's great news for hector!

[steve]

Happy to hear it!