Urgent Care :: What is this on his chin

[Berzerkerguy]

It's not a aural abscess. No money for a vet. Anyone seen this before? Know what it is? Know how to treat?

[Jeremiah]

It could be some kind of abscess or other infection--I've never seen that kind of growth before. You should get it to a vet for culturing and removal. What is your setup like? Is there anything that can scrape the turtle?

[Berzerkerguy]

No not that I can think of. Unfortunately all the vets around me in the Philadelphia area that I've been calling for quotes are quoting me around $200 just to see the turtle because it is considered a "special consultation". Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but we just moved into a house and used all our money on down payments. The lump only appeared about a day or two ago. It was just there. Never any smaller or bigger.

[AndreaF590]

This is a long shot and it's hard to tell from the picture, but one time I was at petco and I saw something on one of their turtles that looked kinda of similar (like I said tho hard to tell from the pic) so I went and found and employee and showed him and he took the turtle out and looked and said it was a leech. Not at all what I thought leeches looked like because it was like a pinky purple and he just pulled it off.

Is it possible that you've introduced anything at all to your tank that could possibly have been contaminated with any kind of pest? Like I said, it's probably a long shot, but that's the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw the pic.

Also, you may want to talk to the vet an explain your situation and ask about setting up some kind of payment plan. Have you checked to see if their are any turtle/reptile rescues near you that may have advice or be able to help? If your really desperate you could see if there is any type of school nearby with a veterinary program and try speaking to them.

[Berzerkerguy]

Thanks. I just called the vet school. They said they could diagnose only. They cannot treat reptiles. The herp society gave a list of vets they are telling me it's $200 just for consultation then additional costs for treatment. A few will do payment plans but they need the $200 up front. It's def not a leech. It is some sort on abscess I think. I've only ever seen abscesses on head and neck area. Never on the chin. He is 10-11 yrs old. The one vet was not so nice and told me that's a good long life for a turtle. I'm running out of options. Im not crazy enough to lance it and clean it myself. I'll just have to try and save up money and hope he can hold out for bit. He swims, basks, and eats just fine. No change in behavior.

[steve]

Dry dock and see if it gets smaller/harder. I think the vet school is a good option. $200 for consultation is outrageous.

[Berzerkerguy]

Thanks I will try dry docking tonight and see if there are any changes. Vets around me are run very much like corporations. No one will do payment plans. I've talked to over a dozen vets. It's getting exhausting. He's 10 years old and this is his first health problem. So I'm not giving up on him.

[steve]

Are you sure you don't have a "she"? I'd also swab some Betadine on it while dry docking.

[AndreaF590]

Just another idea, but if you have a facebook with a lot of family/friends you could try making a gofundme account. Even if the people you know only donated a couple bucks, it could be a good jump start. I've had friends who have used that for a ton of different reasons and it seems like a nice way to give people the ability to help you out and donate a little if they can without it coming off as you asking for a hand out.

I hope everything works out for you and turt. Please keep us updated.