Urgent Care :: Time for a Vet Visit???

[megcornell]

How big is your turtle? 2.75 inches
How long have you had it? sine May of this year

What is the water temperature? 81F (in case he is indeed ill)
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 25 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes (for a 50 gal tank, in a 30 gal tank)

What is the basking temperature? ~90
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? floating dock
Is there a UVB light? yes, reptisun

What have you been trying to feed it? he's eating pellets, veggies, rosy reds... still has a good appetite
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning he ate pellets

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

So, here's the deal... My turtle Leo is swimming lopsided. It is as though his right side has an air bubble in it, it just buoys up when he's at the surface of his tank. I know this can be a sign of an RI so I called the Cornell Exotics Vet school on Saturday when I first noticed the somewhat drastic uneveness in his floating. They told me to monitor him for breathing troubles, loss of appetite and weakness... none of which I've seen. And to make an appointment if I get worried. So Monday morning I'm calling to make an appt (they don't schedule new ones over the weekends..boo) but I was just wondering if there's anything else this could be? I don't think it's air bubbles under a loose scute or something, I've checked for that. I'm also wondering how they diagnose RIs... and if Leo's exhibiting enough symptoms to make a diagnosis. I don't want to wait and see if he worsens before taking him in, that seems cruel to me... so either way, he and roughly $300 of my dollars will be going to the vets, I just wondered if anyone has had an uneven turtle that didn't have RI... thanks!

[Ferd]

there doesnt seem to be enough information to tell if he has RI. however that is one of the clasic symptoms. i would try to wait to see if anything else comes up. if nothing else comes up soon, id just go ahesd and take him to the vet just because

[missibsu]

RES are great at hiding their symptoms, so he may not display the other symptoms that you would look for. I would go ahead with a visit to the vet. Better safe than sorry. Keep us posted!

[steve]

"Drastic uneveness" is a concern if he cannot swim properly, regardless of it being a symptom of RI. How does he movie on land? Does he seem a bit more distressed/introverted?

I'm not sure why it would cost $300. Can you take him to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals Exotics Clinic (might be the same as Cornell Exotics Vet)? It is supposed to be excellent.

Not sure if this is the correct info:
Ithaca Veterinary Housecall Services
102 Homestead Terrace Ithaca, New York
607-277-9037

[megcornell]

When Leo's on land, he moves absolutely fine, he doesn't seem to notice that he's uneven in the water. He's spent most of this afternoon out basking even though I'm in the room working so I wouldn't say he's any more antisocial or introverted than normal. When I say drastic uneveness I mean it's obvious that he's "off kilter" so to speak. He swims fine and often ( he's still very alert and active and going after his feeder fish), just when he's floating on the surface it appears as though he needs to touch the side of the tank to keep balance. The best way I can describe it is as though he has an air bubble on his right side that prevents him from being level. He seems to swim level, but if he slows down, you can begin to see the right side creeping up again, it really has me mystified. . .
Yes, I'm taking him to the Cornell vet hospital (one of the few advantages of paying high tuition is having such excellent care so close ) and the $300 is what the exotics vet quoted me, which includes the new patient hooplah, the probable antibiotics, and the radiograph to determine if it is RI. Nothing is cheap at cornell...

[cprcheetah]

Good luck with your turtle. It definately sounds like it may be a respiratory, floating unevenly does sound like it. Let us know what they find.

[megcornell]

On a side note... is it possible for turtles to burp??? I know this must sound stupid, but I was just watching Leo play with these little air bubbles.. except there are never air bubbles in my tank... and he seems to be floating more evenly... is it possible he's expelling whatever air was making him uneven? I've never heard of turtle burps, so I figured I'm probably crazy... but thought I'd check anyways

Also, he's not making any gasping noises, so I don't think he's having trouble breathing, he's just toying around with them like he does anything that floats on the surface, warranting an inspection from him...

[steve]

At least for $300 you know he will get expert care, which would be reassuring. Maybe they can go without certain tests?

Air does not make turts with RI swim unevenly, rather is is fluid in the lungs. If there are more bubbles in there, is it possible he is having breathing difficulties? Gasping is not necessarily an indication of breathing difficulties, although it is certainly possible.

[megcornell]

These bubbles don't happen all the time, it's like he randomly spits out a little bubble as he comes to the surface, then plays with it breaking it up into smaller bubbles. He doesn't look to be struggling or gasping at all, I feel that would be easy to recognize. He's still uneven, so regardless he'll be going to the vets, i wondered if anyone else's turtle did such things.

[SpotsMama]

I have not seen this with my turtle.

[megcornell]

Update:
I called the vet hospital today at 8am and the earliest appointment they have is for october 13th.... so I got on the cancellation list as well, and I suppose if Leo seems to get worse I'll have to schedule an emergency visit and pay the lovely $105 emergency fee... I should have become a vet afterall haha, this is quite expensive.

What should I look for to determine the need for an ER visit... I assume just not eating, lethargic etc... which luckily Leo isn't showing any of those yet.

Thanks!

[steve]

It may depend on the turtle's personality. If my female RES ever lacked interest in food, then I would worry. In general, I would consider erratic swimming and the presence of mucus/blood an emergency.