Urgent Care :: No improvement w/ the ZooMed Eye Drops...

[CV Cream]

I have been using turtle eye drops for a week now, trying to avoid that vet bill,... but i have seen no improvment in her left eye... Still a lil swollen and she swims with it closed often... She is active and stuff im gunna post pics soon... So yeah, im gunna make an appointment w/ the vet for next week wed.; i dont have enough money yet... only 60$ the rest my mom has 2 pay for... Well... There goes the money i was saving for my 75 gallon tank...

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Damn,that sucks.But atleast your turtle is getting treated.I hope things go well,update after the vet to see whats going on.

[narcolepticbeesh]

that is horrible to hear. ive been going through the same thing with the swollen eye, but i think/hope my turtle is getting better. when you used the eye drops, did you dry dock him?

[industrial_girl_2000]

CV, I give you a lot of credit for taking your turtle to the vet. If he is sick, a vet visit will be more important in the short-term than the 75 gal tank. A turtle can live just fine in a smaller tank than what is recommended, as long as it is a somewhat temporary situation (temporary being the key word since they really ARE much happier in a bigger tank). I know I got along for a long time with a much smaller tank for my RES because I would take my Sheba out & let her walk around the house.

Don't worry, it is clear to us that you are a caring pet owner & it's fine to take care of the health of the animal first. Keep us updated!

[CV Cream]

Thanks... No i didnt dry dock.... You think that would of helped?

[marisa]

At this point, taking him to a herp vet would be the best thing you can do. Let the vet tell you what s/he thinks. If the vet isn't sure, you might want to ask about having the eye swabbed and cultured (but ask the vet first---also find out how much it would cost before you decide to do it). Dry tanking can be stressful---the vet visit is a good thing to do. Good luck.

[grey goose]

If she's active and eating it could be nothing more than irritation. Shouldn't cost too much for a vet visit. In the meantime, you can try dry-docking after you apply the drops, as long as she doesnt get too stressed (worked for me). Also keep the water as clean as possible......

[CV Cream]

Im getting the vet visit for the upcoming week.. Swabbed and cultured... Whats cultured? Sorry if its a stupid question...

Mean while i got some water conditioner, bought 6 gallons of purified water, and have been having her eating in a seperate container. I never thought that was possibal.. I tried everything and she wouldn't eat out of her tank. So before i cleaned the dirty tank, i put some of the tank water in a separte container. She went right for the food. But with the tap water, she just woulndt eat it. I guess i solved one problem .

Oh and i havent been home alot lately, but the one day this week i did stay home she basked ALL day. I picked her up from her basking spot. She did move her legs like normal when she was in my hand but she didnt move when i touched her while she was on the basking dock... Yeah... Maybe back to the shots again...
Uhm if that is the case what causes this? It would be the second time and i feel like ive been doing everything in my power to give her a proper enviornment.....
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[Kallistos]

Cultuting is when they take the swab and rub it on a Petri Dish with "bacteria food" on the bottom. Then they analyze it to see what kind of bacteria is is or if it's a virus or what antibiotic to prescribe if indeed it's a bacterial infection.

With a proper enviornment, nutrition, and the recomendations from a vet I see NO reason why your turtle won't make a FULL recovery.

[megcornell]

Cultured is when they take the sample and "grow it" to see what bacteria forms so they know if there is an infection.
If you are using purified water you may want to back off on the conditioner for now- maybe that's adding to the irritation and since there's no chlorine in your bottled water you should be fine without it.
My turtle is somewhat hesitant to "wake up" if I interrupt his basking, it could be that's what's going on with your turtle or it could be a sign of a lingering illness that may not have been completely cured by the first round of shots. That's a good question to ask the vet.
If indeed your turtle is still ill/sick again. Don't take it personally. Her immune system was already down a bit from being sick earlier, and I think that especially with cold blooded animals it takes longer to recover. And every turtle is different, some are more sensitive than others. It sounds to me like you're a wonderful and caring turtle owner who's doing their best to make sure she gets better- I'd just keep up the good work and be patient, turtles (at least in my opinion) are finicky and sometimes it's difficult to get to the real root of the problem.
Good Luck!

[CV Cream]

Thanks guys. The vet called and said to give her cod-liver oil, and put in on the pellets and lettuce i feed her, and if no improvement that i should take her in. I started dry-docking her today... I think that will help alot.