Urgent Care :: Turtle Lump

[chrystalheart]

First - I have already taken my girl to a vet. I am looking for more information between that appt and next appt from my friends here.

I have a 14 year old female red-eared slider named Valentine. She's never had any trouble previously. Vet loves her environment & diet, but did suggest adding in a particular turtle pellet they recommend. She is in a 120 gallon tank with a basking area. I don't have any questions about her environment. I described them at length to vet and she loved it all.

I took Valentine to the vet last Friday when I noticed she had a lump on the top of her neck just behind her head. (Not on the sides.)

When I took her in to the vet, I could not watch because of covid precautions, but the vet called me in my car and said that she did not see a lump on the top of Valentine's head - that it seemed fine, but she did find a mass under valentine's head in her neck - which was also visible in her mouth. Attempted to aspirate the lump, but all they saw were a few red blood cells and it was quite difficult to get the needle in. Therefore, vet believes it is a tumor of some kind and recommended surgery which is set for Wednesday this week.

However, since bringing her home, she has been very subdued - spending almost all her time on her basking area. I checked her more thoroughly tonight and saw the mass again at the top of her head - looks larger. It's approximately 1/4" tall and just under 1/2" wide (guesstimating).

I'm puzzled. If it were a type of mass that could float around, that seems a bit far to float considering tissues and expect vet would have noticed if the mass was mobile. Could there be an infection perhaps that drained and refilled?

I have a call into the vet and sent the images below. Interested in your take also.

[steve]

Do you think the lump has gotten larger since last Friday? In most cases it is an abscess or cyst, I'm not sure if the neck is a common area for tumors. Surgery is a big deal for reptiles, especially when anesthesia is involved.

[chrystalheart]

Yeah, I think the lump is bigger. It's very confusing that it apparently disappeared and reappeared. I am assuming for the moment that this lump and the lump the vet saw are different ones. The surgeon's office contacted me and said they would evaluate both to see what is going on and make recommendations accordingly. I'm always reluctant to put an animal under anesthesia, but the one under her chin is affecting available space in her throat. If it continues to grow, she will be unable to eat. Have you seen anything like this before? My best guess is that she has an abscess there that drained and when the drainage site healed, it created an abscess again. I'm very anxious about it, of course. I disturbed her while taking pictures yesterday and she did swim around for a little while. It was reassuring to see her moving.

[steve]

I wasn't aware there was one under the chin. Are they going to take any x-rays?

[chrystalheart]

Unfortunately, during the surgeon's exam, she discovered that it was likely a thyroid tumor and had completely invaded her hyoid space and wrapped around her windpipe. It was already affecting her swallowing and was inoperable, so she was humanely euthanized this morning. Thank you so much for being there for me as Valentine and I went through this. It means a lot. For those who are curious about the lump behind the top of her head, the surgeon did see it, and when he prodded it, it disappeared again, so it does seem like it was floating in her tissues up there. We didn't explore that bump, as she was being euthanized regardless due to the tumor.

[steve]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear it. You took great care of her, to the very end. I'm sure there are many memories you both shared.