Turtleswagg said:
I would ask them to refer you to a vet that can, and if they can't call each vet office around until you get someone that can help. Turtles are resilient, and can heal from some of the most amazing injuries. There has to be someone who can help in your area.
But, if it were me and I had no other option I would:
Use chlorhexidine (nolvasan) to clean the turtle's wound. Use peroxide to clean the instruments that I use to 'work' on it, but not peroxide on the turtle itself, because it can hurt the good tissue. Things that I have in my emergency turtle box are tweezers, gauze, q-tips, honey, clean wash cloths, and a biology dissection kit. I would make sure there is no broken shell pieces left sticking inside the body, or just hanging on to the outside scraping the intestine, then i would try to push (VERY GENTLY) as much of the intestine back inside, using sterile lubricant or honey or distilled/filtered water to keep it moist while trying to slide it back into place, being careful not to poke anything inside or cause more damage to the area. Then if you can get it all back in, i would use some gauze pads soaked in honey to "pack" the hole with, and cover with a bandaid, and change it daily. The site should leak fluids, usually clear or light yellowish as it heals, and the honey will help with inflammation and keep bacteria from growing. This will probably take several months. Honey is ok to get on the intestine & internal organs, it won't hurt them, I wouldn't squirt it inside the shell, but soaking gauze in it then placing directly on the injury. As for water goes, I would dry dock the turtle while there is a visible hole in the shell, meaning that he is not submersed in water while he is healing, but instead gets daily 10 minute soaks just before you take off the bandage and change it. You have to do it daily to keep him hydrated. I would also keep him warm, but not directly under a heat lamp, because he could overheat. I find that a black lite on a table lamp(the desk clamp kind, $10 at walmart) works good for this & you can raise and lower the level of the heat. Keep a daily log of what you do, how the injury looks, and how the turtle is behaving-eating, defecating (pooing), etc. And I would still try to find a vet in the meantime. Notes like this are INVALUABLE to your vet.
There may be other ways of handling this, but this is what my first instincts tell me to do. Good luck, and I hope your little turtle gets better.
do you think a second opinion is needed? Don't take anyone's advice badly. No one here is trying to make you feel bad. Just to understand that stuff does happen, and there nothing we can do about it but learn. Again, I am so sorry. Maybe he/she will pull through anyway. Keep us updated.
