Shell rot ??!!! Help what do I do!!!??

[reyreytheturtlelover]

Just around 4 hours ago my friend gives me a red eared slider full of moss growing on it's shell!!! He didn't tell us how he got it, he just dropped it off. Me and one of my buddies take around 1 hour and a half cleaning the poor dirty turtle ( we were wearing gloves and washed our hands after in case of salmonella ) and when we were finished cleaning it we saw alot of shell rot. On the bottom of the shell and mostly on top. In the middle of it's shell it had somewhat an opening like a crack. Please tell me what I can do to the poor little turtle that wants to live ( I wanna keep it ). Please give me options on what to do and if I have to take it to a vet how much will it cost because I don't know if I can afford it. Heellpp!!!!!

 

[Anthony P]

Ah, another "good" friend making sure an animal winds up in the right hands. Sometimes being a nice person gets you into bad situations that others have started, and that's why I'll never rescue another slider for the rest of my life.

There are methods to treat shell rot at home. Things like silvadine, betadine, and my personal favorite, chlorhexadine (nolvasan) along with clean water and debridement can do wonders.

Problem is, a lot of that rot seems to be very far along. A vet trip is what you SHOULD do, just to make sure a good debridement of all necrotic tissue so it all is removed, antibiotics should be administered, and they can get you started with one of the topical treatments I listed as well.

 

[reyreytheturtlelover]

Thanks for your answer, but do u think u know around how much it will cost for a trip to the vet? And how do I use the nolvasan and the debridement ? Do I just put it on the shell?

 

[Anthony P]

The vet cost is really up in the air. It helps if you have a good vet that will feel for you do just taking in this sick turtle. I would guess that the trip would cost at least 100 bucks, since they like to charge you more for an initial visit. Could be A LOT more if you do testing to see what exactly what is causing the rot.

Debridement is the removal of any infected tissue with a blunt probe. Nolvasan solution is then applied with q-tips or gently with a toothbrush. An antibiotic cream can be applied to any parts that bled after the debridement.

But, like I said, it would be best to go to a vet if you can. It would help you get these medications easier as well, and it will get you an antibiotic if you need it.