Treatment Of An Esophageal Foreign Body In A Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Lepidochelys kempii
Assoc Reptilian Amphibian Vet 7[1]:6-9 Jan/Apr'97 Case Report 6 Refs

- The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempii, once common in the Gulf of Mexico, is now considered the most endangered of all sea turtle species. On August 4, 1994 a 4.9 kg, Kemp's Ridley sea turtle was brought to the Aquarium of the Americas by a recreational fisherman. The animal was in good body condition, had a straight carapace length of 31.2 cm, a straight carapace width of 30.5 cm, and no obvious physical abnormalities. Blood was drawn from the dorsal cervical sinus and a complete blood count (CBC) with differential and serum biochemical profile was completed. The animal was then isolated in a holding area pending laboratory results and further examination. Blood profiles are listed in table 1. The CBC revealed an elevated white blood count (14,500 cells per cubic ml) and a mild regenerative anemia (20% hematocrit). The serum chemistries were within normal limits, with the exception of the hypoglycemia (70 mg/dl), hyponatremia (144 mg/dl) and nonspecific elevations of alkaline phosphatase (188 IU/L), lactate dehydrogenase (11,260 IU/L), and perhaps potassium (4.68 mEq/L). Both the direct and fecal flotation were negative. The turtle was placed on an antibiotic regime of amikacin, at an initial dose of 5.0 mg/kg body weight IM, followed by three consecutive doses of 2.5 mg/kg every 72 hours. The turtle was anorectic for seven days after arrival. A single dose of dexamethasone was administered IM at 0.1 mg/kg, concurrently with the antibiotics to stimulate feeding. Two days later the animal began to feed on mussels, fish and squid, supplemented with 6 mg/kg ferrous gluconate with food two times per week. When the turtle was radiographed to determine the presence of either a National Marine Fisheries Service Passive Integrated Transponder tag, or wire tag, a fish hook was observed in the cranial third, and ventral aspect of the esophagus. It was determined that surgical intervention was necessary for removal.