Topsy
Topsy

Species: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Arrival Date: December 30, 2018
Stranding Location: Fort Pierce, FL
Initial Weight: 88.2 lbs.
Current Weight: 103 lbs.
Issue: Buoyancy
Topsy is a sub-adult green sea turtle patient that was rescued offshore by the Coast Guard. The turtle was in distress, as it was unable to dive and stay under water. There are healing unintentional boat strike injuries to the carapace that most likely had occurred several months before arrival to the hospital. Bloodwork shows a systemic infection and hypoglycemia. Topsy will receive antibiotics and wound care daily. Further diagnostics will be done to determine the cause of the buoyancy disorder.
PROGRESS KEY:
Good Condition
PROGRESS NOTES:
06/23/2021 - Topsy was successfully released from Loggerhead Park on June 23, 2021. View video here >
06/18/2021 -
06/11/2021 -
06/04/2021 - Topsy has made excellent progress and has been medically cleared for release this month.
05/28/2021 -
05/21/2021 -
05/14/2021 -
05/07/2021 - Topsy continues to make excellent progress and several gradual reductions in the patient’s caudal carapacial weight have been made over the past month, with each reduction bringing acceptable results. Topsy’s prognosis is good.
04/30/2021 -
04/23/2021 -
04/16/2021 -
04/09/2021 -
04/02/2021 -
03/25/2021 -
03/19/2021 -
03/11/2021 -
03/04/2021 -Topsy is responding well to a new treatment protocol and continues to make acceptable progress. The turtle’s caudal wounds are healing nicely with regular treatment. Topsy’s prognosis remains good.
01/28/2021 -
01/21/2021 -
01/14/2021 -
01/01/2021 -Topsy is responding well to a new treatment protocol and continues to make acceptable progress. We will be monitoring the turtle’s condition closely. Topsy’s prognosis remains good.
12/31/2020 -
12/24/2020 -
12/17/2020 -
12/10/2020 -
12/01/2020 -Topsy is responding well to treatment and continues to make acceptable progress. We will be monitoring the turtle’s condition closely. Topsy’s prognosis remains good
11/26/2020 -
11/19/2020 -
11/12/2020 -
11/05/2020 -
11/01/2020 -Topsy is doing very well after removal of the first implant. We are allowing her additional time to heal before we move ahead with the second implant procedure. Overall, Topsy is in excellent health and its prognosis remains good.
10/22/2020 -
10/15/2020 -
10/08/2020 -
10/01/2020 -- We have decided to remove Topsy’s Inconel implant, to be replaced with smaller, surgical stainless steel implants in the near future. The new implant will be far less bulky, will be made of surgical stainless steel, and will require a much smaller incision, thus improving the chances of overall success. Refining new surgical techniques requires adaption, and we decided that this was the most appropriate time to remove the existing implant, give the tissue some time to heal, and then proceed with the improved implants. Topsy also received a xenograft today that is made from specially processed cod skin, which is intended to accelerate healing while minimizing scar tissue formation. Topsy’s prognosis remains fair.
09/24/2020 --
09/17/2020 --
09/10/2020 --
09/04/2020 -Topsy’s surgical wound continues to heal as expected. Topsy was returned to a full tank early in the week and is swimming, resting and surfacing normally about 75% of the time. An additional small weight as attached it its caudal carapace this week in order to accelerate the behavioral modifications needed to return to normal sea turtle behavior. The turtle also underwent radiography this week and the study revealed no new findings (except for the presence of a metallic implant). Topsy is scheduled to go to Jupiter Medical Center next week for a CT study. Overall, we are pleased with its progress to date. More About Surgery>>
08/27/2020 -- Topsy had successful implant surgery Monday and is being monitored closely during recovery.
08/20/2020 -- Topsy is off all medications and is scheduled to have surgery next week.
08/13/2020 -
08/06/2020 -
07/30/2020 -
07/23/2020 -
07/16/2020 -
07/09/2020 -
07/02/2020 -
06/25/2020 -
06/19/2020 -
06/11/2020 -
06/05/2020 -
05/28/2020 -
05/22/2020 -
05/15/2020 -
05/08/2020 -
05/01/2020 -
04/24/2020 -
04/17/2020 -
04/09/2020 -
03/26/2020 -
03/19/2020 -
03/12/2020 -
03/05/2020 -
02/27/2020 -
02/20/2020 -
02/13/2020 -
02/06/2020 -
01/30/2020 -
01/23/2020 -
01/16/2020 -
01/09/2020 -
01/02/2020 -
12/26/2019 -
12/19/2019 -
12/12/2019 -