Vicky

Species: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Arrival Date: May 31, 2020
Stranding Location: Boynton Beach, FL

Initial Weight: 15.58 lbs.
Current Weight: 24 lbs.

Issue: Buoyancy Disorder

Vicky is a juvenile green sea turtle patient that was found floating in the Intracoastal Waterway in Boynton Beach. The turtle has healed trauma to its caudal carapace from an unknown cause. Vicky’s bloodwork upon arrival shows signs of chronic debilitation, and radiographs revealed a large amount of feces in the turtle’s intestines. Vicky will receive fluids and antibiotics, and will be closely monitored by hospital staff as the buoyancy disorder is treated.

PROGRESS KEY:

Good Condition
Fair Condition
Poor Condition

Patient requires continued treatment but is progressing well.

Minor adjustments have been made to the patient's treatment.

Patient is off all medications.

PROGRESS NOTES:

04/23/2021 -Vicky was released from Boyton Beach on April 21, 2021. View video from the release here >

04/16/2021 -

04/09/2021 -

04/02/2021 -Vicky has made excellent progress this past month. The turtle’s underlying gastrointestinal and kidney disease have stabilized and Vicky is responding well to therapy. Vicky’s prognosis remains excellent.

03/25/2021 -

03/19/2021 -

03/11/2021 -

03/04/2021 -Vicky has made excellent progress this past month. The turtle’s underlying gastrointestinal and kidney disease have stabilized and Vicky is responding well to therapy. Vicky’s prognosis remains excellent.

02/25/2021 -

02/18/2021 -

02/11/2021 -

02/01/2021 -Vicky has made excellent progress this past month. The turtle’s underlying gastrointestinal and kidney disease have stabilized and Vicky is responding well to therapy. Vicky’s prognosis remains excellent.

01/28/2021 - Watch Vicky receive enrichment by eating an artichoke

01/21/2021 -

01/14/2021 -

01/01/2021 -Vicky is making excellent progress. The turtle’s gastrointestinal condition has stabilized as has its kidney disease and Vicky remains on systemic therapy. Vicky’s prognosis is good.

12/31/2020 -

12/24/2020 -

12/17/2020 -

12/10/2020 -

11/26/2020 -

11/19/2020 -

11/12/2020 -

11/05/2020 -

11/01/2020 -Vicky has improved nicely over the past month. Its kidney function has stabilized and the turtle is back in normal ocean water. Vicky continues on a lose dose medication to improve GI function, and the turtle’s prognosis remains fair.

10/22/2020 -

10/15/2020 -

10/08/2020 -

10/01/2020 -- Vicky has improved over the past few weeks and the turtle’s kidney function seems to have stabilized. The turtle still requires a medication designed to improve GI motility. Vicky’s treatment continues and the turtle will remain in brackish water for the time being. Vicky’s prognosis remains fair.

09/24/2020 --

09/17/2020 --

09/10/2020 --

09/04/2020 -Vicky has improved over the past week but continues to exhibit evidence of kidney disease without a known cause. The turtle remains in brackish water and urine was collected via catheterization this week for evaluation. Results are expected next week.

08/27/2020 --

08/20/2020 -- Vicky’s kidney condition is slowly improving and she is responding well to treatment and brackish water.

08/13/2020 -Vicky's white cell count has increased and the turtle has signs of early kidney dysfunction so a new treatment has been added.

08/06/2020 -Vicky's white cell count remains elevated but is decreasing under the new treatment protocol.

07/30/2020 -Vicky's white cell count has increased so a new treatment protocol has been initiated, but the turtle is making good progress overall.

07/23/2020 -Vicky's white cell count has decreased and the turtle continues to make progress.

07/16/2020 -Vicky's white cell count has increased, so a new antibiotic treatment has been started.

07/09/2020 -Vicky’s white cell count has decreased, and the turtle is now able to dive. It remains on the prokinetic treatment.

07/02/2020 -Vicky’s blood work revealed an increase in white cell count so a new treatment has been added. The turtle is also receiving a powerful prokinetic treatment.

06/25/2020 -Vicky's blood work has normalized but it remains on the prokinetic medications. We also performed colonocentesis this week on Vicky.

06/19/2020 -Vicky's blood work indicates overall improvement, and the new prokinetic treatment is being monitored closely.

06/11/2020 -Vicky had new radiographs this week that showed that there is impairment of intestinal movement, so a prokinetic drug has been initiated.

06/05/2020 - New Patient