Snapping turtle Vet?

[Dan F]

awww cute. Can you watch them "operate?" Would be quite interesting I imagine.

I am going to film it if the Vet is willing, could be a very educational experience.

 

[Dan F]

I'm loading Snappy in the car for his big day. I'm nervous as heck, he remains blissfully unaware of his predicament. Below is a picture of one of the collection cans the kids made.

 

[davo]

Well good luck (or hope you had it if all is done). Hope everything went without a hitch! Also hope your vet was happy for you to film/take pictures too, would be very interesting. That's a very cool can!

 

[davo]

How did it all go? I'm nervous for you! Hope it all went ok.

 

[Dan F]

Just arrived home.
All went well, Snappy is resting off the anesthetic, I will post pix in a bit.

Davo, I truly appreciate your concern!

 

[davo]

ah that's great news mate, really pleased. Everyones efforts rewarded, well done mate!

 

[Vicious_Fish]

That's great to hear! I'm very impressed by this whole experience. Most people would not have done what you did. And bless those kids! You get two thumbs up from me! I hope he has a fast, speeding recovery!

 

[Dan F]

The operation started with two tail-vein injections of Propofol (apparently turtles are fairly difficult to anesthetize). After he was out they start a mixture of oxygen and anesthetic inhalant to keep him out. The whole anesthesia process was the most time consuming part of the operation.

They used a piece of thin-wall PVC to protect the endoscope should he clamp down. Once the doctor got to the stomach sphincter we could actually see a bit of the end of the tube poking out! It took a couple attempts to grab the slippery thing, but after a bit of repositioning they got a good grip and out it came.

After that it was 3 hours in an incubator with oxygen and a 2 hour drive home.

Snappy is going to recover in my tub over the weekend, come Monday he'll be back in his tank (devoid of ANYTHING he could swallow) with new UV bulbs, a new filter, and a big school of goldfish!

 

[Dan F]

I have been thinking about this whole "Snappy Saga" and it made me wonder about other similar stories. I know many of you out there have gone to great lengths to save a pet many people find "less-than-cuddly". I know I'd like to hear a few. I don't know exactly how a "Sticky" gets started (by a moderator?) but I think it's a good one.

Some possible titles:

"Cold-Blooded Stories to Warm the Heart"
"Warm-Fuzzies for a Cold-Prickly"
"Chicken Soup for the MFK Soul" (OK, this one is LAME)

You get the idea...

 

[spotfin]

Wow! Great read. Glad it had a happy outcome!