Reptiles and Amphibians Q&A 03
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This 15-year-old red-eared slider turtle had been raised since it was a hatchling on a diet of peeled shrimp and iceberg lettuce. At the time that it was presented for examination, it was not using its hindlimbs; rather, when it was picked up and held vertically, they dangled loosely. The turtle’s shell was flat, deformed and markedly soft to the touch.
| Question | Answer | Article | |
| What is your tentative diagnosis? | Chronic metabolic bone disease and secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism due to a calcium-poor, phosphorus-rich diet. |
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| What would you do to confirm your diagnosis? | Radiographs revealed a deformed and poorly mineralised skeleton; blood calcium on the day of presentation was 4.6mg/dl. |
[[|Link to Article]] | |
| How would you treat it? | Calcium gluconate (2.5mg/kg intracoelomically every 48 hours for one week). The diet should be changed immediately to include whole fish, freshly caught earthworms, calcium-rich collard leaves, and algae. Exposure to natural unfiltered sunlight or ultraviolet irradiation; oral vitamin D3 at a dosage of 1–4 IU/kg twice weekly. |
[[|Link to Article]] | |
