Dumpty

Green (Chelonia mydas)

(ST10102)

Age Class	Juvenile
Gender	Unknown
Date Stranded	April 25, 2010
Location of Stranding	Bradenton Beach, FL
Date of Arrival	April 25, 2010
Number of Days of Care	7

Final Disposition

Euthanized May 3, 2010

close up of sea turtle being measured

4/26/2010 Turtle was found floating in the surf off Anna Maria Island. Turtle seems relatively strong, but is unable to lift his head normally to breathe in water. Radiographs (X-rays) show no obvious fractures in the neck; soft tissue injury is a possibility. Turtle is being treated with fluids and anti-inflammatory medications and is being kept dry-docked for the time being. 5/6 An MRI was performed last Thursday, which did not show any obvious problems with the brain, though the turtle continued to show signs. Dumpty was not making significant improvement over the week and was still unable to breathe iindependently while in the water. Turtle started showing some increased respiratory difficulty on Monday and the decision was made to humanely euthanize. Preliminary necropsy findings indicate a significant bruise of the spinal cord in the neck area along with a possible fracture of the first cervical vertebrae.