Kemp’s ridley I

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Kemp’s ridley I

Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

(99-820LK)

Age Class	Juvenile
Gender	Unknown
Date Stranded	November 15, 1999
Location of Stranding	Cape Cod, MA
Date of Arrival	December 10, 1999
Number of Days of Care	180

Final Disposition

Released from the Canaveral National Seashore Sanctuary on June 8, 2000

This turtle was part of a mass stranding of 277 turtles in the winter of 1999-2000 at Cape Cod. This turtle was treated for pneumonia, intestinal protozoa, and skin lesions and was released back into the wild.

Lessons: (applicable to Kemps A-K)

1. Piperacillin was effective in controlling pseudomonad infections.
2. Itraconazole worked in 9 of 11 turtles to control fungal infections.
3. Cold stunning may affect the immune system of affected turtles of up to 9-10 months.
4. Fungal infections may not affect the white counts in turtles.
5. Uric acid was best indicator of kidney failure.
6. The antibiotic grepofloxacin caused a total loss of appetite.