Red Ear Slidder

Question
Hi Mark,
I need help, I have a Red Ear Slider that I have had for six years. I have had her in a pond for the last four years where she stays year round. Last summer she got out of the pond and a dog got a hold of her. I have taken her to the vets twice but it seems they are not real knowledgeable in helping her. The shell was the only thing damaged. She has about a five inch shell, and it is the top three inch diameter of her shell that the dog scraped the scutes off. I am under the impression that this is the shell bone. She has been in a dry tank for eight months and only put in water daily, and now I am noticing that the white bone area becomes transparent when she is in the water. I can see air and water underneath the shell. I this normal for her injury? Will the scutes ever grow back. I am concerned that she will never be able to return to the pond. I have over the past few months been treating her shell with peroxide and iodine and she seemed to be healing well, but now I have noticed this new development. Any advice or direction would be appreciated. I have raised this turtle since it was a size of a quarter.
Thanks,
Lynn  

Answer
It is unfortunate that the medical care may not have been that great. We normally would not 'dry tank' a turtle like that. A better program would be to reduce stress by giving the injured areas a a good scrubbing with Betadine daily, let the turtle dry for an hour or so, then return it to the water. Normally, we would have seen healing and normal behavior by now.

The white hopefully is not bone, but tissue called fascia. It is a tough membrane, and air bubbles and water under it is not really a big deal.

If there are no holes going through the shell, I would change treatment plans to keeping it in the water most of the day (you may need to work up to this)- making sure the water is warm and clean, and it has plenty of space.

If the actual wounds are healed over, there is probably not a lot of reason to continue the medical treatment- the combination of cleaners may be slowing the new tissue growth.

Turtles heal slowly. It may be a while longer before you see tissue regrowth, but it will happen more quickly with slightly warmer water temps (80-85F), good diet, etc. Nonetheless, it can be a few years before it skins over fully... if it does. You often see turtles in the wild with injuries like this that are quite old.