Operation Re-Live Ridley

Rescue Date: 23 July 2007

Day 1:

Time of actual rescue from the spot: 6.15 AM
Time brought to the shore: 7.15 AM

Time taken to carry the turtle from the spot it's found till the shore in one feet deep muddy flats – distance 1.5 Km - . It was put on a wooden board and then the board was dragged by sliding on the mud flat to have minimum lifting of the turtle. Then it was shifter in PRAYAS Animal Rescue Vehical to Nandni hospital.

First observations:

• The dehydration state of the turtle can be gauged by the swelling (accumulation of water in sub – cut between the bodywall and the skin) regions of throat. The swelling was not noted at the time of admission for the Treatment.
• Activity level was low.
• No discharge of mucuos from mouth indicating not major deterioration in terms of dehydration.
• The turtle was immediately covered (from the time of RESCUING from the SPOT in the sea) with wet gunny bags just to keep nasal area open and preventing possible direct contact with eyes.
• The total time taken from the sopt to the veternary fecility was 2 hours 45 minutes.

Veterinary Aid Details:

Veterinarian: Dr. Prahlad Chaudhary
Facility: Nandini Veterinary Hospital – Ghod Dod Road, Surat

Line of Treatment:

• Preliminary Cleaning with disinfectant & sterilized water.
• Operation under local anesthesia: removal of necrosis.
• Removal of flipper by cutting off from the 2.5 inches of skin plus septic mass.
• Cleaning of all possible infection / necrosis from the body wall – sub cut.
• Scrapping of the necrosis from the shoulder bone.
• Sterilization of operated area.
• Administration of Antibiotics and pain killers.

Medicines involved: Meloxicam, Ampoxin, Pheniramine Maleate

Stabilisation:

Turtle was then cleaned off and put in a specially prepared Marine salt water bath with water only 2 inches deep sufficient to wet total lower body but the sutured portion of the right front flipper was not touching the water.

There was some fluid discharge from the wound initially and then the discharge stopped.

The turtle then was isolated to not to be disturbed so as to impart minimum stress so that it helps sutures to settle.

Rescue Team:
Ravi Christian, Hemang Patel, Mehul Thakor, Tejas Padhya, Shakti Pathak.

Day 2:

In the morning the turtle was found to be in a better condition as gauged from the remaining front flipper action and intensity when we changed the water.

Follow up medication:

Antibiotic: AMPOXIN (INJ) 110 MG Intra muscular: rear left flipper thigh muscle
Pain Killer: Nimesulide Tab: 12.5 Mg with water

Administered by Darshan Desai @ 2.00 Pm

This is being written just after the above procedures: Feeding to be started at 4.00 pm – (24 hours after the surgery).

Day 3:

The Olive took feeding with a low note. Antibiotic Ampoxin Injection 110. mg dose instramusculer - administered by Darshan at 2.00 pm.

Painkillers given orally: Nimesulide Tab 12.5 mg

The activity level was okay - Observation every 2 hours.

Day 4:

Hurrah..!!: Olive’s eating well - Showing better energy than yesterday

Marine Water Changed in the morning today. Pain Killer given orally.
Antibiotic Ampoxin 110 Mg administered IM - Darshan.

• The operation wound is showing firming of skin.
• No fluid discharge.
• MOST IMPORTANT: NO swelling around neck or lumping of throat is observed. This shows good body fluids.
• When we changed the water, the Olive drank some water and made some energetic gestures by creating water bubbles (Like he is saying: “Hey Chaps..I am okay..!”).
• The remaining front flipper showing good energy but still weak and far away from normal.

Common boy…! You can do it..!

Can anyone suggest a name…? We want to name it tomorrow. Our previous one was a baby Olive who had lost its way to us and we had named it OLIVER. And it traveled back..!! Well, this one is here for a while, for me he is …

one of the……

"PIRATES of the Arabian..!!!”

By Darshan Desai