Pune veterinarians save egg-bound turtle's life in rare surgery

Pune veterinarians have successfully saved the life of an eggbound turtle in a rare surgery that helped them remove four fully formed eggsThey performed a laparoscopic surgery on the turtle suffering from chronic eggbinding syndrome which is severe egg retention an enlarged liver and hemoglobin deficiency giving her a new lease of lifeThe doctors say this is one of the first laparoscopic eggbound surgeries performed in India One where mechanical ventilation with the GE 620 Carestation and sevoflurane gas anesthesia was successfully utilisedThe rare procedure was led by veterinary surgeon Dr Narendra Pardeshi who along with his team skillfully removed four fully formed eggsThe turtle named Shree had been struggling for 12 months before the intervention but is now on the path to recovery active alert and showing steady signs of healingShree an otherwise active redeared slider turtle had suddenly become lethargic stopped eating and began straining repeatedly Her worried pet parents the Namdeo family based in Somatane near Talegaon noticed swelling near her vent and growing restlessness ldquoIt was heartbreaking to see Shree like thatrdquo her pet parent shared continuing ldquoThe turtle had always been full of life and suddenly she looked so weak and helpless She was trying hard to push the eggs out but it was difficult for her Watching her struggle without being able to help was truly painfulThe turtle was then taken to the Small Animal Clinic her tests revealed she was suffering from eggbinding a condition where turtles are unable to pass eggs naturally An ultrasound also showed an enlarged liver and fully formed eggs while blood tests pointed to low hemoglobin levels Initial attempts to induce egg expulsion with Epidocin injection were unsuccessful She was handfed and monitored closely A presurgical blood test was performed after the failed attempt to induce labor Since Shree had stopped eating she was handfed to maintain her strength An ultrasound was also carried out to assess liver swelling and confirm the presence of retained eggs The ultrasound of Shreersquos abdomen revealed an enlarged liver and multiple shellformed eggs confirming eggbinding Her heart was functioning normally which was a positive sign ahead of surgery However blood tests showed a hemoglobin deficiency so a few medications were prescribed to stabilise her condition before proceeding with the operationDr Pardeshi explained ldquoShreersquos surgery was scheduled on July 21 using laparoscopy which is a less invasive and safer method She was carefully intubated and given oxygen along with anesthesia to keep her comfortable throughout the procedure She weighed 15 kg Her vitals were monitored using a BP Doppler and SPO2 sensor To keep her warm a heating pad was placed underneath During the surgery the oviduct fallopian tube is a tubelike structure that extends from the uterus to the ovary was gently accessed through a small incision near her right hind leg and four fully formed eggs were removed After that the oviduct and skin were stitched carefully and there was no need to cut the shell Shree recovered within an hour which was a great relief She was advised to have 3 to 5 days of postoperative injections to help her heal well Usually in such cases the shell has to be cut to remove the eggs After surgery it takes 68 months for the shell to heal and reform which is very risky as turtles stay and eat in water thus increasing the chances of waterborne infection Shersquos a strong little turtle and wersquore very happy with how shersquos bouncing backDr Pardeshi further added ldquoWe noticed a clear improvement after the surgery Shree was active and alert which was a very encouraging sign Her gums were slightly pale but there was minimal oozing from the surgical site which meant healing had begun well We started her on multivitamins and mineral injections on alternate days for five doses to help improve her blood levels Along with that she was given oral supplements to support her recovery We also advised applying antiseptic ointment to the surgical area to prevent any risk of infection Shersquos doing well is active and alert which is a big improvement from her condition before surgery Therersquos been tremendous progress in her mobility eating habits Itrsquos heartening to see her bounce back responding positively to the treatment and care and wersquore optimistic about her continued recovery Since Shree was on mechanical ventilation she recovered within one hour after completion of surgery and was dischargedrdquoWe were so scared seeing Shree in pain and unable to eat or move properly The clinic explained everything clearly and took amazing care of her Irsquom deeply thankful to Dr Narendra Pardeshi and the entire team including Reena Haribhat Ankita Asmi Pardeshi and Aparna Phansalkar for saving her Shersquos active again and eating well it feels like we have her backrdquo shared Shreersquos relieved pet parent Mrs Namdeo