The Turtle Hospital. Rescue, Rehab, Release.

Shelly’s Surgery

“Shelly” a juvenile Green Sea Turtle was rescued from a canal in Key West on Dec 30, 2007. Reported “floating” by local residents, this turtle has severe Fibropapilloma tumors and a large fish hook in the lower intestine. Dr. Doug Mader with staff from the Marathon Veterinary Hospital and Turtle Hospital staff  performed several surgical procedures. An endoscopic inspection was done to look for internal tumors. This procedure inserts a video camera into the body cavity to allow inspection of the internal organs. Fortunately, no internal tumors were found. The fish hook (found by X-ray) was successfully removed. Laser surgery was performed to remove tumors from the eyes and front flippers. Due to the number of tumors, Shelly will return for at least two more surgery sessions. Shelly will remain in our care for a year after the last surgery to ensure no re-growth of tumors. 

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