Amelia
Amelia
Arrival Date: January 23, 2024
Patient Profile
Name: Amelia
Species: Green Sea Turtle
Weight: 4.7 pounds
Reason for visit: Fibropapillomatosis (FP)
Location Found: Transfer Patient from the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, St. Augustine, FL
Status Report
01/23/24: At the turtle hospital we take in sea turtles from all over the state. Today we received a transfer patient from Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine. Amelia is suffering from Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a disease that causes tumors on their soft tissue both externally and internally. Our rehab team will begin their intake process by performing diagnostics and getting Amelia comfortable in her hospital tank.
01/27/24: Today Amelia received an eye exam to test her vision due to the small tumors found around her eyelids. The rehab team will monitor these tumors closely, and continue supportive care with medications, nutrition, and a clean hospital tank to help Amelia prepare for her future tumor surgeries to come.
03/19/24: Amelia’s hard work has now approved her for surgery today. Dr. Norton will proceed to use our CO2 laser to begin the process of removing some of the many tumors on Amelia’s eyes and flippers. Surgery can be hard on sea turtles, but Amelia has an incredible rehab staff that will look after her during and after to keep her comfortable through it all. See you when in post-op care Amelia!
05/21/24: Amelia’s tumor removal surgeries have been going great, and her wonderful personality has kept the rehab team smiling everyday. Amelia loves to enjoy her enrichment time in her hospital tank by playing with the PVC pipe toys, practicing her foraging skills to find food in the toys, and is a huge fan of shell scratches. She can be seen wiggling her bottom back and forth as she enjoys a good scratch from her care team.
06/21/24: These past weeks have been busy for Amelia, but we have wonderful news to share. After going through two big surgeries, Amelia is now almost tumor free. She is in the final stretch now and will be treated by Dr. Brooke Burkhalter. A veterinarian specializing in internal medicine and skilled in the care of sea turtles. Dr. Burkhalter is the lead veterinarian at the University of Florida within their sea turtle hospital department. She will use her skills to help remove these uncomfortable masses on Amelia’s eyes. As a full functioning hospital, you may get to see this procedure during your next visit to The Turtle Hospital. Amelia’s next step after her surgical recovery is placed in Observation Status. This means we will continue to monitor her just in case there is any regrowth of tumors. Rehab team do report Amelia is a wonderful young green turtle, she enjoys being hand fed squid since her eyesight is still not very strong, but is a strong eater. Make sure to send Amelia best wishes while she recovers from her surgeries.
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