Turtle's swollen, white foot with broken claw? What should I do?

Thanks for reaching out about Charlie and including a photo. Sorry for the situation. A veterinary visit is a must. Open wounds need to be cleaned and closed. Antibiotics and analgesics are recommended. Concerns would be he was chewed on by something, so outdoor time should be limited to daytime only. No access to dirt to decrease potential of further infection. Clean now by soaking in warm tap water. See a veterinarian, ASAP. Good luck.

This could be due to a bacterial or fungal infection. Swab the infected area with a diluted povidone-iodine solution twice daily. Scrape away the infected area gently with a blunt tool or a cotton pad. If this time of first line treatment does not help and you do not see any improvement in 48hours a check up at your local veterinarian would be required as antibiotic ointment and more aggressive treatment may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Thanks for reaching out about Snappy and including a photo. Aquatic turtles can be very territorial. Very good water quality is important to healing and decrease to possibility of contamination. A well rounded diet is important to stimulate the immune system and provide nutrients for healing. Antibiotics in the water is not an effective way to treat these wounds, so if appears to be getting worse or not healing, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide injectable antibiotics. Good luck.

It looks like he has an injury on his toe or foot. A close up image would be needed to determine where the injury is located. A physical exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet would be recommended to diagnose and treat any infection. Raphael may need antibiotics. For now, keep the water in the tank as clean as possible. Rinse the foot a couple times daily with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solution. Allow a 1-2 hour dry docking after each cleaning. Monitor for lethargy or decreased appetite. Confirm proper environmental parameters. Consider increasing tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F to aid in recovery.

Thanks for reaching out about Steve and including photos. These lesions appear similar to ones seen when chewed on by a dog or raccoon. A veterinary visit is a necessity to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Systemic antibiotics are needed, probably injections. After the wound is deemed clean, an acrylic patch needs to be placed to prevent future infections. Hydrogen peroxide is okay to use initially but will indiscriminately kills cells, including immune cells and new skin cells. Keep on clean paper towels or other substate to prevent further contamination. The environmental temperature should reach 90+F during the day to stimulate the immune system. Call your local veterinarian. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about your turtle. Unfortunately, the pictures are too dark to determine a lesion. A veterinary visit would work the best but if none available you could try applying a topical antibiotics ointment. A petroleum based product will adhere better in water but is still likely to wash off. Keep water quality as pristine as possible. Systemic antibiotics (injections) would improve chance of success. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Micky. Infections, inflammation or poor husbandry can all be involved. Removing substrate (especially dirt or sand), keep water quality pristine, allow easy haul out to get dry. As a treatment, you can try a shallow Epsom salt soak for the feet but this might reduce swelling but is not a treatment. A veterinary visit is recommended to determine a cause so treatment can be focused. Good luck.