Scooter: Female Florida River Cooter : 02-22-2003
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Two and a half weeks later and we're still taking two steps forward and one step back with each passing day. On a good note, this means we're taking a step in the right direction every day.

On February 17th Scooter seemingly WOKE UP from the daze she must have been in over the previous month. She ate like never before. A huge amount of vegetation as well as Reptomin Sticks for the first time ever. She had never eaten this much before, and hasn't stopped eating a bunch since! She also began basking on her own, which started with a full 24 hour self induced bask period! She was on her shelf so long we started to worry that there may be a problem in the opposite direction! Thankfully, she did finally hop back into the water for a swim and has now begun basking, eating, and swimming with the proper moderation of each.

Her plastron still has a long ways to go before we can consider it fully healed. As with the previous pictures, we are dealing with new growth followed by loss. Each time the loss of new growth is a tiny bit less than the time before so the most visable wound is in fact shrinking. It's just hard to notice this when you see it day after day after day waiting and wondering if it will ever heal closed.

Feb 12th, 2003


Feb 18th, 2003


Feb 22nd, 2003


Since the last update we have also stopped using Betadine to cleanse Scooter's plastron and have begun using Nolvasan Skin Wound Cleanser instead. It seems to work better and has been easier to work with overall (it doesn't stain like betadine does either!). It does have a horrible odor to it though! We're down to our last jar of Silvadene cream. That's a total of four jars that she has gone through since all of this began. When the vet said "This wont be easy, and it wont be quick" he was SERIOUS! Though it's important to note that it has been worth it. We hope for Scooter, and we know for the family as it has least been one amazing learning experience.

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