pet connection

Dr. Dave Thomassy, who reconstructed the shell of Pepper the red-eared slider after the amphibianreptile was swallowed and regurgitated by a golden retriever, reports that she is well on the mend:

Pepper is doing extremely well at home.  Eating, drinking and swimming well (no leaks in her ship!). She will be kept isolated for the time being while healing, which will likely take six to nine months. (I have been amazed at some of the severely damaged, large gopher tortoises that heal completely in three to four months with large holes in their shells).  

I will continue to recheck her every two to four weeks because as she heals and grows the patch could separate and leak or come off and need replaced. Infection is of course a concern as well.  Yes, she should be able to remodel bone and then shell across the defect, under the patch, and live a normal life span, which in captivity can be 30-plus years. 

Isn’t modern veterinary medicine amazing?

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