Napoleon
Napoleon
Arrival Date: January 23,2024
Patient Profile
Name: Napoleon
Species: Green Sea Turtle
Weight: 15 pounds
Reason for visit: Fibropapillomatosis (FP)
Location Found: Transfer patient found on Vilano Beach, from Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, St. Augustine, FL
Status Report
01/23/24: Napoleon was found washed ashore on Vilano Beach by a good samaritain. With Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors covering Napoleon’s eyes, he was rescued by the team members of the Whitney Laboratory of Marina Bioscience in St. Augustine, Florida on January 1st. Their team was quick to perform initial diagnostics to understand Napoleon’s status and started him on supportive measures of intravenous fluids, medications, and a clean comfortable hospital tank with food to help him rest. Napoleon was set to continue his care at The Turtle Hospital, but stayed with the Whitney Laboratory rescue team till he was stable for transport to the Florida Keys. The Turtle Hospital rehab team took over care on Napoleon on January 23rd, continuing with supportive treatment and diagnostics to monitor his health.
03/06/24: Napoleon has spent the last month building up strength, and is now ready for his first Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumor removal surgery. Dr. Norton, our resident veterinarian, plans to focus on removing the masses located near the rear flippers. Rehab staff will be monitoring Napoleon closely throughout the procedure ready to assist in anything he needs. Good luck today Napoleon, see you in recovery!
05/20/24: Napoleon has had a busy month so far, undergoing two surgeries for the removal of the Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors found throughout his body. Dr. Norton removed masses located under his neck, abdomen, right shoulder, and smaller ones tucked away under his flippers. Rehab staff report he has been an amazing patient as he endures these procedures. Receiving lots of love, support and of course yummy snacks after each procedure. Treatment for Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a long road, and The Turtle Hospital team ensures all our patients get nothing but the best as they work to become tumor free and back in the ocean someday. Keep up the hard work Napoleon, we are so proud of how far you have come.
06/29/24: Last month Napoleon went through a few major surgeries and was such a champ through it all. Napoleon had a few of the Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors on his abdomen that were successfully removed and received all his favorite snacks during recovery. This month Napoleon will undergo his final surgery to remove the remaining tumors located on his eyes and will then be tumor free! We could not be more excited for Napoleon, he has worked very hard to get better and has been the best patient through it all. Great job Napoleon, we are so proud of you.
07/08/24: We hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July, Napoleon is happy to announce his eye surgery went great and he is officially tumor free. This month he will focus on recovering from his previous surgeries and will receive wound care by his rehab team to his surgical sites to make sure they are healing properly. Napoleon has improved so much over the past months, he’s more energetic and loves to show off his swimming skills to his rehab team. At this time Napoleon will continue to stay a bit farther away from guests view in our main tank area as this has worked well for keeping his stress down and improving his well being. As he continues to improve Napoleon will enter into the next phase of his journey here at the hospital called the Observation Period. Here Napoleon will receive more frequent diagnostics such as radiographs, ultrasounds, and computed tomography (CT) scan and exams to monitor for any regrowth of the Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors as there is a 30% chance these can regrow. Should this occur our rehab team will be ready to support Napoleon in any way he needs. Stay tuned for more updates on Napoleon for this month.
07/27/24: We have happy news to announce, Napoleon is tumor free! All diagnostics have come back clear and are so excited to plan for his release soon. In the meantime, Napoleon has been practicing his swimming and eating all his veggies to ensure he is strong and healthy for his big day. Napoleon will definitely pass his swim test with flying colors, and will receive a final pre-release exam from Dr. Norton to give him the green light in the coming days.
Release
Napoleon has had a long journey here at The Turtle Hospital, and we could not be more excited to have him released back into the ocean. Napoleon hitched a ride with our friends The Sea Turtle Conservancy who recently visited our facility for the release of our champion sea turtle competing in the Tour de Turtles. (Visit our Tracking page to learn more). After a long drive up the coast, Napoleon was released on Volusia County Beach on August 2, 2024.
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