Gizmo, an 80 lb. Loggerhead came to us severely emaciated on October 20th. We found that the turtle had a bad intestinal blockage of sand and sponge preventing him from defecating or eating.

Gizmo has had a great appetite and with the help of lactulose added to his squid, he has started pass his impaction.

Now that the blockage is moving, quite a bit of intestinal gas is causing him to float on his left side. Therefore, we have attached some foam to the ride side of the carapace to keep him even while swimming and from dragging along on the tank bottom. Because he is so emaciated, his shell is soft, very fragile, and wounded. The bottom of his shell, or plastron, has a very large wound that is cleaned and re-bandaged every day while he is kept on a foam rack.

Staff is able to access the wound through a hole cut in the foam while Gizmo receives his medication. He continues to make progress every day!