Allie
Allie
Arrival Date: April 17, 2024
Patient Profile
Name: Allie
Species: Green Sea Turtle
Weight: 13 pounds
Reason for visit: Fibropapillomatosis (FP)
Location Found: Key Largo, FL
Status Report
04/17/24: Allie was spotted by a local boater near Key Largo island, she was lethargic and unwell at the surface of the water. Upon arrival at the Turtle Hospital Allie was in critical condition with Fibropapillomatosis (FP) masses in her groin. Rehab staff performed diagnostics such as blood work which revealed Allie was severely anemic. Our non-releasable resident Green Sea Turtle Emerald stepped in to help by donating blood. With the help of this blood transfusion Allie was feeling a bit better while she rested in her hospital tank. Due to her tumors Allie will focus on becoming strong and stable before she begins the surgical process later for tumor removals. (Sea turtles can donate blood to each other when needed. They must be the same species to accept the donation. Example: Green Sea Turtles can donate to another Green Sea Turtle but NOT to a Loggerhead.)
05/20/24: Rehab staff continues to monitor Allie, she currently receives weekly bloodwork as they track her improvement. Allie has adjusted well to her hospital tank, and loves to receive attention from her rehab team. Her favorite activity currently is foraging for her food through enrichment toys created by the rehab staff.
06/01/24: Due to Allie’s improved health she was approved for surgery to begin the process of removing the Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors. Rehab staff report she did great through the procedure and has been enjoying all the extra attention during her recovery. Make sure to come say hello to her during your next visit to the Turtle Hospital, we know Allie would love the encouragement as she works hard to become tumor free.
06/21/24: This month Allie has gone through two surgeries for removal of the Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors on her body. We are happy to report she only has tumors left on her eyes. Great job Allie for being such a trooper through your many surgeries, now just the final stretch to remove the last few. This surgery will be performed by Dr. Brooke Burkhalter, a veterinarian specializing in internal medicine and skilled in the care of sea turtles. Dr. Burkhalter is the lead veterinarian at the University of Florida within their sea turtle hospital department. Yesterday she used her skills to help remove these uncomfortable masses on Allies eyes. If you are visiting our facility today you may even get to see Dr. Burkhalter perform this procedure in our surgery suite, as our educational programs have the opportunity to view as they are given a walk through of our hospital.
08/10/24: This past month Allie has been recovering from her previous surgeries. Enjoying all the additional attention from her rehab team as she receives more frequent check ups and lots of yummy snacks as a reward. While Allie has been in the Observation Period during a recent recheck the team found she has some Fibropapillomatosis (FP) regrowth. As a result she will travel up to Miami along with fellow green sea turtle Amelia to be seen by veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Karpinski. She and her team will work to remove these tumors from her eyes and restore her eyesight. In the meantime her rehab team will continue to support and monitor her until her road trip. They will also ride along with her to Miami to keep her comfortable. Make sure to wave to our team if you see us heading up US HWY 1 towards Miami.
Observation Period, during this time the rehab team will monitor her more closely with more frequent diagnostics and exams to ensure there is no regrowth of tumors. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) has a 30% chance of regrowth.
09/01/24: With many sea turtles that come to our facility they are at times too young for us to fully know if they are a male or female, as sea turtles take many years to fully develop. During a routine scope of Allie to check if there are any regrows of masses within her, well Dr. Norton didn’t discover any internal FP tumors, but did find Allie is a boy! Allie will continue to have more surgeries to remove the external regrowths that have appeared on his body. The rehab team has been keeping a close eye on Allie, but so far he is very active and eating great as he prepares for his upcoming surgeries.
09/28/24: This week was very different for our current patients and resident sea turtles. As Hurricane Helene made its way through the gulf, The Turtle hospital prepared for the worst by relocating our turtles to the hospital tanks on land and larger hurricane tanks on land. These tanks are built to withstand a CAT 5 hurricane. All sea turtles within the tidal pool were evacuated out as the storm surge could pose a serious danger to our turtles. Allie was relocated to share a split tank with fellow green sea turtle patient Jesus, they kept each other company through the storm. The Turtle Hospital was luckily only hit with heavy winds and rain, and back open to the public with minor damage from the strong winds. To see more on how we prepared our sea turtles for the storm check out our Instagram for videos.
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