A 1-yr-old intact female inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) was presented approximately 24 h after observed ingestion of a marble. Orthogonal whole-body radiographs with and without contrast revealed a spherical radiopaque foreign body within the gastric lumen and no passage of contrast material beyond the foreign body, suggestive of pyloric outflow obstruction. The complete blood count showed mild basophilia, and plasma biochemical analysis revealed a moderately elevated creatine kinase. The bearded dragon was placed under general anesthesia, and a rigid endoscope was used to visualize the foreign body at the level of the pylorus. The marble foreign body was suctioned and removed orally using a red rubber catheter and a Luer-lock syringe. The patient recovered uneventfully from the procedure and was sent home with sucralfate and omeprazole after 2 days of hospitalization. This report provides a novel, nonsurgical method for removing smooth spherical foreign bodies from the proximal gastrointestinal tract of bearded dragons. The technique may apply to various small-to-medium–sized reptiles or amphibians that present with spherical foreign bodies.

An estimated 6-yr-old female leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) presented with a raised spherical mass on the head. Grossly, the skin overlying the mass was smooth, with a focal area of ulceration. Histologically, the dermis was expanded by a well-demarcated, poorly cellular single expansile cyst. The cyst was lined by stratified squamous epithelium and was filled with an accumulation of tightly packed lamellar keratin with regular folding, resembling keratinization of the epidermis. Neither cellular nor nuclear atypia was observed, and there were no mitotic figures in the lining epithelium. The histopathological findings were consistent with an epidermal cyst. To the best of the authors' knowledge, an epidermal cyst in the dermis of the head has not been documented previously in a captive leopard gecko.

An adult, wild-caught, intact female Aubry's flapshell turtle (Cycloderma aubryi), that had been in the collection for 21 months, presented with rapid onset of multifocal, tan-white, 1.5 cm and smaller, crateriform, ulcerated lesions on the carapace and plastron. Empirical antibiotic therapy, initiated on the suspicion of an infectious etiology, yielded no clinical improvement and the disease progressed. Multifocal osteomyelitis was visible deep to the dermatological lesions on the carapace and plastron on computed tomography (CT) imaging, and culture results included Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter (Alcaligenes) xylosoxidans. Two months after surgical debridement and ostectomy, healing of lesions was incomplete and slow to progress. Photobiomodulation (PBM) was initiated on some of the lesions, and the treated lesions showed grossly visible indications of progressive healing after 17 days; there were no indications of healing in the untreated lesions. All lesions were subsequently treated with PBM, and the patient made a full recovery. This case report describes successful treatment of severe ulcerative dermatitis in a softshell turtle using advanced imaging (CT), surgical debridement and ostectomy, supportive care, husbandry modifications, and PBM. This report highlights that PBM can be a valuable therapeutic tool that should be considered for treatment of ulcerative dermatitis in softshell turtles, especially in patients with delayed wound healing or chronic dermatologic lesions.

An 8½-yr-old female kingsnake (Lampropeltis spp.) presented for apparent constipation of 1-month duration. The physical exam revealed moderate constipation based on coelomic palpation. Radiographs confirmed probable follicular tissue in the mid-coelomic region and more radiodense fecal material within the distal colon. The snake was given an enema and, in the process, prolapsed a firm mass on a pedunculated stalk. The stalk was immediately ligated and transected due to mild hemorrhaging. Histopathology confirmed that the mass consisted of kidney tissue affected with a bacterial nephritis and contained granulomas and gouty tophi. Necropsy of the animal confirmed that the left kidney was missing within the coelomic cavity and had migrated to within the cloacal lumen. Additionally, the animal had severe folliculostasis and a bacterial cloacitis with foreign material (hair shafts) imbedded within the colonic body wall.

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America and is classified as state endangered in Illinois. Head start programs that include health assessments and pathogen detection are being conducted to restore this species to its historic range. Physical examinations and oral and cloacal swabs were collected from 97 head start alligator snapping turtles prerelease and from 58 recaptured turtles postrelease in 2014. Conventional polymerase chain reaction and sequencing targeting the RNA polymerase beta subunit gene and the 16S-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer detected a single prerelease individual with Mycoplasma sp. with closest relation to Mycoplasma spp. of other freshwater turtles. This individual did not display any clinical signs at the time of release or sampling. Mycoplasmosis has been characterized as a disease of conservation concern in tortoises and may represent a threat to small and fragmented chelonian populations. Findings of this study indicate that Mycoplasma sp. DNA is present in an Illinois alligator snapping turtle, and future investigation into the impact of this infection may support conservation efforts.

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is often disregulated during critical illness or following traumatic injury, and both elevated and reduced glucocorticoid levels have been associated with poor prognoses in multiple species. In eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina), hyperlactatemia has been identified as a negative prognostic indicator, prompting the question of whether glucocorticoids become elevated in this species during hospitalization. This study examines the role of corticosterone in relation to lactate, other blood-based parameters, and triage scores during hospitalization of eastern box turtles with traumatic injuries on survival at 24 h, 1 wk, and 1 month. Eastern box turtles with higher triage scores had lower survival at 24 h and at 1 month, and lactate concentration at admission was associated negatively with survival at 24 h. Turtles in which plasma corticosterone levels increased in the first 24 h were more likely to die in the first week than turtles in which corticosterone decreased or remained the same, but this was not statistically significant. The results of this study demonstrate the potential role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in survival of eastern box turtles with traumatic injuries.

Cryptosporidium serpentis is a common parasitic disease in captive snakes that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. To minimize the impact of this parasite, it is important to identify effective treatment methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new drug regimen for treating C. serpentis in eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi). Twenty-four eastern indigo snakes naturally infected with C. serpentis were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received 20 mg/kg nitazoxanide, 10 mg/kg azithromycin, and 5 mg/kg rifabutin twice weekly in a food item for 6 wk, whereas the second group received no treatment in the food items. Cloacal swabs were collected every 2 months for 6 months to measure C. serpentis shedding by probe hybridization quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The eastern indigo snakes that were qPCR negative after 6 months were immunosuppressed with a single dose of 4 mg/kg dexamethasone sodium phosphate SC. These eastern indigo snakes were then screened by qPCR for an additional 6 months as described previously. Eastern indigo snakes that were qPCR negative after 1 yr of serial sampling were re-evaluated for C. serpentis via gastric biopsy for histological and qPCR analyses. Only 2 (16.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1–37.8) of 12 eastern indigo snakes from each group were qPCR negative before immunosuppression. The eastern indigo snakes in the treatment group did have a decrease in the amount of C. serpentis DNA shedding after treatment (P = 0.025), whereas the control eastern indigo snakes did not (P = 0.232). Only 1 (8.3%; 95% CI: 0.1–23.9) of 12 eastern indigo snakes in each group was negative 6 months after immunosuppression. These findings suggest that 20 mg/kg nitazoxanide, 10 mg/kg azithromycin, and 5 mg/kg rifabutin twice weekly for 6 wk in a food item is ineffective in eliminating C. serpentis in naturally infected eastern indigo snakes.