Bulletins of Natural and Applied Sciences
Vol. 4(1):11-18
Intestinal Resection and Anastomosis Following Vehicular Trauma in a Juvenile African Helmeted Chelonian (Pelomedusa subrufa): A Case Report
Mohammed Auwal Idris1*, Umar Abdullahi Maina1, Dauda Laku2, Musa Kalim Adam2, Zainab Bukola Yusuf2, Mohammed Abdullahi2, Mohammed Ahmed Umar2, and Abubakar Mshelia Saidu2 1Veterinary Teaching Hospital, F
ABSTRACT
This case report describes the successful surgical management of a six-month-old male African Helmeted Turtle (Pelomedusa spp.) that sustained a shell fracture with intestinal herniation following a hit-by-car incident. Clinical examination revealed bilateral shell fractures with protrusion of the intestinal tract through the right sided defect, multiple miliary intestinal perforations, moderate to severe dehydration, and absence of faecal output. The patient was stabilized with fluid therapy, analgesia, and wound protection prior to surgery. Based on clinical assessment, a diagnosis of partial intestinal rupture associated with shell fracture was made, and the turtle was classified as American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status III. Surgical management involved intestinal resection of the devitalized segment followed by end-to-end anastomosis using absorbable suture material in a simple interrupted pattern. The herniated intestine was thoroughly irrigated and reduced into the coelomic cavity. Postoperative management included antimicrobial therapy, analgesia, fluid support, assisted feeding, and strict confinement. Recovery was uneventful, with gradual improvement in responsiveness, return of voluntary water intake by day 10, and faecal output by the third postoperative week. At 30 days post-surgery, the turtle demonstrated near-normal activity and complete gastrointestinal functional recovery without complications.
