05/27/2026
Meet Plum
Today, a female Eastern painted turtle arrived at the rescue, and she has quickly reminded me why turtles are some of the toughest creatures on the planet.
Plum was hit by a vehicle and based on the tiny stones, sand, and dirt packed deep into every single fracture line, I suspect it happened on a dirt road, and I suspect it happened at least a day or two ago.
The impact is devastating, Plum sustained a significant, multi-fragment carapace (top shell) fracture.
A double-bridge fracture (the sides that connect the top and bottom shell).
A critical, caved-in plastron (bottom shell) fracture that pushed inward toward her body cavity, packed with dirt and a large amount of infected, necrotic tissue.
A suspected broken shoulder girdle/clavicle, which is causing her front leg to hang unnaturally.
To make matters worse, her open top shell fractures had already attracted flies. She arrived with active fly strike, and the deep carapace wounds were infested with dozens of microscopic, newly hatched maggots.
Between the heavy infection on her bottom shell, the embedded debris, and the maggots on top, Plum’s intake was an absolute battle.
I spent hours meticulously flushing her fractures to clear out the stones and used a specialized treatment to eliminate the maggots from her carapace, and debriding the necrotic tissue on her plastron.
Plum has officially hit her limit for the night and is tucked away comfortably to rest, I started on heavy-duty antibiotics and pain management. she will see the vet later this week for full diagnostic X-rays so we can properly evaluate her internal injuries, look at that collarbone, and ensure her leg is splinted in a safe, anatomical position.
She has an incredibly long road to recovery ahead of her, a lot more wound care, and a future shell-healing journey—but tonight, she is safe, clean, and resting pain-free.
Welcome to the rescue, little Plum. Fight hard. 🐢💚
