Prevalence of Gastritis and Enteritis in Red-Eared Turtles Diagnosed by Radiology

Objective: Recently, Red-Eared turtles are kept as pets in Iranian houses; however, because of lack of knowledge about their caring, they are in risk of lots of diseases. Turtles of all ages should be fed with a diet that contains a wide variety of both animal and plant based items but they are usually fed by one item diet which may make gastrointestinal (GI) sickness. They are also several bacterial and viral diseases which interfere with the GI system. These facts have made the turtles very susceptible to Enteritis and Gastritis. Radiography can be a good technique to diagnosis these abnormalities. Design: Retrospective study Animals: A total of 22 Red-Eared turtles have been referred to the Veterinary Radiology Department of University of Tehran to be evaluated for their GI system. Procedure: Lateral and dorsoventral (DV) radiographs were taken from their whole body. Results and Conclusion: On the DV radiographs of 13 turtles, an annular-shaped radiolucency was visible in the left half of the plastron where the stomach is located. Accumulation of gas in the stomach is a typical finding for gastritis. Therefore, the prevalence of gastritis in the cases was 15.2 %; on the DV radiograph of 9 cases, gas in the celomic cavity and gaseous distention of the intestines were detectable which are good signs for enteritis diagnosis in turtles. Therefore, the prevalence of enteritis, diagnosed by radiology, in the referred cases was 10.5%. Clinical Relevance: The study revealed that the prevalence of GI system involvement detectable by radiology in Red-Eared turtles is high and it must be taken into consideration of the owners.