The United States Coast Guard is at it again.
First responders from the Coast Guard have supported sea turtle rescues off the coast of Florida multiple times this summer. And last Thursday, they came to the rescue again.
Coast Guard members at the Key West, Florida station received a call about a distressed sea turtle near Sunset Key. The call came from the famous Marathon, Florida-based Turtle Hospital, which first got word from a boat crew about the turtle.
Guard members quickly arrived at the scene and brought the 100+ pound turtle ashore for treatment.
“Every life, every call. We're here for them all,” a Facebook post from the Coast Guard’s page read.
As soon as the turtle was ashore, the veterinary team stepped in, naming their new patient Baby Myrtle.
“Teamwork makes [the] dream work, and we live in an amazing community,” Bette Zirkelbach, general manager of the Turtle Hospital, shared in the caption of an Instagram Reel of the Coast Guard’s rescue.
“We are most grateful for U.S. Coast Guard in the Florida Keys and all of their help with rescuing sea turtles.”
On Tuesday morning, the Turtle Hospital shared an update about Baby Myrtle’s condition.
“When … green sea turtle Baby Myrtle was rescued off Key West with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, she was found floating and unable to dive,” the update read. “X-rays and a CT scan revealed a pneumothorax, meaning air had accumulated in her coelomic cavity, preventing her from diving normally.”
The Turtle Hospital team gave Baby Myrtle a lung tap to remove the trapped air, along with a dose of broad-spectrum antibiotics, fluids, and vitamins, the update shared. Soon, she was transferred to a hospital tank.
The latest update is that the turtle has now been outfitted with a blood patch.
“We cross-matched blood from one of our permanent residents and blood donors, Sam, to help ‘patch’ the suspected tear in Myrtle’s lung,” the Turtle Hospital shared.
“The lung tap helps remove the air, while the blood patch is intended to seal the leak and give her lung a chance to heal.”
After the procedure to implement the blood patch, Baby Myrtle received another round of X-rays before returning to the water.
The Turtle Hospital promised additional updates on their newest patient, and the Coast Guard remains positioned at the ready for any other sea turtle rescue calls that come their way.
“Protecting our waterways means protecting the wildlife that calls them home,” the southeast branch of the Coast Guard concluded on Facebook.
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Featured Image: U.S. Coast Guard Southeast/Facebook
