In the spring of 2015 my friend John Greene from the California Turtle and Tortoise Club called to ask me if I could care for a Berlandier’s (Texas) tortoise that had been maimed by a dog and abandoned by its former keepers at a veterinarian clinic in Southern California. John had rescued the tortoise from an impending euthanasia that was scheduled by the vet, who thought the tortoise was too badly injured to survive. Fortunately, John knew that turtles and tortoises often survive traumatic events, and thought that this one had a chance. When he asked me if I was interested in nursing this tortoise back to health, I jumped at the opportunity, having a particular interest in the North American Gopherus tortoises. When John arrived at my house with the tortoise, I was shocked to see its condition. The attack left the tortoise with a punctured carapace, a badly cracked plastron, crushed forelimbs, and exposed muscle tissue that had been pulled out of its forelimbs. The anterior lobe of the plastron was nearly chewed off, including the gular horn. I had my doubts that the tortoise could survive, but made an immediate appointment with my tortoise veterinarian, Dr. Tom Greek.
