Banca de DEFESA: MARCELO RIBEIRO LAGO

USE OF SURGICAL TECHNIQUE FOR OVARIECTOMY IN RED-EARED TORTOISE (Trachemys scripta) BY PREFEMORAL ACCESS.

surgery, turtles; tortoises, neutering

Freshwater terrestrial and aquatic turtles (tortoises) have been kept as pets around the world for hundreds of  years. In Brazilian territory, records of their creation as pets certainly date back more than a century. Many, such as the North American red-eared turtle (Treachemys scripta) have been imported and sold in a rudimentary and uncontrolled way since the mid-20th century, originating from the United States, where the species is usually found in the wild and kept as a Pet. Whether by escape or irregular release, several of these animals can now be found in several Brazilian states, generating competition and hybridization with native species (Trachemys dorbigni), generating environmental imbalance. In order to prevent their introduction, as well as other species of tortoises and tortoises, whether native or not of the Brazilian fauna, from generating such environmental impacts, surgical sterilization procedures are increasingly demanded by veterinary medical professionals. It is also worth mentioning the growing occurrence of reproductive  pathologies in these species, such as dystocia, which require increasingly advanced training and knowledge on the part of veterinary surgeons in the correct management and surgical resolution of cases. The technique of ovariosalpingectomy through prefemoral access, recently described and still under development, proves to be an effective and less invasive way of surgical access, when compared to the techniques usually performed through the plastron. These interventions, in addition to demanding a longer procedure, generate a higher level of tissue injury and longer recovery time, in addition to the risk of major surgical complications, such as tissue rejection and local or systemic infections. In aquatic chelonians, transplastal access can also make it difficult to reintroduce these animals into the aquatic environment. Therefore, the technique of ovariosalpingectomy through prefemoral access is indicated and preferred for the sterilization of tortoises.