Preliminary Comparison of Plasma Concentrations of Gentamicin Injected into the Cranial and Caudal Limb Musculature of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)

Eight eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) were given a single i.m. injection of gentamicin sulfate at a dosage of 3 mg/kg total body weight. Four turtles received the injection in the right forelimb and the other four received it in the right rear limb. Sequential blood samples were obtained by jugular venipuncture using heparinized syringes over a 96-hr period, and plasma concentrations of gentamicin were measured using a fluorescence polarization immunoassay technique. No clinically important differences were found between the half-life and plasma concentrations of gentamicin in the two groups. The plasma half-life of gentamicin in the eastern box turtle in this study was 41.89 hr (range = 31.50-72.19 hr).