Thank you for caring about this wild reptile! People like you are refreshing.
I would get the turtle to an exotics vet. There are a number of things you can use but if applied improperly they can be seriously harmful. It’s better to get the vet involved to ensure you’re using the right stuff in the right way. If you don’t want to go this route, please contact a wildlife rehabber (your local SPCA should have phone numbers for you).
I’d be getting him to the vet. Sounds like he needs it.
Thanks I spent $5,000 on him at the vet since January I was trying to get input from other sources
Because this is a recent change, it’s warranted.
It sounds to me that he is in pain – the avoiding physical contact. Have you found a Great Dane group? Often things like this are specific to a breed and other Dane owners will point you in the right direction quicker than folks not as familiar with that particular breed. I found a Scottie group on Facebook that has given me tons of help with my new Scottie mix puppy since my first Scot was older when I adopted him.
When I hear about thin dogs that won’t gain weight I immediately think about Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI). This is a condition where the dog’s pancreas does not produce sufficient enzymes for the dog to properly digest their food and they can not gain weight no matter how much they eat. The undigested food in their gut leads to pain and and produces very large stool.
Enzyme supplements or feeding raw pancreas (you need to get the whole pancreas and feed it fresh, I believe) is the solution. Here is a link to a Whole Dog Journal article about this: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_3/features/Exocrine-Pancreatic-Insuffinciency-in-Dogs_16109-1.html
Ask on the Facebook page “Great Dane Rescue, Inc” there are a lot of Great Dane owners there with a lot of great knowledge of the breed