Female Peking having trouble getting around

I have a couple of Peking ducks - one male and one female. They are two years old.
We tried to release them into the brook on our property, but there were other Peking males living there that really beat up on the female. We made a nice home for her in our yard, and then the male we released with her came back (like 2 weeks later). They have been living together fine and most definitely have a relationship...until recently - we notice that he was jumping on her and really chewing up the back of her head to the point where it was bloody. She has been having trouble walking too it seems. She will go 15ft and just plop down on the grass. We separated them with chicken coop and also put a screen between them at night. Does anyone know what her problem could be? Is it possible that he hurt her while jumping on top of her? They have been separated for one full week and her head looks much better, but she's still very weak and not walking around like she used to! If anyone has experienced this, please let me know what else to do to help her. She has been to the vet, but the vet just gave her antibiotics because her feet were hot. Not sure the vets around here know that much about Pekings.
THANKS!

Do you have a small pool for her to swim in? I think swimming might help her. I would keep the male seperated from her until she heals. You might also try warm compresses soaked in epson salts. Don't let her drink any of the epson salts because it is a laxative too. Just put the compresses on her legs and hip joint. I hope she gets better soon and I hope someone else can give you advice too.

Patty

Thank you. Yes she has a nice pond to swim in, and I have been supervising them closely as he likes to jump on her in the water especially. She is fenced in her own little area now with food and water. Only time I let her out is when someone can sit and watch them.
I will try the epson salts to see if that works!
PS She looks perfectly healthy while in the water! It's just when she tries walking around that you can notice something is wrong.

Your very welcome. I don't know if she is injured her back or her hips. My pekin duck has problems walking too. You might try the arthropower for pets from Vitacost.com. I am not advertising for this company I just wanted to let you know it has helped my pekin duck a friend of mine on byc reccommended it after she gave it to her duck and it has helped him also. It's around 15.00 for a bottle of 120 vitamins and I break the pill in half and wrap it in a piece of bread and he eats it every morning. It's got glucosamine , chondrodroitin, msm. It has helped his mobility a lot.


Patty

THANKS SO MUCH! I just ordered it! I will try it....at this point I don't think it could hurt!
I noticed today her leg looked swollen - the top of her leg where it meets her body. Almost like a little ball. The males legs don't look like that. I think this may be the source of the problem.

Ever see that before?

For now I am still keeping them separate, but they are always able to see each other. Her head looks so much better - just hoping her leg or legs heal.

SueD19 said:

THANKS SO MUCH! I just ordered it! I will try it....at this point I don't think it could hurt!
I noticed today her leg looked swollen - the top of her leg where it meets her body. Almost like a little ball. The males legs don't look like that. I think this may be the source of the problem.

Ever see that before?

For now I am still keeping them separate, but they are always able to see each other. Her head looks so much better - just hoping her leg or legs heal.

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@SueD19 I have been using this product on my drake who is 11 for a few months now he is much more mobile. I hope it helps your Pekin too. I'd continue to keep them separate till she is fully recovered . Have you tried soaking her in some warm Epsom salt water? It's very important they don't drink this though because not only does ES help with swelling and inflammation but it is also a laxative. I use a plastic dish pan and have also used a short bucket put half to 1 cup ES into 1 gal of warm water mix well then put both legs into the bucket or dish pan when I use a dish pan my duck usually lays down and being Muscovy takes up the whole pan so I don't have to worry about him getting to the water in a bucket I hold onto him so he can't get to the water or try to get out. If you can let her soak at least 5 mins longer if she is willing. This may help with swelling. Can you show us a pic of the area? and is the area hot to the touch it maybe an infection and she might need antibiotics but give details first. You can soak her a couple times a day which will help speed healing. Hopefully it's just inflamed tissue and treatments will help.

I am going to take a pic of her feet/legs tomorrow and post it. (She's in bed now LOL)
We did give her antibiotics, but at that time he was still jumping on her and we didn't realize it.
And yes, her legs are warm and even hot - not as hot as they were before the antibiotics. I don't know what's normal because the male won't let us touch him.
I am going to try the Epsom Salt. Not sure if she will let us do that, but willing to try anything to help her.
When we first took her from the brook, her leg was beat up badly. She limped for a long time and maybe never fully healed. I really feel like the male jumping on her outside of the pond re-injured her leg. I will not leave them alone until she is completely better. For now, chicken coop between them during the day and a screen in their house at night.

SueD19 said:

I am going to take a pic of her feet/legs tomorrow and post it. (She's in bed now LOL)
We did give her antibiotics, but at that time he was still jumping on her and we didn't realize it.
And yes, her legs are warm and even hot - not as hot as they were before the antibiotics. I don't know what's normal because the male won't let us touch him.
I am going to try the Epsom Salt. Not sure if she will let us do that, but willing to try anything to help her.
When we first took her from the brook, her leg was beat up badly. She limped for a long time and maybe never fully healed. I really feel like the male jumping on her outside of the pond re-injured her leg. I will not leave them alone until she is completely better. For now, chicken coop between them during the day and a screen in their house at night.

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Let us know how she is doing.. Hopefully the soaks will help get this healed up.

And just to say it's always best to see a vet if at all possible. We understand if it's not though.

yes of course....we had her there twice. That's who gave us antibiotics.

SueD19 said:

yes of course....we had her there twice. That's who gave us antibiotics.

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Oh okay so nothing said about what might be going on with the leg just antibiotics ? is she Jumbo Pekin? Have you been giving her any vitamins poultry vits in her water can be helpful make sure they have the B's in them. What do you feed them? good quality feed is important for strong legs too. Pekins seems to have more legs problems than other ducks because they get heavy. And they weren't made to stay around long hatch to slaughter was about 12 weeks. But you know we fell in love with that sweet face that always looks like it's smiling and sweet temperment and they became a popular pet. So we need to give them plenty of support with good nutrition and vitamins to keep those legs healthy.

Hopefully all your doing will help her to get back on her feet.