Newborn duckling with a limp.

[Miss Lydia]

I briefly reintroduced the ducklings to the flock this morning. Their mother accepted them no problem, the drake pecked at them one time and I yelled at him & chased him away and he seemed to care less about them after. Their siblings pecked at them a little bit but both the ducklings from inside the house are now bigger than the outside ones so I wasn't concerned. Unfortunately at this point the injured duckling can't keep up with the flock so I brought them back in. I'm going to try running them a little more, maybe outside at night when the others are close in their house. It struggled getting out of the pond and isn't able to hid in their numbers which I'm not comfortable with.

@aychbe good for you bringing it back in. Did you say you are giving them Brewers yeast or niacin? this could be a niacin deficiency too. Some just seem prone to it and others don't. Won't hurt to give the little one some usually if it's a niacin def they bounce back pretty quick usually before the week is up. If it's a niacin def or injury probably running them isn't going to help and may hurt, especially if it's an injury. Why not just warm water therapy where it can swim and not put undue pressure on hurt areas.

 

[aychbe]

@aychbe
    good for you bringing it back in. Did you say you are giving them Brewers yeast or niacin? this could be a niacin deficiency too. Some just seem prone to it and others don't. Won't hurt to give the little one some usually if it's a niacin def they bounce back pretty quick usually before the week is up. If it's a niacin def or injury probably running them isn't going to help and may hurt, especially if it's an injury. Why not just warm water therapy where it can swim and not put undue pressure on hurt areas. 

I'm not sure what all is in the vitimin mix I give them, I'll check when I get home. If it doesn't have niacin, I'll either grab some supplements or chop up some peanuts & mix it in their food.

When I removed the dressing on its leg, I realized that it's twice the girth as the uninjured leg. I didn't want to poke at it too much but it may just be swollen. I'll look at it more when I get home.

I planned on epsom wrapping it for a bit and I think it's a great idea to warm water them, thanks for suggesting!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm not sure what all is in the vitimin mix I give them, I'll check when I get home. If it doesn't have niacin, I'll either grab some supplements or chop up some peanuts & mix it in their food.

When I removed the dressing on its leg, I realized that it's twice the girth as the uninjured leg. I didn't want to poke at it too much but it may just be swollen. I'll look at it more when I get home.

I planned on epsom wrapping it for a bit and I think it's a great idea to warm water them, thanks for suggesting!

I hope your giving them grit if not be sure to add some to a small bowl before giving them anything beside the chick feed. especially peanuts since they won't have a way to grind them up..with out grit. I believe I'd go for the plain niacin or brewers yeast since they are so young. Warm water for therapy and Epsom salt wrap for swelling both good. I wouldn't add the Epsom salt to their therapy water though because it is also a laxative and we know those lil one will be drinking the water.

 

[aychbe]

I hope your giving them grit if not be sure to add some to a small bowl before giving them anything beside the chick feed.  especially peanuts since they won't have a way to grind them up..with out grit. I believe I'd go for the plain niacin or brewers yeast since they are so young. Warm water for therapy and Epsom salt wrap for swelling both good. I wouldn't add the Epsom salt to their therapy water though because it is also a laxative and we know those lil one will be drinking the water.

I had some niacin caps so I mixed one in with their drinking water. I'm actually more worried now about the swelling as it's in its ankle and toes. When I put it in warm water, it kind of just extended that leg straight behind it. I wrapped it in an Epsom wrap for a bit and then redressed the leg w/ gauze and that wrap stuff. It's eating and drinking but I'm concerned about how swollen everything is. It looks like a club foot. I may try some antibiotics if the swelling doesn't go down by morning.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had some niacin caps so I mixed one in with their drinking water. I'm actually more worried now about the swelling as it's in its ankle and toes. When I put it in warm water, it kind of just extended that leg straight behind it. I wrapped it in an Epsom wrap for a bit and then redressed the leg w/ gauze and that wrap stuff. It's eating and drinking but I'm concerned about how swollen everything is. It looks like a club foot. I may try some antibiotics if the swelling doesn't go down by morning.

@aychbe your there and can see this of course but could the wrap be causing the swelling? can you leave the wrap off for a while and see how it is after 3-4 hrs. maybe it's circulation?

 

[aychbe]

@aychbe
   your there and can see this of course but could the wrap be causing the swelling? can you leave the wrap off for a while and see how it is after 3-4 hrs. maybe it's circulation?

It's not circulation because I left it unwrapped yesterday while at work.

Here's a few pics of it. Its innermost toe and ankle seem to be the most swollen. And there's a comparison pic as well.

I wrapped it over night and it didn't seem to help or hurt.

The foot & leg feel warmer than the other foot & leg.

 

[aychbe]

Also, the underside of the foot is uninjured, it just kept squirming when I tried to photograph it

 

[Miss Lydia]

Also, the underside of the foot is uninjured, it just kept squirming when I tried to photograph it

Keep the soaks up just use a small deep bowl and put the Epsom salt and warm water in and let the duckling stand in it or the ES wraps. Hopefully just a sprain. Poor thing I can see it's swollen.

 

[aychbe]

Keep the soaks up just use a small deep bowl and put the Epsom salt and warm water in and let the duckling stand in it or the ES wraps. Hopefully just a sprain.  Poor thing I can see it's swollen.

Yeah, I hope it's just a sprain also. I'll keep using compresses and soaking it. I read somewhere to use baby aspirin to reduce swelling but I don't have any of those on hand and I'm apprehensive about doing that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah, I hope it's just a sprain also. I'll keep using compresses and soaking it. I read somewhere to use baby aspirin to reduce swelling but I don't have any of those on hand and I'm apprehensive about doing that.

I am pretty sure aspirin is harmful to ducks kidneys you might try to research that though.

ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID - Aspirin (Bu
tler; Vedco)
Available as tablets (5 or 60 grain) for oral administration. Also
available as 1.25 grain orange-flavored chewable tablets. May be
effective as an analgesic,
antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent
in some avian species. May be indicated to prevent clot formation
and embolisms secondary to egg-related peritonitis, granuloma-
tous diseases and shock. Uricosuric at low doses and may be
effective in some ca
ses of acute and
chronic gout. A five grain tablet
can be mixed in 30 ml of diluent and administered at a dose of 0.5
ml/kg, TID (or 1 tablet per pint of drinking water

Just found this I'll look for more.