foaming at the eyes? - drake

my scovy drake Diesel has just reached that age where he's 'found' the ladies.....but ive noticed a weird occurence...

every time he gets it on with the ladies, he foams from his eye ducts...in both eyes?? just in the corner of his eyes a bit of foamy froth appears...he does his buisness....then within 10 minutes or so the foam is gone.

ive never seen this with my other drakes. im pretty positive he's not sick as this only happenes when he ....ahem...is getting it on.





i'm guessing this is not normal??

Per Holderread (Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks)

Foamy Eye:

Eye problems can be the result of either injuries or disease processes. Injuries often cause a bubbly foam to cover part or all of the eye. They most often occur during fighting and mating, but can also occur routinely. The incidence of foamy eye increases during times of stress and sudden weather changes. Unfortunately, foamy eyes can also be a symptom of infectious diseases such as Chronic Respiratory Disease. However if foamy eye appears overnight and is not accompanied by unusual nasal discharge and/or other respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, then it probably is the result on an injury or irritant.

Treatment

Usually, time and protection from further injury are all that is required. Twice-daily application of an antibiotic ophthalmic ointment to an injured eye sometimes speeds healing.

Prevention

Especially during the mating season, some drakes persistently fight with each other, and should be separated to prevent serious injury. An excessive number of drakes can greatly increase the risk of eye injuries to ducks, so the correct ratio of males to females is important. Sharp protrusions, such as projecting fencing wire and brambles, should be eliminated.

so he could have injured his eyes somehow? think im gonna have to catch him for a closer look!

Could be dust/sand in the eyes, and it foams up when he gets excited. Make sure they have deep water available for sticking their head in. I would also cook up some chamomile tea, let it cool down, and rinse his eyes 3 times per day for a few days in a row and see if that takes care of it.