2 ducklings aggressively ganging up on my adult duck

[Quatie]

We used a towel, and it definitely seemed to help.
An update on her biopsy toe: I noticed a black circle scab on the side of her toe. When I pulled it off with tweezers a bunch of yellow sticky discharge came out. I've emailed her vet, and hope I hear back tomorrow. Maybe we can culture the discharge and get an answer. It worries me though, that there's infection going on even since her biopsy came back as only infection.
It is her 1 year birthday today! We celebrated with minnows and mealworms

Hopefully they can culture it, but it may not last very long enough to make it the vet. Often they want fresh samples.

Happy birthday to Frankie! They all look so happy!

 

[Quatie]

@CayugaDuckMomOfTwo how is everyone doing?

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

I was just logging on to let you ladies know what happened, when I saw your message.
I had to put Frankie down last night. I am devastated and can't believe I lost both my Grace and Frankie. We just celebrated her birthday on the 16th with minnows and mealworms. She was so brave and fought with everything she had. I really thought she'd pull through.
She ended up getting bumblefoot on top of the inflammation. I took her into the vet last night hoping to just remove the infection that went rampant. Turns out the yellow sticky discharge that I was flushing out of it after soaking her toe every night was joint fluid also. He said she was losing a lot of joint fluid most likely from an autoimmune disease that he was thinking it was to begin with. For some reason the joint fluid leaked out of the joint, which was a sign something was going on with her joints and bones. The last couple of days she slowed down, and wasn't eating as much as usual. It was hard to tell she lost weight since she just molted. The vet said she was down 15% of her body weight.
He said we could try amputating that toe, but he said it was a poor prognosis since her body was so weak and she was in pain. It's the main toe in each foot (the inner toe) they put a lot of weight on, and it would've flared her other toes again to compensate most likely. He also thinks the autoimmune disease would only escalated as well like a roller-coaster even if she pulled through the amputation. He told me euthanasia was the most humane thing to do at this point. After he euthanized her, he said he had never seen a duck's blood clot so fast, so there was another mystery going on like a bleeding disorder possibly linked to her autoimmune disease.
I put Frankie in the bathtub the night before and when I was dying her off she stood there receiving love, snuggles, and kisses. I think she was trying to tell me she was in pain and tired. I even told her while we were waiting for the vet that I wish she could tell me if she was done fighting and if she wanted to let go. She then laid her head on my hand and closed her eyes while we waited.
That was the hardest decision to make, especially since I thought I was just bringing her in for another round of antibiotics and have him cut the kernel out of it. There was still so much inflammation under the bumblefoot, but her other toes were almost normal again, so I thought eventually this one would heal too. I held her while he sedated her, and she laid on chest.
The vet said he's been researching her case like crazy since the beginning, and he wished he had an answer or that there was test to definitively say it's an autoimmune disease. He assured me there was nothing that I could of done to cause or prevent this, and that I was the most dedicated person he's every seen to try and heal her. It makes me mad on top of sad that it still ended this way. My only peace of mind is that she's no longer in pain and that she's reunited with her sister Grace.
They were yelling at me last night when I was taking her out of the yard in a kennel, and I told them don't worry I'm bringing Franker Beans back. I sat in the run last night with Demeter and Kijora to explain why Frankie didn't come home. My heart is shattered all over again. I went back to work this last week, and have the next 2 weeks off before I start my new job. I told Frankie in the bathtub yesterday morning that I only had one more day of work, and then we'll be home together for the next two weeks. I wish more than ever that was true still.
Sorry for the novel. I just can't believe this happened. I just hope I gave these two girls the best life, even though it was way too short. How does a mom cope with losing two kids 3 months apart, and the bad luck they both had autoimmune diseases that would take them away. I'm so thankful for time I had with them, and that they lived up life in the time they were here. The other two babies are going to be lost for a while too, especially Demeter. Frankie was their leader in a way. Thank you for checking up on us, and I wish I had better news. I know I'll see them both again one day, and will miss them terribly until I do. I love my Grace and Frankie so much.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

We used a towel, and it definitely seemed to help.
An update on her biopsy toe: I noticed a black circle scab on the side of her toe. When I pulled it off with tweezers a bunch of yellow sticky discharge came out. I've emailed her vet, and hope I hear back tomorrow. Maybe we can culture the discharge and get an answer. It worries me though, that there's infection going on even since her biopsy came back as only infection.
It is her 1 year birthday today! We celebrated with minnows and mealworms

Biopsy came back as only inflammation. Not infection* I don't know why I feel the need to fix this post

 

[Unwittingchickenlady]

I was just logging on to let you ladies know what happened, when I saw your message.
I had to put Frankie down last night. I am devastated and can't believe I lost both my Grace and Frankie. We just celebrated her birthday on the 16th with minnows and mealworms. She was so brave and fought with everything she had. I really thought she'd pull through.
She ended up getting bumblefoot on top of the inflammation. I took her into the vet last night hoping to just remove the infection that went rampant. Turns out the yellow sticky discharge that I was flushing out of it after soaking her toe every night was joint fluid also. He said she was losing a lot of joint fluid most likely from an autoimmune disease that he was thinking it was to begin with. For some reason the joint fluid leaked out of the joint, which was a sign something was going on with her joints and bones. The last couple of days she slowed down, and wasn't eating as much as usual. It was hard to tell she lost weight since she just molted. The vet said she was down 15% of her body weight.
He said we could try amputating that toe, but he said it was a poor prognosis since her body was so weak and she was in pain. It's the main toe in each foot (the inner toe) they put a lot of weight on, and it would've flared her other toes again to compensate most likely. He also thinks the autoimmune disease would only escalated as well like a roller-coaster even if she pulled through the amputation. He told me euthanasia was the most humane thing to do at this point. After he euthanized her, he said he had never seen a duck's blood clot so fast, so there was another mystery going on like a bleeding disorder possibly linked to her autoimmune disease.
I put Frankie in the bathtub the night before and when I was dying her off she stood there receiving love, snuggles, and kisses. I think she was trying to tell me she was in pain and tired. I even told her while we were waiting for the vet that I wish she could tell me if she was done fighting and if she wanted to let go. She then laid her head on my hand and closed her eyes while we waited.
That was the hardest decision to make, especially since I thought I was just bringing her in for another round of antibiotics and have him cut the kernel out of it. There was still so much inflammation under the bumblefoot, but her other toes were almost normal again, so I thought eventually this one would heal too. I held her while he sedated her, and she laid on chest.
The vet said he's been researching her case like crazy since the beginning, and he wished he had an answer or that there was test to definitively say it's an autoimmune disease. He assured me there was nothing that I could of done to cause or prevent this, and that I was the most dedicated person he's every seen to try and heal her. It makes me mad on top of sad that it still ended this way. My only peace of mind is that she's no longer in pain and that she's reunited with her sister Grace.
They were yelling at me last night when I was taking her out of the yard in a kennel, and I told them don't worry I'm bringing Franker Beans back. I sat in the run last night with Demeter and Kijora to explain why Frankie didn't come home. My heart is shattered all over again. I went back to work this last week, and have the next 2 weeks off before I start my new job. I told Frankie in the bathtub yesterday morning that I only had one more day of work, and then we'll be home together for the next two weeks. I wish more than ever that was true still.
Sorry for the novel. I just can't believe this happened. I just hope I gave these two girls the best life, even though it was way too short. How does a mom cope with losing two kids 3 months apart, and the bad luck they both had autoimmune diseases that would take them away. I'm so thankful for time I had with them, and that they lived up life in the time they were here. The other two babies are going to be lost for a while too, especially Demeter. Frankie was their leader in a way. Thank you for checking up on us, and I wish I had better news. I know I'll see them both again one day, and will miss them terribly until I do. I love my Grace and Frankie so much.

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Quatie]

I am so sorry to hear you had to put Frankie down. It could not have been an easy decision to make. It does sound like she was ready to go. She lived a short but well loved and wonderful life with you. You did all you could.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

I am so sorry for your loss.

Thank you I'm glad she's not in pain anymore and reunited with her sister. There will always be huge holes in my heart for them. Grace and Frankie are such special souls

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

I am so sorry to hear you had to put Frankie down. It could not have been an easy decision to make. It does sound like she was ready to go. She lived a short but well loved and wonderful life with you. You did all you could.

Thank you Quatie I was hopeful, but she told me she was tired and wanted to be with Grace. I had to choose not to be selfish to keep her around for however much longer. That was a decision that ripped me apart. She and Grace will always be loved and missed like crazy. I'm going to snuggle my other little ones to comfort my heart and soul. They don't like snuggles like my other two, but hopefully they come around to it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry to hear about Frankie.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

I am so sorry to hear about Frankie.

Thank you Lydia I'm struggling, and wish my girls were still here.