5 week old duckling cannot walk for 3+ weeks, no improvement with niacin

[Ephyra]

Hi, this isn't my duckling, just trying to help someone and they don't have a BYC account

They have a 5 week old Pekin duckling who has been unable to walk for at least 3 weeks. They can scoot along the floor but not stand. It looks like a niacin deficiency to me, but it has been 3 weeks of administering niacin with no change. They have tried niacin (not the flush free stuff) in their water, brewer's yeast, and starting one week ago, Durvet High Level Vitamin B Complex on their feed. They are on duck specific feed. They do daily swim time. No improvement at all.

In my experience, niacin helps very rapidly. Could this still be a niacin deficiency? Definitely needs to see a vet but I believe going to the vet is out of the question...

Any ideas what could be causing this? What else could be done for the duckling?

Thanks so much!

 

[Quatie]

For the niacin deficiency at this point it needs 1ml of the high level vitamin b complex. You can put it on a small amount of food, but you want to make sure the ducks eats all of it. I personally prefer to use a syringe and give it orally so I know they get the full dosage. If you are making sure it is getting the full dosage, than apologies. It just sounds like it may not be. Also, the niacin can sometimes take a bit of time to show improvement.

The other thought would be a slipped tendon, but niacin deficiency is far more common in Pekins. I would still look just incase. They will have limited movement of their leg and won't be able to stretch out straight. The hock joint, which is usually confused for the knee, will have a tendon to one side or another. It feel a bit like a string under the skin. Unfortunately, if this is the case, a vet would be the only option at this point. So I am hoping it just needs more niacin.

 

[ruthhope]

Yes, As Quatie wrote!

Continue Durvet High Level Vitamin B Complex, 1ml on a small treat daily -- watch the duck eat the dose to be sure it gets it. Continue duck specific feed but add nutritional yeast 1 tablespoon per cup of food. All the ducklings will bvenefit and will not "get too much". Continue daily swim time. It may take a couple of weeks now to resolve the niacin deficiency symptoms as they have been present for several weeks. Don't give up! Don't lose heart! The duckling probably wasn;t getting much additional niacin before