7 month old duck: not walking, not eating, sounds congested with breathing.

[allyi21395]

I have a 7 month old female duck that we noticed was not walking 2 days ago but dragging herself with her wings and pushing with her feet across the ground. She was still social when we caught her and would follow the other ducks out to the pond. We have since isolated her inside the house with food, water, and electrolytes. She will eat some meal worms when offered but no other food, and is drinking a little less than normal. We've had her in the bath and her legs work, as we were worried about a pinched nerve. I have also noticed that she sounds congested when she breathes. I need help to know what to do next! I will work on finding a picture of her poop.

 

[allyi21395]

Here is a picture of her poop.

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear your duck is feeling ill. Could you post a video of the duck? To post a video, upload it to a video platform such as youtube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here.

Is this duck a layer? Is a vet an option? In the picture, her feces is green, have you fed her any greens - does she have access to any greens?

 

[allyi21395]

Sorry to hear your duck is feeling ill. Could you post a video of the duck? To post a video, upload it to a video platform such as youtube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here.

Is this duck a layer? Is a vet an option? In the picture, her feces is green, have you fed her any greens - does she have access to any greens?

She does not currently have access to greens, as I live in Wisconsin. This duck is an Indian Runner - we have not seen any eggs yet but we weren't expecting to until it warms up. I can get a video of her, but right now she just sits in one spot next to her food and water and doesn't move much.

 

[Isaac 0]

She does not currently have access to greens, as I live in Wisconsin. This duck is an Indian Runner - we have not seen any eggs yet but we weren't expecting to until it warms up. I can get a video of her, but right now she just sits in one spot next to her food and water and doesn't move much.

Is a vet an option?

How often is she producing stools, could you post a picture the next time she takes one, and this time"dissect" it out? The green color you're seeing is likely bile (an indicator of an anorexic/malnourished state).

The immediate focus as of now should be maintaining her hydration/nutritional levels. Whatever the problem may be, being dehydrated will severely worsen the problem. A vet would be the preferable route, but if that is not an option, supplies for tube feeding will need to be acquired or the condition is going to continue on worsening. If you have the money, and will I would suggest you contact this place, and ask if they can see your bird. If not, we can attempt to help.

https://vcahospitals.com/veterinary...rgency_Services_&_Veterinary_Specialty_Center

 

[allyi21395]

We are going to talk to a vet on Monday if she is still alive. Right now, she is eating duck pellets out of water and drinking water. Here is a better picture.

I also had her in the bathtub this morning and she did some "diving" for cleaning, which she wasn't doing before, so I hope that's a good sign. She just seems to not want/be able to stand, but will use her legs to swim.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hopefully, your vet can get things solved out. Lameness in ducks can indicate a wide variety of problems, ranging from nutritional, to toxicosis, infection, leg, or spinal trauma, Obturator paralysis, hepatic lipidosis, etc. Determining what exactly might be the problem over the internet, is often tricky and hard, and mostly consists of blatantly treating for some of the possible causes.

In the meantime, keep her in a warm, humidified, stress-free area with plenty of feed and water. Pediatyle or Gatorade can be dripped along her bill every few hours to help promote hydration. If she is not eating much, you may try offering mashed scrambled eggs, tuna, or warm soupy feed.

 

[Michelin]

Did your duck pull through? I’m scouring byc and the Internet to try to figure out how to help my 8 month old Cayuga hen. Yesterday she was fine and today she collapses when she tries to walk, and her poop is green like that too. She’s still drinking but hardly eating, and a little wheezing when she breathes.