- Feb 9, 2013
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I've been meaning to find a waterfowl forum for a few years to post this topic, and now I've found one. I've taken care of a lot of ducks over the years that have been dumped in a city park. One of the worst things to find is a duck with a maggot infested wound. It's never a few maggots, either; it's usually hundreds . . . or thousands. Neither I nor a vet could ever save one, until a few years ago. I found a pekin drake with wounds probably caused by a raccoon trying to get to his esophagus. The wound was deep and filled with maggots. I tried to wash the wound out with hydrogen peroxide, which never works, and I knew a vet would just euthanize him. He was an old drake, depressed and not eating, and had that dead animal smell. I had no hope for his survival.
While looking in the medicine cabinet, however, I noticed a jar of Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream that I had not used. It came in a "hand repair kit", and it was too thick and waxy for me. I thought of the maggots. Hey, why not? Maybe they'd try to eat it and choke to death! Thus, I just put a big glob of the banana hand cream in the wound. Later, when I went to check on the drake, who was inside in a cage, I immediately noticed he no longer smelled dead, but instead smelled like bananas, as did the entire room! So I though at least he wouldn't smell bad when he died. I also noticed he was perking up a bit. The cream was still in the wound, but I saw no maggots. I just assumed they went deeper into the wound. Checking him closely, I noticed a smaller wound that I had not noticed, and there were maggots in that wound. I thought maybe the maggots had moved there. So, I put the banana hand cream in that wound. I put more in the first wound, too.
And I never saw another maggot on the drake after that! I don't know what happened to them. He started acting perfectly normal, eating his food, and preening himself with the water in his bucket. I put a bit more cream into the wounds, and they started rapidly healing. The skin turned a nice pink color, his feathers grew back, and he lived for another two years. Hence, if anyone wants to try something different on a maggot infested wound, try Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream. The only thing is, though, that cream was made before Burt's Bees was sold to a major company. (I can't remember which one.) Thus, I do not know if the current banana hand cream is exactly the same as the original. I haven't had a maggot case since that pekin drake, so it was only once that I used the cream.
While looking in the medicine cabinet, however, I noticed a jar of Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream that I had not used. It came in a "hand repair kit", and it was too thick and waxy for me. I thought of the maggots. Hey, why not? Maybe they'd try to eat it and choke to death! Thus, I just put a big glob of the banana hand cream in the wound. Later, when I went to check on the drake, who was inside in a cage, I immediately noticed he no longer smelled dead, but instead smelled like bananas, as did the entire room! So I though at least he wouldn't smell bad when he died. I also noticed he was perking up a bit. The cream was still in the wound, but I saw no maggots. I just assumed they went deeper into the wound. Checking him closely, I noticed a smaller wound that I had not noticed, and there were maggots in that wound. I thought maybe the maggots had moved there. So, I put the banana hand cream in that wound. I put more in the first wound, too.
And I never saw another maggot on the drake after that! I don't know what happened to them. He started acting perfectly normal, eating his food, and preening himself with the water in his bucket. I put a bit more cream into the wounds, and they started rapidly healing. The skin turned a nice pink color, his feathers grew back, and he lived for another two years. Hence, if anyone wants to try something different on a maggot infested wound, try Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream. The only thing is, though, that cream was made before Burt's Bees was sold to a major company. (I can't remember which one.) Thus, I do not know if the current banana hand cream is exactly the same as the original. I haven't had a maggot case since that pekin drake, so it was only once that I used the cream.
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