Advice for a disabled duck

[MolliMonster99]

Hi everyone!
A few years back I posted about a runner duck of mine called Frances. He was born with a limp, which after a vet appointment we discovered was caused by hip dysplasia. His vet said it was the first time she had seen it in a duck. If it was a cat or a dog they would perform a hip replacement surgery, but unfortunately they can't do that with him so he is on some anti-inflammatory pain relief medication that we administer daily.

So my current problem is that Frances struggles to bathe himself. The hip dysplasia causes one of his legs to dislocate occasionally and he has arthritis. He loves to be in the water, however he really really struggles to clean himself, which has led to wet feather on a few occasions. He often gets quite muddy as he can be a little wobbly on his feet.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to what I could do to help him with keeping clean? He isn't a fan of being towel dried after a bath but I am concerned he will catch a cold due to being wet.

I do also want to add that his vet said he is doing very well despite his disability. He has a great quality of life and is seen every 6 months.

 

[Rawnwyd]

You could try blow drying him on low setting. I used that once when some guinea chicks got caught in a rain shower and they were all unconscious on the floor of the cage. I had put them on the back porch to get some sun and didn't realize it was raining. The heat from the dryer brought 6 of the eight back to life.

 

[MolliMonster99]

You could try blow drying him on low setting. I used that once when some guinea chicks got caught in a rain shower and they were all unconscious on the floor of the cage. I had put them on the back porch to get some sun and didn't realize it was raining. The heat from the dryer brought 6 of the eight back to life.

I will definitely give this a go, thank you! I was worried about the noise and the heat but I will definitely try this during the next bath time!

 

[ruthhope]

My PingyWingy stopped walking and was in a wheelchair. He was unable to clean himself properly but loved hydrotherapy in a deep tote. I held him while he flapped his wings and threw off water when i got him out (his flying therapy!) then he sat on my lap or my husband's while he was blow dried. It became his morning ritual that the little fluffy enjoyed for 30 to 45 minutes every morning for 5 months until he passed away last October. He ate and drank with ghusto. He was happy and full of himself to the end. He summoned up the other ducks and held court through the screen of my rear porch convinced he was boss duck.

I am sure yours will learn to love the warm air on his under carriage.