Advice for an injured duck, please

[trailhound]

A bobcat (we think based on tracks found, other recent attacks in the area, and my fencing situation) attacked my ducks Wednesday night (or Thursday morning). It ate one, left 3 others scattered dead and dear Miss Daisy (a 2 year old pekin) maimed. We took her right to the vet - a friend, and my husband manages the clinic. The vet stitched her up, has been cleaning the wounds and put her on antibiotics (trimethoprim sulfa). I have been visiting her at the hospital and she came home today. She is drinking a lot, but not eating much, though she will eat some peas and we have been mixing her pelleted food into her water so she is getting a bit that way. She goes through ups and downs. Mostly, she lays with her head tucked in front of her- neck arched and resting on the tip of her beak, or sometimes just flopped to the side. When she stands it is often like she can't pick her head up- it just hangs. But other times she will pick it up and walk around a bit, and even stand up and flap her wings. The worst wound starts under a wing and crosses her chest. The vet didn't feel like there was an internal damage. I feel like she is probably very sore and hurting which causes the weird head carriage? She also seems to have labored breathinig and sometimes pants as though she were hot. I am wondering if it is stress and pain, or she really is hot. Right now we have her in the house at about 65 degrees.

My main question is is there anything we can give her for pain? I feel like if she has made it this far and is drinking well she has a good chance of making it- but she just seems so utterly miserable, I would like to make her as comfortable as possible. I am going to try giving her a bit of yogurt to see if that helps with her appetite. We have also given some other vitamins and Nutri-Drench.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for your help! She is our favorite duck and one of the few of my farm menagerie that my husband has a soft spot for.

Andrea
P.S. The survivors have been moved into a higher security area in the meantime. They are unhappy, but too bad!

 

[trailhound]

Also, I am sorry if is in the wrong place- I wasn't sure if the emergency, injury and disease section was just for chickens or not. I will be happy to move it if needed.

 

[xke4]

We safely give our ducks Metacam (meloxicam) for pain relief. Not sure if it is available in the U.S.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

So sorry to hear about your ducks. Go ahead and cross post this under em/injury/disease also. Many on BYC have both ducks and chooks so may be able to help you in this situation. Hope your duck gets to feeling better soon.

 

[trailhound]

thanks! I will look into the Metacam, and have cross posted in the injury forum. She is hanging in there- tough duck!

 

[trailhound]

Got Metacam, and also some more of what they were giving her at the clinic. Hopefully that will help!