Age related wet feather - how do I fix this?

[Amykins]

Hey y'all, I'm worried about my houseduck Wobbles. He turned 11 this year and he's got some issues going on, he's developed cataracts in both eyes and he's generally slowed down a bit.

But for the last couple weeks or so, he's been suffering from pretty severe wet feather. His oil gland is just fine, he's an indoor duck and gets good food, daily baths, and no exposure to exoparasites, so I assume it's age-related. He's just never been all that great at preening himself, either. He doesn't spend nearly as much time preening as my other houseduck Bean does, and when he does he'll nibble at the oil gland but doesn't rub his head on it afterward.

I've been blow drying him every night, but it takes a long time to dry him and I don't want this to be a permanent problem. I've seen call ducks live to be 25, I don't think I can do this for the next 14 years! Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't think I can oil his feathers manually, and I don't know how to teach him how to be a proper duck. If it is just his age, is there anything I can do?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm not sure what you can do. He may have some arthritis at his age that makes him not preen as much. I might find a vet to see about trying some pain relief to see if it helps.

 

[Amykins]

I'm not sure what you can do. He may have some arthritis at his age that makes him not preen as much. I might find a vet to see about trying some pain relief to see if it helps.

Yeah, he's definitely going to the vet more often now that he's older. He can reach his preen gland just fine, he just never actually does the head rub thing as much as he should. He's always been a very "special" duck

Thanks for replying, I'll see what the vet says. I'm going to ask to do blood work and potentially X-ray to see if he's got arthritis or any sort of infection going on. Until then I started doing the cotton ball thing, I'll never be as good as a duck but I can update in a few days and say if it's making any difference.