Anesthesia in ducklings?

[Kimmyh51]

Hi guys

Just wondering if anyone has had a young duckling undergo surgery (and therefore) anesthesia?

I have a little one just over a week old with a broken leg (femur) going in for surgery tomorrow. I am lucky to have a great vet who has her own poultry (chickens) and she has repaired a very similar fracture to the one my duckling has on one of her own roosters as a chick (who is apparently now grown up and running about with complete use of both legs doing what roosters do!
So I’m not needing advice on finding a good avian vet, just because it’s my first duckling going under the knife..and it’s imprinted on me so I am mum... like any mum whose baby is having an operation in the morning, I’m a little nervous. As in OMG my tiny little baby is having an operation!
If you have a story can you please include the following details:

1. Age of the duckling when it had surgery
2. General health of the duckling ‘in itself’ at the time of the surgery (ie was it already very ill or suffering from life threatening injuries, or was it in good health (aside from whatever necessitated the surgery)
3. If you know them, the medications used, how long it was under etc - in my experience this is often itemised on the bill (ie isoflurane, surgical time x4 @15 mins (ie 1 hr of the vets time in surgery) or if you have it and are happy to share, upload a copy of the bill
4. Any of your own observations about the duckling before surgery and whatever happened to it
5. And obviously did your duckling survive the surgery (if not did the vet explain why and was the cause of death due to Anesthesia, or the trauma/illness that had happened, or a bit of both? Or something else (and I am sorry for your loss if anyone reading this has been through that)
6. If your duckling survived, any other comments or info that might help others specifically about the Anesthesia, pain relief, and any other options you had
7. Would you do it the same again?

Anyone who has had a very young chick or other bird (esp waterfowl) undergo surgery, would love to hear about as well.

My duckling is doing well apart from the obvious fracture, is on pain relief and in good spirits

 

[casportpony]

Never had surgery on any of mine, just want to wish you good luck.

 

[Isaac 0]

@KaleIAm has had surgery done on a few of her ducks, hopefully, she can answer some of your questions. Best of luck.

 

[Mimi13]

I pray for total success for the duckling and Mum!

 

[Henrietta 65]

I haven’t experinced that but praying for the best outcome for your duckling

 

[Trisseh]

I haven’t experienced any of my own birds undergoing anesthesia. But I do work at a clinic that used to handle exotics (including birds) and the biggest thing to remember is that there is always a higher risk to anesthesia in birds and other exotics. Some handle the anesthesia process well but don’t recover well, some experience sudden death, while others do completely fine. If the duckling is otherwise stable, which it sounds like it is, and since you have yourself a good avian vet, the chances of successful surgery and recovery is higher.

we always used isoflurane with no additional drugs unless they were needed, but we did not have any more extensive procedures to do other than egg binding, so the time spent under anesthesia is much less, although the risk is always there. Over the years we lost one bird to anesthetic death, otherwise any others that didn’t make it were already in bad shape or died from unrelated causes later.

I would speak with your vet on the procedure they will be following. Are they going to do an external fixation? ask them to walk you through it, and make sure you get a detailed estimate and ask any questions you have about it. Don’t be afraid to ask, they won’t judge you if you have questions. If you’re concerned about specific risk factors for your duckling, ask! You’ll get a better idea of what sort of risk percentages you will have. It’s always good to be prepared, but you and your duckling sound like you’re in good hands.

Costs will vary widely depending on your geographical location, the clinic itself, and how many hands are on deck, and this is why a detailed estimate is important. Ask for it before the day of surgery so you can go over it and have any of your questions answered to your satisfaction before they are admitting the little.

Good luck!

 

[KaleIAm]

@KaleIAm has had surgery done on a few of her ducks, hopefully, she can answer some of your questions. Best of luck.

Thanks, Isaac.

@Kimmyh51 I'm sorry to hear about your duckling.

I am familiar with avian surgery, and I used to operate the anesthesia machine in a veterinary clinic. This was about 15 years ago. In the 3 years I worked for an avian vet we never lost an avian patient because of anesthesia, or even during surgery.

We used sevoflurane, instead of isoflurane, and I strongly prefered it. The response time in the patient was almost instant with sevo, which I enjoyed. However my own ducks have had successful surgeries multiple times under isoflurane. I would pay more for sevoflurane if they offered it, but they don't and it is more important that they get the life saving procedures they need.

A lot of people fear anesthesia in birds, and that may be because of injectable anesthesia. I did have one scary experience with injectable anesthesia in a bird. I would avoid injectable anesthesia, and seek out gas options like isoflurane or sevoflurane if possible. There is always a risk when going under anesthesia. But having a skilled medical team who can respond to emergencies will give your duckling the best chance.

When I was assisting we volunteered at a wildlife rescue and helped many owls, eagles, and hawks. They often had broken wings or legs and after surgery and recovery they could be released and live a normal life in the wild.

I should note that we never operated on a bird so young, so I never had the opportunity to ask about the increased risk with age.

My own duck broke her leg as an adult and our avian vet offered me surgery. She also explained that she wasn't sure it was the best option. My duck would have needed external fixatures and my vet felt that the increased risk of infection with ducks pooping all over made it not a clear choice. We decided on strict crate rest, and she healed up well. Your duckling's fracture may be completely different.

As for costs, I've spent $700 for simpler feather follicle surgeries - $3000 for more major surgeries on my ducks. My vets always include antibiotics and pain meds in the quotes. For pain meds they usually use Metacam - basically animal ibuprofen. At least with a tiny duck you'll need less medicine!

I feel like I've made good choices for my ducks, including getting them surgery if they need it. I usually take my vets advice on what I should do. It takes a lot of pressure and guilt of me.

Good luck with your duckling. If you have any more questions please ask them.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

How is your duckling?