Another fox attack, emergency!

[TehLizardKing]

Last night there was so much rain, the ducks' metal run slid slightly apart, so the door was no longer attached through the latch any more. Of course, Mr Fox made the most of it and managed to get in, made off with one of the Muscovy drakes, dragged him about an acre into the paddock before the guineas woke my dad up and he ran out to save the poor thing. I have some pictures. I'm in shock, it's horrible, especially after his mate has just recovered from being torn up by the same bl**dy fox. He's lying on his back, and he won't put weight on his left leg, but it isn't broken or dislocated, there's a wound which has a really small entry point but looks incredibly deep, I'm not sure on the anatomy of ducks so could it just be the skin and fat that is torn? He's pooped all over his tail, but it is normal Muscovy poop, no blood, and he's been in the coop all day (my parents didn't tell me this morning before school because they didn't want me to worry, they've been trying to get him to drink all day) so hopefully this means there are no internal injuries? There isn't even much blood to be honest. The problem seems to be his neck. It's at a funny angle... It isn't fully mobile, but he can hold his was up slightly and move it a bit... he seems to shake when he moves his head though, like he can physically do it, but it's painful. The skin on his neck looks abraised and discoloured, but not swollen, and there's no blood in his eyes, nose, or inside his beak/throat. He's obviously been dragged by the neck, so could it just be hurt but not broken? I'd appreciate any help, I really would. Thank you in advance guys.

 

[Amiga]

I would get him into the tub, rinse him with lukewarm water, let the tub fill and see if he can float.

Do not leave him alone. Check under his wings as well.

I would clip the feathers within half an inch to an inch of the injuries down to about half an inch long so you can treat and observe better.

Often, simply rinsing four times daily with saline solution really helps. Also he must be kept away from flies to avoid fly strike.

I would put vitamins with electrolytes in his drinking water twice a week.

The neck may be pulled, I suspect that since he is able to otherwise move, that it is not broken. I would not force it, just let it rest.

And the security system needs to be fixed a.s.a.p. The fox will continue to come back and try every angle to get through. So the shelter must be secured. There are countless ways to do that.

I would get ahold of some oral or injectable antibiotics and learn how to use them, just in case. Sometimes no infection sets in, sometimes it does.

A good quality feed, with just a little extra protein (like a couple of tablespoons of dry cat kibble daily) can help the body rebuild tissue. B vitamins would also help, I think.

 

[PeepersMama]

Besides what Amiga said, just keep him in a dark, quiet dog kennel so he can heal stress-free. Keep him away from the flock till his wounds have healed almost fully, so they don't get re-opened.

 

[TehLizardKing]

Thank you! He's quiet, dark and warm, I've covered the areas with natural citrus fly repellant (yes, it will remove the oils from his feathers but I've used much more of it on ducks before and the feathers recover fine). The way I described the break in wasn't very good, so I'd like to clarify that the security system is a huge metal dog run, which has high strength wire dug 4 feet under the ground, and two sheets of thick netting over the top. And inside the run, there's another, smaller, wooden run, with a wire door, and they sleep inside a coop inside that... I have no idea how it happened, but the metal frame somehow became insecure and the door literally fell out of its hinges. I really appreciate the concern and I apologise if that came over as sharp, I just don't want to give the impression that my birds aren't looked after properly. The metal has been fixed.

Thank you, my god I'm hoping his neck isn't broken. I rinsed the wound and applied some colloidal silver, I'll use more saline, bathe him, and clip the feathers around the wound tomorrow (it's dark now and I want him to rest). I have various oral antibiotics, and regularly use them for chooks, small birds and reptiles... How do you get oral meds into a duck? Does it require a tube into the crop? I'm assuming they can close their throats since they dive.

Thank you for all the help!

 

[chickens really]

Your biggest concern is a bacterial infection...Saliva and how ever deep the bite goes? Plus dirt...Antibiotics might help or the poor thing might succumb to shock.?

Best of luck...Poor thing..

Cheers!