Bad luck duck

[DuckMom2017]

Friday at work one of my bosses came in and said that there were 3 kittens under a storage shed. We are a construction company and our yard has a good amount of machinery so I snagged the kittens and brought them home. They are super underweight and frail and they had a hefty priced vet appointment. They are only 3-4 weeks old, tops, and had been chewing on a dead squirrel for what looked like a week.

Yesterday I woke up from a nice Sunday afternoon nap and in my post-nap fog I let my ducks out to roam the yard. I heard a weird chewing noise and turned around and one of them had found about an inch long piece of metal to chew on. I went to take it from her and GULP...she swallowed it.

I hoped she maybe had walked off to spit it out but this morning her crop area was swollen and I could feel it in there. After a few phone calls to some local vets, it would be astronomical to have it removed, and after the kitten fees there's no way. So we're going to wait and see, but there's no way she can pass it unless a miracle happens.

The vets did say we could peacefully put her down, so if things go south, that's what we'll do.

Friends- make sure you get a magnet and walk your yard. I'm going to buy one today after work just to make sure this never happens again. My heart is broken.

And in the meantime, we'll wait and see what happens to our babygirl.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

From the funny tag line, to the heartwarming story of the kittens, to the heartbreak of the duck... my emotions are all over the place!

Definitely going to walk the yard with a magnet ASAP, as we have only been on this property for a year or so and KNOW the previous owners used it as a *Lodge* of sorts, for hunting and fishing. I'd hate to see any of our animals swallow a bullet or fish hook.

Crossing fingers for your duck.

 

[DuckMom2017]

From the funny tag line, to the heartwarming story of the kittens, to the heartbreak of the duck... my emotions are all over the place!

Definitely going to walk the yard with a magnet ASAP, as we have only been on this property for a year or so and KNOW the previous owners used it as a *Lodge* of sorts, for hunting and fishing. I'd hate to see any of our animals swallow a bullet or fish hook.

Crossing fingers for your duck.

See the metal is from previous owners for us too. We just moved in a year ago...but they had the windows replaced before they sold it and there are little shims of metal everywhere. I thought I got them all but it's like they continue to dig more up

 

[Sara Ranch]

*hugs* Praying she makes it.

I am constantly picking up stuff from the common areas and the pastures. The wind blows it in, animals bring them in, and the mountain spits them out. It's a DAILY thing.

One of my duckies has swallowed some bad stuff. (I hunted all over and couldn't find it, so I know he swallowed.) He's still here. I've learned not to go after them if they pick up something they shouldn't. They always seem more determined than ever to run away and force the swallow.

I've done one pull from the crop and it was awful. I am not sure who cried more - the duck or me!

*hugs*

 

[DuckMom2017]

*hugs* Praying she makes it.

I am constantly picking up stuff from the common areas and the pastures. The wind blows it in, animals bring them in, and the mountain spits them out. It's a DAILY thing.

One of my duckies has swallowed some bad stuff. (I hunted all over and couldn't find it, so I know he swallowed.) He's still here. I've learned not to go after them if they pick up something they shouldn't. They always seem more determined than ever to run away and force the swallow.

I've done one pull from the crop and it was awful. I am not sure who cried more - the duck or me!

*hugs*

I went to Northern Tool yesterday and got a magnet with wheels to drag thru the yard, I can't believe how much crap we picked up. There's no telling how much stuff they've eaten.
I keep trying to feel her to see if it's in there but I really can't tell

 

[Smuvers Farm]

I went to Northern Tool yesterday and got a magnet with wheels to drag thru the yard, I can't believe how much crap we picked up. There's no telling how much stuff they've eaten.
I keep trying to feel her to see if it's in there but I really can't tell

How is she acting though? Is she eating? Drinking? Playing with the others? Swimming?

 

[DuckMom2017]

How is she acting though? Is she eating? Drinking? Playing with the others? Swimming?

She seems to be drinking a lot. She didn't attack her breakfast like she normally does so when I go home for lunch I'm going to stalk her some more and see how she's acting. It was tough at 630 to tell in the dark

 

[CarleeAnn]

*hugs* Praying she makes it.

I am constantly picking up stuff from the common areas and the pastures. The wind blows it in, animals bring them in, and the mountain spits them out. It's a DAILY thing.

One of my duckies has swallowed some bad stuff. (I hunted all over and couldn't find it, so I know he swallowed.) He's still here. I've learned not to go after them if they pick up something they shouldn't. They always seem more determined than ever to run away and force the swallow.

I've done one pull from the crop and it was awful. I am not sure who cried more - the duck or me!

*hugs*

My ducks love to try and eat big wood chips that get mixed in with their pine bedding, if I try to get it from them they run over to the water and dunk it in there! If I leave them alone they figure out it is not food and drop it, but I have no way of knowing if they do this when unsupervised. Ducks are silly.

Prayers that your duck passes the metal peacefully!

 

[DuckMom2017]

Thank you everyone for your support!
They're all running around like normal so I'm feeling a little like a crazy person.

If she did swallow it- how long would it be before she has any blockage or metal poisoning?

I gave them some cut up grapes on my lunch break and they all ate them. It's cool with the grapes cause I can see them go down their throat, but all went straight down like normal. They went swimming in their pool and splashed around like normal and ran through the yard.
But the whole time they were out I was walking the yard with my nifty magnet