Bow legged ducklings

[Trisseh]

I looked into slipped tendon a few weeks ago but didn’t think it was that because it hadn’t progressed to this point yet and still looked much like Niacin deficiency. I’m now looking into slipped tendon and am thinking that it’s very much possible. He still eats and drinks plenty but he walks much less than the others so you’re likely right about him not getting enough for proper growth. With times being so hard at the moment with the virus I wanted to do what I could on my own with niacin supplementation and avoid the vet if possible, but now that i’m seeing the vet is my only option I wish I had just gone at the start :/ then again it looked so much like Niacin deficiency that if the vet didn’t have an expertise with ducks they may have thought the same

It’s very possible that it began as niacin deficiency and other problems came along for the ride, don’t beat yourself up at all. They grow so fast that even a couple of days make a difference in how to treat and what you’re treating. If you find that the tendon is slipped, you can try to extend the leg and slip it back into place but in a duckling that size I don’t know that it will stay put... what I did with my last one (he was only 3 days or so old) was extend the leg, slip the tendon back, and then wrapped the leg partly extended With vetrap so he couldn’t move it much. Since he was so small that only stayed on for one day. I gave him as much swimming time as I could as well to build up strength without too much strain on his legs throughout the process. When I removed the wrap his tendon was ok but he was basically splay legged at that point so he needed hobbles for a couple of days to get them underneath him. I’m not sure what the best option is for your little guy as he’s older and his legs are turned and pointing inward, but sturdy hobbles that don’t have a lot of “give” in the middle section to help separate and support his legs may be something you could try. Definitely only with supervision in a safe place of course.

I do feel that not every “avian” vet is the right choice for poultry, either. If you have one that you like and it’s worked for you, awesome. I know personally in my area I definitely would not bring my birds to either of them that are here, as they don’t seem to understand that they are different than caged birds in many ways. Ideally you would have a food animal veterinarian that knows and treats poultry (and don’t just recommend to cull) but those are few and far between. Lol.

 

[Koylotomoto]

It’s very possible that it began as niacin deficiency and other problems came along for the ride, don’t beat yourself up at all. They grow so fast that even a couple of days make a difference in how to treat and what you’re treating. If you find that the tendon is slipped, you can try to extend the leg and slip it back into place but in a duckling that size I don’t know that it will stay put... what I did with my last one (he was only 3 days or so old) was extend the leg, slip the tendon back, and then wrapped the leg partly extended With vetrap so he couldn’t move it much. Since he was so small that only stayed on for one day. I gave him as much swimming time as I could as well to build up strength without too much strain on his legs throughout the process. When I removed the wrap his tendon was ok but he was basically splay legged at that point so he needed hobbles for a couple of days to get them underneath him. I’m not sure what the best option is for your little guy as he’s older and his legs are turned and pointing inward, but sturdy hobbles that don’t have a lot of “give” in the middle section to help separate and support his legs may be something you could try. Definitely only with supervision in a safe place of course.

I do feel that not every “avian” vet is the right choice for poultry, either. If you have one that you like and it’s worked for you, awesome. I know personally in my area I definitely would not bring my birds to either of them that are here, as they don’t seem to understand that they are different than caged birds in many ways. Ideally you would have a food animal veterinarian that knows and treats poultry (and don’t just recommend to cull) but those are few and far between. Lol.

I’m not so sure about slipping it back in myself, I have no experience and wouldn’t want to end up hurting him further. I would like to try hobbles but at this point with his leg being so extended like that i’m not sure if that could ever go back to normal, but it is worth a shot. I only know of one avian vet in my area but have no idea if they have any experience with poultry. I’m also looking into rickets and splayed leg, but there’s really no way for me to be able to tell what’s wrong on my own ): i’d be happy to keep him as a house duck if this is not fixable but want to make sure that he isn’t in a lot of pain in that case. I wouldn’t want to let him live in pain for the rest of his life, but I want to make sure that euthanization is absolutely necessary. I know a lot of avian vets are very quick to say “just put it down” even when the problem is fixable. I read a thread of someone else who had a duck with slipped tendon and the vet said nothing could be done and recommend euthanization, which everyone in the responses completely disagreed!

 

[meyerc06]

Hi everyone, just an update but he’s only gotten much much worse. I’ve been administering the B complex since I first posted this thread on the 14th. I will include pictures but his right leg is severely pigeon toed and with his left leg he nearly lays it flat on the ground and puts the weight on his hock instead of his foot. The thigh bone is beginning to lengthen so he can use the hock rather than the foot, and his toes are coming together rather than being spread apart. The other two ducks are also now nearly twice the size of him, his growth is severely hindered. I’m not sure what to do, I will continue with B complex but any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I wish I could help! I'm sure others have some great ideas for you, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry and wish you luck in finding a good solution.

 

[Koylotomoto]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I wish I could help! I'm sure others have some great ideas for you, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry and wish you luck in finding a good solution.

Thank you!!

 

[meyerc06]

I’m not so sure about slipping it back in myself, I have no experience and wouldn’t want to end up hurting him further. I would like to try hobbles but at this point with his leg being so extended like that i’m not sure if that could ever go back to normal, but it is worth a shot. I only know of one avian vet in my area but have no idea if they have any experience with poultry. I’m also looking into rickets and splayed leg, but there’s really no way for me to be able to tell what’s wrong on my own ): i’d be happy to keep him as a house duck if this is not fixable but want to make sure that he isn’t in a lot of pain in that case. I wouldn’t want to let him live in pain for the rest of his life, but I want to make sure that euthanization is absolutely necessary. I know a lot of avian vets are very quick to say “just put it down” even when the problem is fixable. I read a thread of someone else who had a duck with slipped tendon and the vet said nothing could be done and recommend euthanization, which everyone in the responses completely disagreed!

It might be worth looking into livestock vets instead of avian vets. They may be more familiar with poultry/waterfowl versus parrots/cage birds. I'm not sure where you're located, but there is an online search that I found (www.agservicefinder.com/livestock-vets) or you can google or ask on facebook backyard ducks/chickens/livestock groups.