Drake Prolapse Amputation: Yea or Nay?

[boopsqueak]

This is Alligator Bob. He is brave, smart, handsome, a doer of valorous deeds and much more interesting than Boo, the World’s Cutest Dog. At any rate, poor Bobbie has had a relatively slight penis prolapse for about a month. For a while, I was just keeping an eye on it, applying hydrocortisone and antibiotic ointment. However, last week, we noticed that the tip of the exposed organ was looking a little scabby. We brought him inside, where he is now. He doesn’t have much of an appetite but is very feisty all the same. He does enjoy earthworms, though!

On Saturday, we brought him to the vet, who is not an avian specialist, but who does treat birds. He peeled a lot of dry skin/scabby material off the prolapse (horrible to watch) and prescribed an anti-inflammatory (Meloxicam) and antibiotics (Clavamox). He said that the necrotic tissue at the tip of the penis may fall off on its own, but if it gets worse or does not get better by his follow-up on Friday then Bobbie will have to be put down.

I was very surprised by this. Judging by many of the threads here on BYC, it seems as if necrotic or even gangrenous prolapse tissue can be amputated, even at home, without many complications, and I have seen many professional avian vets say the same. The vet said that ducks “don’t usually do well” after amputation, but that seems like a strange statement to me, after all that has been posted here about this subject. Compared to some of the horrors I have seen while researching this condition, Bobbie’s prolapse hardly looks bad at all. It’s not swollen or inflamed, and there is only a teeny bit of scabby tissue at the very tip—which Bobbie could easily grow back if it was removed. Here it is:

(If a better picture is needed, I can try again. The camera was not cooperating at all, and it was hard to focus.)
What do you think? Should I go through with the amputation (if it is needed) and cancel the follow-up, or has there been some change in medical opinion concerning this procedure? I have pretty much everything I need: a sterile scalpel, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories. I don’t want to give up on this splendid little drake yet!

 

[BobStuart]

By the way that is a great name for a duck or just anything in general. He is definitely cuter than Boo by far. He is a real show duck. Beautiful creature and I pray he gets well soon. I’m not an expert on ducks and I don’t know any experts on ducks so unfortunately I can’t help very much. If you feel like amputation is right then go do it after all it’s your duck. As long as you know what you’re doing I will support your decision.

 

[Sally PB]

You can search threads and articles here on BYC for a lot of information. You sound like you are prepared (and brave enough!) to do this.

I'm going to quote something from another thread, and tag that poster, to see if they can help.

I had a Call Duck that had a prolapse a few weeks ago. I saw a video on how a vet amputated the end of the penis that had turned into gangrene. It was from several years ago and the cost was $750.00 way back then. I thought to myself, if I don't do it he will die and if I do I might save him. I did it and he is just fine and running around like nothing ever happened to him. Sometimes we become homemade vets and I am thankful for YouTube.

@Luv Ducks, can you help this person out?

 

[Luv Ducks]

I sterilized everything I used for my Duck. I held him close to my chest and had his back penned against my stomach. I used very sharp sissors and just cut just above the infected or discolored part of his penis. I had to take off an inch. Afterwards I sprayed the whole area with Vetericyn Antimicrobial Wound Care that I got from Tractor Supply. I tucked the remaining part back inside of him and it never came back out. If it would have and had gotten infected I would have trimmed that part off also. Look at it this way, you can either try to save his life or let him die instead. That is what I had to tell myself to get the courage up. Mine was a Call Duck and I just loved him and he was perfectly fine afterwards. I kept a close eye on him to make sure it stayed where it belonged and it was not mating season so he had no reason to want to use it, lol. Good Luck and I will be praying for you. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! Don't let him be put down. If you lose him at least you will know you tried rather than giving up on him. That Vet is not telling you how many success stories there are for doing this, only the negative ones.

 

[boopsqueak]

By the way that is a great name for a duck or just anything in general. He is definitely cuter than Boo by far. He is a real show duck. Beautiful creature and I pray he gets well soon. I’m not an expert on ducks and I don’t know any experts on ducks so unfortunately I can’t help very much. If you feel like amputation is right then go do it after all it’s your duck. As long as you know what you’re doing I will support your decision.

Thank you for the quick response! I had not hoped that anyone would answer so quickly! Yes, we are very lucky to have such a beautiful little duck. His name was actually Roberta at first, because when he was a duckling he was quite small and we thought he was a female, but he turned out to be Robert. The "Alligator" comes from his tough-guy attitude. He seems to be feeling better this evening...he is feistier than he has been, which is good.
By the way, I love your user image! And I'm glad to have got the dancing chicken GIF.

 

[boopsqueak]

I sterilized everything I used for my Duck. I held him close to my chest and had his back penned against my stomach. I used very sharp sissors and just cut just above the infected or discolored part of his penis. I had to take off an inch. Afterwards I sprayed the whole area with Vetericyn Antimicrobial Wound Care that I got from Tractor Supply. I tucked the remaining part back inside of him and it never came back out. If it would have and had gotten infected I would have trimmed that part off also. Look at it this way, you can either try to save his life or let him die instead. That is what I had to tell myself to get the courage up. Mine was a Call Duck and I just loved him and he was perfectly fine afterwards. I kept a close eye on him to make sure it stayed where it belonged and it was not mating season so he had no reason to want to use it, lol. Good Luck and I will be praying for you. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! Don't let him be put down. If you lose him at least you will know you tried rather than giving up on him. That Vet is not telling you how many success stories there are for doing this, only the negative ones.

I doubt whether the vet even knew much about this matter. Most of his patients are probably cats and dogs.
No, I won't let Bob be put down. He is a very courageous and determined little duck, and it seems as if he is feeling a lot better this evening. If I do amputate, I really don't think that we will need to worry about losing him. (Not to the operation, anyway. Bob has been known to challenge a farm tractor, a hawk, and a pair of wild Dobermans...he's lucky that he hasn't had to go to the vet earlier!)
Ugh, I can't imagine having to do what you did by myself! Good job! It's a good thing that I have my two hard-working sisters to help. (They are a lot more competent than some of the vets' assistants I have seen).
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

 

[Sally PB]

I don't have ducks, but really enjoy them vicariously through other members.

Please let us know how this goes. This may be the thread that helps someone else with the same problem!

Good luck, and hugs!

 

[BobStuart]

I’m sure Bob is going to be as good as ever after this. I have a good feeling about it.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I doubt whether the vet even knew much about this matter. Most of his patients are probably cats and dogs.
No, I won't let Bob be put down. He is a very courageous and determined little duck, and it seems as if he is feeling a lot better this evening. If I do amputate, I really don't think that we will need to worry about losing him. (Not to the operation, anyway. Bob has been known to challenge a farm tractor, a hawk, and a pair of wild Dobermans...he's lucky that he hasn't had to go to the vet earlier!)
Ugh, I can't imagine having to do what you did by myself! Good job! It's a good thing that I have my two hard-working sisters to help. (They are a lot more competent than some of the vets' assistants I have seen).
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

You are most welcome. What I had read about this was that if I did not do it the infection could spread through his body and that was what would kill him so I did not want to wait real long. I hope that whatever decision you decide upon works out well for your Duck.

 

[boopsqueak]

Bobbie just had a soak in warm Epsom salt water. He seemed crabby and kept neck-attacking our arms when we rested them on the edge of the sink—which is a good sign.

Regarding his prolapse, do you think it would be advisable to do the amputation today, or keep an eye on it and see if the tip does fall off? Whatever happens, we will not be taking him back to the vet. That visit was a waste of time and of money (two hundred dollars), and the only useful thing we got out of it was the Meloxicam—we didn’t actually need the Clavamox, as we already have Baytril.

Above the necrotic tip, I noticed that there is a small section of the penis (only on one side) that is turning slightly yellowish and feels dry to the touch. Do you think that that is just normal drying out, or infected tissue that needs to be removed? From what I can tell, it looks like it’s on the outside. The vet pulled off an exterior scab and some dried skin from that area when we took him in. I can try to get a picture of it, if you want.