Drakes with neck injuries from mink

[kim1999]

My 2 drakes were penned up because they were being aggressive towards my ducklings and mama. We live by a creek and controlling minks is nearly impossible. These guys are tough and know how to handle them. No mink sightings for months so I wasn't concerned about penning them up for a bit. Well the pen got hit yesterday morning. I caught the bugger in the pen and at first I thought my boys were dead but when I looked they were on there feet. Both took off in the commotion and as it was getting dark last night we had no choice but to net them. I currently have them both in dog crates inside with shavings food and water. both are on there feet but necks are close to there body and obviously hurt. Any suggestions regarding their care, etc? I don't have a lot of experience. They are both about a year old. They seem to be traumatized, I've seen some of my other ducks act this way after having a run in with mr mink so hard to tell how injured they are. I separated them for fear they may injury each other.

 

[fogandcopper]

If there is no sign of breaks or bleeding then a little bit of rest is probably the best thing.

 

[kim1999]

They both had decent size chunks taken out of the necks. I didn't do anything with it, by the time they were captured the bleeding was stopped and dried so I left it alone. They were in shock and netting them didn't help. One was wiggling his bum and moving around at bit more this morning. The other seems to be improving as well I only peek at him. As soon as I look his way he starts hissing and breathing heavy. Should I try to apply anything to the wounds or clean them or leave them be? I know they will struggle and they seem pretty sore so I don't want to do anything unless its necessary.

 

[SampyArctica]

Yes, definitely, the wounds NEED to be cleaned or they'll get worse. You can flush them out with saline or iodine. They'll also most likely need a course of antibiotics as they'll have bacteria under their skin - most carnivores have the worst kinds of bacteria in their mouth and these get inserted into the flesh of their prey when their teeth penetrate. If you judge the drakes to still be in shock, do not offer any food or drink until you've warmed them up. When an animal goes into shock, blood flow automatically is restricted to around the heart and brain and the digestive system basically shuts down, so any food or drink given will be left to sit in their stomach and can lead to more problems. Sounds like you're otherwise doing well as far as shock treatment goes - all you need to remember for shock is: warm, dark, quiet. Once their body temperature has risen again (birds have a much higher body temp. than mammals, it's about 41 degrees Celsius/107 Fahrenheit), get some form of electrolytes into them - Glucodin/glucose water works well. Dehydration comes hand in hand with shock, so they'll need some fluids once they've been warmed, and make sure the fluids given are lukewarm as well, not cold.

They also sound like they're in a lot of pain - do you have any baby aspirin? 1/2 a tablet every 4 - 6 hours (as needed) should do the trick as far as pain goes for the moment but again - only when/if their body temp. is normal. When you say they've had decent chunks taken out of their necks - how far does the bite go?

 

[kim1999]

They have been inside for 2 nights now, in my laundry room it's warm and dark so I got that part right. They seem to be coming around. Before I left this morning they were moving around a bit more and seemed a bit more relaxed. One seems a bit more stressed than the other. I will get some baby aspirin for them how should I give it to them? they are drinking a little, not really eating and they are starting to poop again. I can't get a good look at the wounds as they have they're necks are tucked close to their bodies and I haven't taken them from the crates since I put them in there. It's been 2 days now, I hope I didn't wait too long to clean the wounds.

 

[SampyArctica]

Probably the easiest way to give them the aspirin in their current condition is to dilute it in their water. Think about it this way: if you had an animal attack you and took a bite out of you, what would you do? So do things for them like you would do for yourself. Painkillers, clean the wounds, cover them up and get them to a vet for antibiotics. They may even need stitches, depending on the severity, but that is for a vet to say. All the best! Poor things have been through an ordeal, hope they can recover soon!

 

[kim1999]

I honestly can't believe they survived. I've never had this happen before so it's all new. I left the wounds alone mostly because of there stress level and not wanting to be handled though I see now I should have cleaned them. They looked so pitiful and I didn't even know if they would survive I just wanted to make them comfortable. The vet in my area (rural) does not treat ducks although I'm trying to locate one. Thanks so much, I will try to get them cleaned up when I get home.

 

[jruhle]

A mink chewed on my ducks last year and despite being "vampire" victims, I only lost one out of 5 and hey all recovered completely. They are tough birds!

 

[JJSS89]

You must have some pretty wimpy mink, I am glad that your ducks are alright so far. I've never seen a bird of any kind survive a mink-hit. They are ruthless and efficient killers. Mink and weasels can be the worst predators to catch/kill/prevent IMHO. For mink though in a creek, a simple bottom-edge set will take care of those suckers

Good luck with the problem and the ducks.

 

[SampyArctica]

Wish you/them all the best!