Duck coughing/shaking head for a week now. Video included.

[Isaac 0]

@Isaac 0 Could you give me dosing for Safeguard for a 4 pound duck? I have looked all over on BYC and have seen anywhere from .14 to .23 per pound. My welsh harlequin has been doing this strange head-shaking for at least a couple of months. She doesn't display any respiratory symptoms, but it seems to me like her throat is swollen or her tongue is suddenly too big. I haven't taken her to the vet because I just don't have a lot of faith in them. Everything is just a guessing-game with my vet - like spending $800 on every treatment and test imaginable to figure out what was going on with my duck Penny, come to find out at home later she was having her feathers pulled. Shouldn't a vet recognize the signs?! Anyway, I was examining her this morning and saw a microscopic little white worm on the edge of her beak. Then I came in and saw the video of this duck doing the head shaking, and it seemed fortuitous. I just got the Safeguard and would like to administer it as soon as possible. I hope I'm not too late to help her! Thanks in advance!

Gapeworms are fairly uncommon in ducks, and if she was suffering from a gapeworm infestation it would be unlikely that she would be alive by now, as gapeworms reside in the trachea, and cause severe dyspnea to the point birds are unable to drink, breathe, and eat.

However, if it'd make you feel better knowing it's not Gapeworm, you can use SafeGaurd, and dose and 0.23ml per pound, orally, once a day for five days.

If your duck is acting similar to the one shown in the video, in post 1#, and she's often shaking her head, followed by a gasp, and has lost normal range of her voice, it's likely there is something causing obstruction in her trachea. It's hard to tell without tracheoscopy, and radiographs, the underlying cause, but trauma to the area can cause swelling, as well as conditions like Aspergillus, which can cultivate inside the trachea and cause obstruction. Inhalation seeds into the trachea can cause head shaking, and dyspnea.

 

[CoriM]

@Isaac 0 Alright, thanks for your response. She's been doing this off and on for a couple months. Still eats and drinks, but definitely hasn't been herself lately, which may have been the molt she just went through - I wasn't sure. I will try the wormer, but it sounds like I may have to take her in to solve the issue

 

[Isaac 0]

@Isaac 0 Alright, thanks for your response. She's been doing this off and on for a couple months. Still eats and drinks, but definitely hasn't been herself lately, which may have been the molt she just went through - I wasn't sure. I will try the wormer, but it sounds like I may have to take her in to solve the issue

I'm afraid, you might have to if the wormer doesn't prove useful. Ducks are particularly vulnerable to inhalation of the foreign matter since they depend on water to get feed down, and when there is an absence of it, they may inhale seeds, and other large debris, that can get wedged in the trachea or syrinx. The severity of the symptoms largely depends on the size, and location of the object.

 

[CoriM]

Ugh, thank you. She always has water with food. In fact even when my ducks are foraging in the yard I follow them around with a water bucket!

 

[CoriM]

@Isaac 0 So, do you have any idea, if an object was caught in her trachea or syrinx, would that require surgery to dislodge? Just curious...

 

[Isaac 0]

@Isaac 0 So, do you have any idea, if an object was caught in her trachea or syrinx, would that require surgery to dislodge? Just curious...

That's going to depend on the location and severity of the problem. With really dyspneic birds they usually have to do surgery, but I'm unaware what a vet would recommend for this. Likely the most time consuming, money-generating route.

Of course, my suggestion that there is a foreign blockage of sorts is just a guess. It could very well be something else.

 

[Tekilou]

https://imgur.com/a/j6lbLff

Hey folks. Our 5-month-old muscovy female, Stump Duck, hasn't been quite right for the last several days. On Tuesday she basically sat in a bush alone all day and did not want to eat. Every day since, she has resumed eating, drinking, and hanging out with the flock. She seems to want to drink a lot of water. And most importantly, she is periodically doing this motion where she stretches her neck out, appears to cough/wheeze, and shakes her head. She doesn't do it consistently - this morning she wasn't doing it at all, but tonight he's doing it a lot.

I dd separate her for 2 days. She didn't improve nor worsen. None of the other ducks have symptoms of anything and this issue seems like a physical malady more so than something infectious (although we are not sure). It almost appears to me that she may have gotten something caught in her throat. However there doesn't seem to be any abnormality of her bill or neck upon examination. Her crop also feels basically normal, although I admit I am not very experienced giving exams to muscovies compared to chickens.

She's not getting worse, and she's eating, but she doesn't seem happy. Can anyone help Stump Duck?

Hi my duck has been like this for 3 months. Could u please tell me what was wrong with your duck? And how did u treat it? Thanks very much

 

[casportpony]

Hi my duck has been like this for 3 months. Could u please tell me what was wrong with your duck? And how did u treat it? Thanks very much

Is a vet an option for you?

 

[Tekilou]

Is a vet an option for you?

I wanted to know from the person who posted the video what was the diagnosis of her duck.

 

[Tekilou]

https://imgur.com/a/j6lbLff

Hey folks. Our 5-month-old muscovy female, Stump Duck, hasn't been quite right for the last several days. On Tuesday she basically sat in a bush alone all day and did not want to eat. Every day since, she has resumed eating, drinking, and hanging out with the flock. She seems to want to drink a lot of water. And most importantly, she is periodically doing this motion where she stretches her neck out, appears to cough/wheeze, and shakes her head. She doesn't do it consistently - this morning she wasn't doing it at all, but tonight he's doing it a lot.

I dd separate her for 2 days. She didn't improve nor worsen. None of the other ducks have symptoms of anything and this issue seems like a physical malady more so than something infectious (although we are not sure). It almost appears to me that she may have gotten something caught in her throat. However there doesn't seem to be any abnormality of her bill or neck upon examination. Her crop also feels basically normal, although I admit I am not very experienced giving exams to muscovies compared to chickens.

She's not getting worse, and she's eating, but she doesn't seem happy. Can anyone help Stump Duck?