Duck Eye Infection?

[TwoDogFarm]

Update: Tomorrow will be a week of using Vetericyn eye gel on my duck and his eye seems to be improving every day. His eye is open now, his eyeball doesn't have much of a film over it anymore, and there is no more discharge. If all continues to go well, it looks like we may need to treat it a couple more days and then he should be able to go back in with his buddies. I'm a believer in Vetericyn. It's saved three of our birds with eye injuries/infections. Thanks for all your suggestions and help.

 

[tifannidianne]

Did you keep your duck separated? I am dealing with this issue and I dont know If i should keep mine away from the flock. She just showed signs of the infection yesterday but it looks awful. I dont want any of the others getting infected.

 

[TwoDogFarm]

Did you keep your duck separated? I am dealing with this issue and I dont know If i should keep mine away from the flock. She just showed signs of the infection yesterday but it looks awful. I dont want any of the others getting infected.

Hi. We have had this issue a couple more times and dealt with it differently depending on the severity. If your duck's eye looks really bad, I would suggest separating it from the flock just so there's no chance of it spreading. A dog exercise pen is great for this or a rabbit cage will also work. Just make sure if possible, the cage or pen is near the others where the sick duck can still see them or else you msy have problems reintroducing him to the flock.

To treat this, use Veterycin eye drops, which you can pick up from your local feed store. Just be aware that the duck will shake once you put it in, so hold its bill while you apply it. I believe you use it for 7 days if I remember correctly.

Also, I don't know if you are already doing it, but you should also put in a bucket for the duck to wash his head in. Put some Apple cider vinegar in the bucket--1 tablespoon to one gallon. This will kill bacteria. Ducks need a way to clean their heads.

I know that I've been having issues figuring out how to do that with these freezing temps but you can either get a heated water bucket or use buckets in the day and dump them at night (also depending on how cold it gets where you are).

I don't know how you have handled this until this point since I see it's been a couple of days since you've posted, but if you decided not to separate this duck, you should still be okay as long as you start putting ACV in the water buckets and treating anyone else who has drainage from the eyes.

Hope this helps. Sorry I didn't see this until now.

 

[tifannidianne]

Hi. We have had this issue a couple more times and dealt with it differently depending on the severity. If your duck's eye looks really bad, I would suggest separating it from the flock just so there's no chance of it spreading. A dog exercise pen is great for this or a rabbit cage will also work. Just make sure if possible, the cage or pen is near the others where the sick duck can still see them or else you msy have problems reintroducing him to the flock.

To treat this, use Veterycin eye drops, which you can pick up from your local feed store. Just be aware that the duck will shake once you put it in, so hold its bill while you apply it. I believe you use it for 7 days if I remember correctly.

Also, I don't know if you are already doing it, but you should also put in a bucket for the duck to wash his head in. Put some Apple cider vinegar in the bucket--1 tablespoon to one gallon. This will kill bacteria. Ducks need a way to clean their heads.

I know that I've been having issues figuring out how to do that with these freezing temps but you can either get a heated water bucket or use buckets in the day and dump them at night (also depending on how cold it gets where you are).

I don't know how you have handled this until this point since I see it's been a couple of days since you've posted, but if you decided not to separate this duck, you should still be okay as long as you start putting ACV in the water buckets and treating anyone else who has drainage from the eyes.

Hope this helps. Sorry I didn't see this until now.

Thank you for getting back to me! We did not separate her. I have been using the veterycin spray twice daily and ive been giving her a bucket of clean water regularly. When its warm enough I fill their pool. I did not know to use acv so I will add this measure asap. Thank you so much for the help!

 

[TwoDogFarm]

Glad she's doing better and that I could be of help. Hope she continues to improve!

 

[QuailsnestKelly]

How did this turn out for you? I have a little duckling with the same thing developing...

 

[TwoDogFarm]

How did this turn out for you? I have a little duckling with the same thing developing...

Hi. I'm sorry you're having an issue with your duckling. We've actually had this problem more than once.

See my post above (#13) for an updated treat method.

Just as a brief summary, you can get some Veterycin eye gel from your local feed store. Use this in the eye for 7 days--once a day. Also make sure your duckling has just enough water to clean his or her head. (If your duckling still doesn't have feathers, I would stay away from letting him/her swim yet since they can get waterlogged or freeze. Once he/she has feathered though, you can let him/her swim for a short period of time if preferred.)

Also be sure to put some Apple Cider Vinegar in the drinking water--one tablespoon per gallon. It kills bacteria and will help the others not get infected too if you have more ducklings.

Keep me updated on your progress or let me know if you have further questions. This is not fun to deal with but I'm a strong believer in the Veterycin. Good luck!

 

[2Pups2Ducks]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I noticed one of our ducks' eyes looked off and he could hardly open it. The feathers looked a bit off around the eye area and it looked like there was some discharge. I was Googling what to do and found this site. I purchased the Veterycin from our local feed store and some sterile eye wash from CVS. We've been cleaning the eye twice a day since last Thursday and putting some Veterycin eye gel on the area and even in one day it made a HUGE difference. His eye looks so much better and it hasn't even been seven days. We will continue to treat for about seven days and see how he does. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[thequackery]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I noticed one of our ducks' eyes looked off and he could hardly open it. The feathers looked a bit off around the eye area and it looked like there was some discharge. I was Googling what to do and found this site. I purchased the Veterycin from our local feed store and some sterile eye wash from CVS. We've been cleaning the eye twice a day since last Thursday and putting some Veterycin eye gel on the area and even in one day it made a HUGE difference. His eye looks so much better and it hasn't even been seven days. We will continue to treat for about seven days and see how he does. Thanks again for the advice.

Does Veterycyn spray work?? It’s the only thing I can find around me. It’s being sold by PetSmart