Duck falls over and swims in circles

[Duck Hill]

Update - this duck is recovering well. Treatment included
- 24 hours of water with molasses in case this was botulism related.
- Extra grit
- Tube feeding until he ate again.
- Extra niacin

He is back with the flock, still a bit unsteady on his feet but getting around fine now and slowly improving each day.

Thank you for your help and suggestions!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Awesome news!!

 

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE: DIAGNOSIS - WEST NILE VIRUS

I have recently lost two ducklings to West Nile virus. It is likely that the duck pictured above suffered from WEST NILE VIRUS.

Four weeks after the duck pictured in this thread got sick, another duckling (8 weeks old) died. When the second (7 weeks old) got sick, I knew I had to protect my flock and took that second duckling to the vet for a blood check. When it died the next day, I took it to the State Vet for an autopsy. The State Vet eventually diagnosed West Nile Virus.

I think that the Harlequin duck in this thread suffered from West Nile virus. Since he was an older duckling (about three months) he was able to overcome the virus and survive. Unfortunately, I did not know what disease he had, so I did not take preventive measures. My two Indian Runner ducklings were younger, and perhaps this is why they died. The vet said the second duckling had lesions in his spleen, kidneys, heart, brain (I probably forgot a couple more organs).

The incubation period (2 days to 14 days) indicate that the younger ducklings did NOT get the infection from the older duckling. They probably got it from mosquitoes or mosquito larvae.

The ducklings were in the best pen... the one with the most grass, the most water bowls, the most bugs... it even had delicious mosquito larvae in the water, and the ducklings loved to snack on those. Unfortunately, I have since learned that some of those mosquitoes had West Nile. I have read since that a mom moquito can pass on the disease to her offspring, and that some birds might be able to catch the disease by eating infected larvae. So either a mosquito stung my babies or my babies ate a sick larva.

I'm very sad. But momma duck is still alive. Next spring, we will try to make more babies, and they will stay in the driest, most bug-free pen. And they will eat dried bugs that I will order online, because I will be spraying for mosquitoes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you for the update and very sorry for your losses.

 

[WVduckchick]

Thank you for the update and very sorry for your losses.

Wow! X2

 

[Krazyquilts]

UPDATE: DIAGNOSIS - WEST NILE VIRUS

I have recently lost two ducklings to West Nile virus. It is likely that the duck pictured above suffered from WEST NILE VIRUS.

Four weeks after the duck pictured in this thread got sick, another duckling (8 weeks old) died. When the second (7 weeks old) got sick, I knew I had to protect my flock and took that second duckling to the vet for a blood check. When it died the next day, I took it to the State Vet for an autopsy. The State Vet eventually diagnosed West Nile Virus.

I think that the Harlequin duck in this thread suffered from West Nile virus. Since he was an older duckling (about three months) he was able to overcome the virus and survive. Unfortunately, I did not know what disease he had, so I did not take preventive measures. My two Indian Runner ducklings were younger, and perhaps this is why they died. The vet said the second duckling had lesions in his spleen, kidneys, heart, brain (I probably forgot a couple more organs).

The incubation period (2 days to 14 days) indicate that the younger ducklings did NOT get the infection from the older duckling. They probably got it from mosquitoes or mosquito larvae.

The ducklings were in the best pen... the one with the most grass, the most water bowls, the most bugs... it even had delicious mosquito larvae in the water, and the ducklings loved to snack on those. Unfortunately, I have since learned that some of those mosquitoes had West Nile. I have read since that a mom moquito can pass on the disease to her offspring, and that some birds might be able to catch the disease by eating infected larvae. So either a mosquito stung my babies or my babies ate a sick larva.

I'm very sad. But momma duck is still alive. Next spring, we will try to make more babies, and they will stay in the driest, most bug-free pen. And they will eat dried bugs that I will order online, because I will be spraying for mosquitoes.

So sorry for your loss! Thank you for letting us know. Maybe the information you posted will help save someone else's flock.