Duck is lethargic, walking like she’s drunk Help!

[Trixy312]

Our Pekin duck, 7 months old, is walking like she is drunk. She is very lethargic. I try to give her electrolyte water. She’s not taking in much. She will eat a little duck weed from the pond. She has only been pooping sporadically. I thought it was a crop issue and then wondered if she is egg bound. Tonight I put her in a warm bath.
We have 9 other ducks, we got them all at the same time and none of the other ducks have issues.
Leading up to this she developed a limp. I have no idea if she hurt her leg or was born with an issue but there was never any visible injury and when I touch it she doesn’t flinch or pull away.
A week ago she was attacked by a hawk. She had a small wound on the edge of her wing but was acting fine. She was eating and drinking and I washed her up and she seemed fine. I am not sure if all of her systems are from the shock of the attack but wouldn’t think it would last this long or if there is any link.
i took a video of her tonight after her bath. She doesn’t sound like her breathing is labored but she keeps opening and closing her mouth. Wondering if she is egg bound and being in the warm bath was making her try to push.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[kaumlauf]

I don't know much about this behavior in ducks, but my first instinct is to say she has ingested toxins or a poison somehow. I would keep her quiet and warm, not knowing at all what else to do. I'm sure others with more experience will have advice. How long has she been acting this way?

 

[ducksinvt]

Sorry to hear about your duck!!!!
@Isaac 0 @casportpony @Miss Lydia

 

[Isaac 0]

Poor girl. How is she doing this morning? There are several things that may cause a duck to start acting like this, but there are a few that might be more likely based on her past history, and your setup. Two things come to mind to me. One being toxicosis of sorts, I see you mentioned they have a pond (?) especially during warmer months, that is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, such as clostridium botulinum (Botulism). Which can cause "Limberneck" paralysis of the neck, lethargy, lack of eating drinking, and possibly death. Here is some info on Botulism, if you care to look,

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/s...ce_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Another possibility could be some sort of bacterial infection since you noticed she had a wound from a hawk a week ago. If the wound was left untreated, bacteria may have started thriving and spreading, and it's now gone systemic.

There are lots of other conditions that may cause a bird to start acting like this, but those two seem more likely given whats happened.

I can tell you she is in very bad shape, so if you can take her to a vet, I would highly suggest doing so.

You have to be careful what you do, when you have birds in such bad shape, especially if there are respiratory problems going on, any little handling may send them over the edge. My suggestion as of now would be to just keep her in a warm, dimly lit, quiet, stressful free area, and keep trying to drip a few drops of an electrolyte along her bill to get her hydrated. Once she's stabilized a little bit, I would make a charcoal slurry mix with water and try to drip some drops into her bill, or deliver it feed tube.

Do you have any antibiotics on hand, if so what? Could you post a video of her?.