Duck not doing well

[jorhyne]

Hey guys,

I have five Welsh Harlequin female ducks, all about a month old. We've loved watching them grow, and four of them are very healthy, adventurous, and active as you might expect. The fifth (Susie) is a bit smaller than the rest. She had an eye infection two weeks ago that has since been successfully cleared up after a visit to the vet and some topical antibiotics. Because of the infection she has been in a separate but adjacent brooder per the vets recommendation.

The problem is she is now very wobbly on her feet, and really has been since the eye infection started. She often falls back onto her butt when moving around, and she also swims awkwardly compared to the rest when we let them swim in the bathtub. It is also clear she doesn't have very good control of her neck/head, and struggles to preen normally like the rest of them do.

Do you have any advice for what could be causing her wobbliness? Her stool is normal and she is still eating and drinking, albeit with much difficulty because it is hard for her to move around well. It has been two weeks and despite my inexperience, it seems to be more than just a duck not used to her big feet. They are being fed DuMor Chick/Duckling starter along with a bit salad mix, and we have been adding a small amount of vitamins to her water.

Here is a short youtube video showing her movements. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KoQwRz50m4

I really appreciate any help you guys can offer. We've grown quite fond of Susie as we've had to handle her much more to apply the eye meds..she is definitely more keen to our touch than the rest of them.

Thanks for reading

 

[Quack Addict]

Maybe not enough niacin?

 

[jorhyne]

Yes we've read that a Niacin deficiency could cause something similar..the vitamin we're adding to her water does have Niacin in it, and that hasn't seemed to change much over a week. Is there a better source we could try?

Also if it was a dietary problem wouldn't it affect all five of them? The other four ducklings are very vibrant and are doing great.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes we've read that a Niacin deficiency could cause something similar..the vitamin we're adding to her water does have Niacin in it, and that hasn't seemed to change much over a week. Is there a better source we could try?

Also if it was a dietary problem wouldn't it affect all five of them? The other four ducklings are very vibrant and are doing great.

It's sad when the other ducklings reject her because she walks different, can you put one of the other ducklings in with her? give her a buddy to cuddle with, and sounds like she just needs some extra TLC. your feeding her chick/duckling starter which since it's for ducks probably has adequate niacin for most ducklings, but some ducklings just need more. I like to use Poultry Nutri Drench added to their water. there are other brands out their too. She may just need a little more niacin or even a good liquid B complex vitamin added till she is up on her legs good and thriving like the rest. I'd give her and the ducklings time together everyday while you can watch so they begin to get use to her and hopefully they will accept her back into the group again. I was just reading about B complex I'll see if i can find the link real quick..https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...k-or-balance-need-assistance/20#post_10772346 http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html

 

[kandik]

Maybe the infection cause a bit of damage to the brain? I would try water therapy a few times a day to help build up the leg strength. I had a baby with a injured leg who could not walk or stand on it that I gave water therapy to for a few weeks and it also make the baby feel better to get off it.

 

[jorhyne]

Leg strength honestly seems ok and her feet and joints look normal. And every time I pick her up she squirms and pushes off me with her feet just as hard as the rest do. And she is able to float and swim ok, just less coordinated than the rest. But I think I will still try to track down a liquid B-Vitamin supplement for her as that still seems like it could be the most likely thing.

Thanks for all the advice. I will be sure to update how she is doing. If anyone else has other suggestions keep them coming, we really want to get Susie back on her feet!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Leg strength honestly seems ok and her feet and joints look normal. And every time I pick her up she squirms and pushes off me with her feet just as hard as the rest do. And she is able to float and swim ok, just less coordinated than the rest. But I think I will still try to track down a liquid B-Vitamin supplement for her as that still seems like it could be the most likely thing.

Thanks for all the advice. I will be sure to update how she is doing. If anyone else has other suggestions keep them coming, we really want to get Susie back on her feet!

Looking forward to up dates

 

[jorhyne]

Hey guys, so a lot has happened since our last post.

We took Susie to a vet who was a friend of a friend and happy to see her (for free no less). We decided it wasn't a niacin deficiency, and likely something neurological and developmental. Just to be sure he offered us a steroid/antibiotic combo to try to spur her appetite, and clear anything bacterial that might've been hindering her. Well it did improve her strength and appetite some, but she still has absolutely no balance and cannot straighten her neck or use her legs properly (can't swim anymore either). The meds ran out after 10 days and she immediately lost her appetite, and now can't even control her neck enough to lift her head to swallow after eating and drinking. At this point she is losing what little weight she had gained, and is now much less than half the size of her healthy sisters .

She isn't eating now and seems to have lost that spark in her eye that made me think she still wanted to live..I'm going to call the vet this afternoon to discuss options of putting her down. Going to be really hard..I've spent the last month nursing her 4 or 5 times a day. But she has no quality of life, just laying in her box on her side not able to walk or even sit up.

Just wanted to offer an update since you guys had been friendly enough to offer advice. I guess this was a good lesson to learn early on in raising animals for a farm, but it sure is hard.

 

[Amiga]

Very tough.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm so sorry, you can take comfort in knowing you have tried everything you knew to do. It's heart breaking when it doesn't work..