Duck survived raccoon attack but is hurt, help pls?

[newbyintown]

Wow! What great advice. Does this duramycin work on cats? We take in al the strays, and many times they are injured. And if they stick around, they get into fights and get even more wounds. Our old vet would work with us and let me have antibiotics for them, but he retired, and our new vet won't give out antibiotics unless we bring the cat in to see them. Fat chance. We had a badly injured cat, a stray, so I ended up buying stuff from the Natural Pet Store, and it did work, but like you said, it is slow working. I did not check with Tractor Supply, but I did check with the Farmers Coop. All they had was for dogs, and it was not recommended to use on cats. Thanks so much for the advice and the great detail. We are getting chickens next year, in the spring, and will need all the advice and hints we can get. We have never had "fowl" before, so this will be an adventure. They will be for laying only. I will end up making pets out of them and spoiling them rotten, no doubt. So anything further you can tell me will be greatly welcomed.

 

[Amiga]

There is a Sticky (see the link at the top of the Duck Forum) with a long list of medicine chest items for waterfowl keepers - you may find that interesting.

The Stickies are some of the best information we have compiled so far.

 

[EyeCandyQuilts]

It has been a very busy few days but our once terrified and wounded duck Deema seems to be getting better every day! She has regrown most of the feathers where she was bit and her appetite and spirit is better than ever. She gets her bath time and wound wash 2x a day still and her wound has shrunk from half dollar size down to about a nickel size. The coloring is great, minor scab, and feather growth! From what I read, she must have only been "scalped" and was lucky! I think it was just the top layer or so of skin, based on how well it is doing and regrowing feathers? We cut away all we could to keep the area free of anything but theyve grown in and she seems great.
We have 3 kids so we have a ton of baby items and the best thing for her, for sleeping, etc is an old pack n play. The mesh allows her to see us, the hay and towels on top of the cushion seem cozy and she has room to stretch, flap, etc. I highly recommend these!
How soon after the wound is entirely healed is it safe to reintroduce her to her pen and new mate?

 

[EyeCandyQuilts]

We showed her a mirror hoping to comfort her but she freaked out pretty badly. Does she need more time before a new mate?

 

[Amiga]

Sounds like it. Poor girl. Glad she is improving.

 

[newbyintown]

I am so glad she I doing better. That play pen idea is really good. Being able to see you guys probably helps her to feel safe.

 

[EyeCandyQuilts]

She seems pretty happy about that part the most. At bedtime, we wheel it to our room and she sleeps on my side of the bed, right against the mesh. Shes doing great, health wise now, sooo relieved! ! Now I just need to get her a new mate and she will be all set! She was afraid of her reflection right after the attack but has settled down and is curious when she sees herself, lol.

 

[Anna verano]

Aww poor babe, so sad to hear it died I am thankful for your reply, knowing Im not alone, ya know? I just so worried about her. She still hasnt eaten but she did finally quack a minute ago. She hasn't made a peep since we brought her inside.
Thank you!

Hi , I feed muscovy ducks near where I live , I always check on them once or twice a day , a month back a muscovy girl who I named mama had her head tucked in her wing & didn't look her normal self when i called her name she took her head from her wing and i saw that she had a broken beak & puncture wounds in her chest area , I called wildlife and they gave me a number to duck sanctuary in ft Lauderdale the kind sweet lady talked to me & told me it sounded like mama was attacked by a raccoon for 2 days they tried to help me catch mama but she would go in the water so after 2 days the kind lady said it was put of our hands and just hope & pray for the best .. I went home very sad and I started looking into broken beaks and what to do , I had some antibiotics left over from my dog so I decided to try to see if that could help her get healthy again , the internet sources I read was to offer soft foods to the injured duck so ever morning I would scramble a egg & add a bit of the antibiotics to it than she gobbled down the eggs so I continued for 4 days of making her a scrambled egg she started perking back up and her feathers didn't look ruggled anymore & she was in the water preening herself again , I did that for 10 days and it worked her beak is fully healed and she is thanking out with her daughter & her other duck friends .. I'm so thankful she survived she helped raised chancy a little duckling who I rescued from botulism, she took him under her wing & taught him how to fly how to forge ect , it was amazing watching her help chancy to this day chancy is still hanging out with her & princess her daughter whom I think chancy is in love with ..mama hates the pond so everyday chancy, princess & sammy go up the fence near the smoothie shop & hangs out all day with her & the evening they head back to the pond to sleep ... I hope your feathered baby pulls through .. God bless

 

[magpieduckowner]

Here is a story from Captain Cluck that may give you some ideas.

When my duck, Lucy, was attacked by a raccoon, I had head wounds to deal with, too. No jaw damage but she had a bite taken from the edge of her bill.

I put her on homeopathic for bites and vitamins at first, but homeopathics take a long time to work, so after a week on that (and an infection starting in the leg wound that I had missed) I switched her to Duramycin (got at Tractor Supply). Add 1/4 teaspoon to 20 oz of water (2 1/2 CUPS). Only mix up what you will use immediately and store the rest of the powder in a clean, dry jar. You will want to keep a measuring spoon in the jar just for the Duramycin. If you won't be using the entire 20 oz right away, put the extra in the refrigerator until you need it, but do not keep it for longer than 1 day. I have seen funk grow in it if kept longer than that. Lucy got her water in a 20 oz travel mug 2x a day.

After her first day of not eating, she only wanted cooked, mashed peas for 2 weeks. She refused anything else, so keep tempting your duck with things she loves to eat. You may have to use a syringe and squirt some liquified food into her bill to get her to eat. which means you will ahve to take some food and puree it in the blender and add enough water to make it liquidy. Lucy's bill was very sore and I had to mash her peas so she could eat them.

Examine your duck carefully to locate all the wounds you can find. Trim away feathers from the wounds so you can treat them effectively. Don't be afraid to trim away all her feathers if you think you need to to examine her. You can dress her in newborn t-shirts until her feathers grow back. If you keep her in a dim, quiet room, she will heal faster, and eventually start to molt. At least, that's what Lucy did.

Use saline to rinse out the wounds every day. Use a q-tip to pack the open wounds with antibiotic ointment.

If there is a puncture wound (which includes bites), you will need to debride it daily with a gauze pad. That means put peroxide on a gauze pad and scrub the scab off the puncture wound and scrub it enough to keep it open so it can drain. Punctures must heal from the inside out, or they get infected. Pack the punctures with antibiotic ointment, too.

Since you can't wrap a head wound on a duck, just let her wash her head at will. The only wound I wrapped on Lucy was her leg wound while it had Ichthammol on it to pull out the infection.


Let her rest and check on her every few hours. Change her towels at least 2x a day, or get those incontinence pads you put in a patient's bed and put one of those on top of the towel. Easy cleanup and less laundry. I got mine at Wal Mart.

I did not have the money for a vet visit, but if you do, I highly suggest taking her in.
Too many chickens, not enough ducks. Plenty of Kids, dogs, cats.One loving, soft-hearted husband. I am rich!

My boy magpie duck just to attacked by a raccoon and his bill got pretty damaged and I will have to take him to the vet first thing in the morning thank you so much for this post I will be following this advice specially about what to feed him thank you sm!!!