Duck Vent Problem - What Next???

[tia]

I posted this on diseases too - but wanted to make sure that people more familiar with ducks read this.

I've posted several times before. My Runner Duck, Angel has an ongoing vent problem. Her vent swells up and has hard scab like things all around it. I have had her on antibiotics for some time. She seemed to improve but it never went away with Ciproflox .5 ml twice a day, Metacam .6 mil twice a day, and Silver sulfadiazine cream applied twice daily - When she went off the medication it came back again. The vet then had me give her Ciproflox .5 ml - twice a day, and Metacam .6 ml twice a day and put Terramycin Ointment on her vent twice a day and Hydro B Once a day (at a different time) I've been doing this and also making sure she swims twice a day for about 1/2 hour each time. I started this treatment on November 14th. The vet thought she might have gleet. She still has swelling and some scabbing. If she doesn't have the two swims the scabbing is worse. She otherwise appears healthy (besides bumblefoot which I also put silver sufadiazine cream on... and the bumblefoot is never totally cured - but under some control. She continues to eat and is laying an egg almost every day (which I throw away) I don't know what else I can do. The medication is getting expensive, and I am sure that it is not the best for her to be on antibiotics continiously. She is such a sweet heart. I keep her in the house away from the other ducks. She was with them for some time and what ever she has it is not contagious, as the other ducks have no problem. I am starting to question the quality of her life - and wondering what I should do with my sweet Angel. Has anyone had a vent problem like this with their ducks.. Please if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I don't know what to do next. Thanks!!!

 

[Amiga]

tia,

so sad to read about Angel again. Could you help me recall some details? Has a culture been done on the tissue to determine what organism is bothering her?

Gleet, from the little I've read, is bacterial. So antibiotics would make sense.

But some infections are fungal, and antibiotics do nothing.

A fungal infection can cause inflammation which then makes the tissue susceptible to opportunistic bacteria. In that case, antibiotics would improve the situation, but until the underlying fungal infection is wiped out, it will keep recurring.

It's just a guess or a hunch. But I know a number of people who've had fungal infections misdiagnosed as bacterial, even one guy whose fungal lung infection was diagnosed as cancer.

Fungal cultures take much longer to develop than bacterial, which is one reason why they get missed. Bacteria often show up on a petri dish within a day or so. Fungi can take three days or more.