Duck with injured leg

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Something happened to my Welsh Harlequin duck Emma's leg this morning, and she can't walk now. She can't put any weight on it and when I manipulate it, it's completely limp and she doesn't move it at all. I don't feel anything out of place but I don't really know what to feel for. How can I tell if it's a dislocation or a break?

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

You'll have to compare to the other one. Feel up where the leg joins the body to make sure it's not out of socket. Also did she lay or has she been laying sometimes an egg will press on the nerves in the back and cause one to not be able to walk until it gets further down close to laying.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/obturator-paralysis.1438777/

The thigh area feels a bit swollen to me compared to the other one, but I don't feel anything obviously out of place. She is laying, but I got one egg per duck this morning so I don't think she has one stuck. She's also been about the same all day, so it's lasted longer than a few hours.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd keep her where she can see everyone maybe even put a laid-back female in with her but keep her from overdoing it for a while and see if it helps. Nice warm swims so she can use her leg without making it worse. Also I'd give her some B complex 1 ml over a tasty treat. for muscle support.
Do you have zealous drakes that may have over-mated her?

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

I'd keep her where she can see everyone maybe even put a laid-back female in with her but keep her from overdoing it for a while and see if it helps. Nice warm swims so she can use her leg without making it worse. Also I'd give her some B complex 1 ml over a tasty treat. for muscle support.
Do you have zealous drakes that may have over-mated her?

I'll do that, thank you. I put her in a different coop for the night with just another female. The drakes could definitely have caused the problem. They aren't usually too rough but they do pick favorites and she is one.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That just maybe the problem then. Hopefully some good rest will have her back feeling good very soon.
Keep us updated.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

She is about the same, though maybe moving that leg a little more when I pick her up. She's still not putting weight on it at all. I have her in the duckling pen, which is small so she can rest and not move much. I called around to some vets who see ducks but even just the starting exam fees are out of my budget; they're higher than they are for dogs or cats .
She seems pretty perky and is enjoying the fresh grass in the pen, eating, drinking, and still laying eggs. But I noticed she breathes heavily sometimes and I worry she might be in pain. Is there a duck-safe pain medication I could give her while she hopefully heals? Or is that a bad idea? I don't want her to think she's recovered and try to move around too much, making the injury worse instead of better.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Because ducks are prey animals they are very good at hiding pain. Is she eating like normal? When one of my runners broke her leg up at the hip joint there were 3 cracks ( we got it xrayed) I thought possible dislocation boy am I glad I did not try to force it back in because that was not the problem . But with the broken bones she refused to eat so I had to tube feed her. Vet gave pain meds also. Is your duck eating like normal??

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

When my ducks get little leg injuries I give 1.5 ml of Medicam but have to get it from the vet
Might be different where you are
It has helped my ducks with pain and swelling and most recovery very fast
Swimming in deeper water is really good to
Get the leg moving without the body weight on it
Just keep her in a small area like you are till she is able to fully put weight on it again
Did you check her foot for any sores ?

She definitely loved the warm bathtub swim. There aren't any sores on the foot; I'm thinking it's a hip problem. It doesn't feel or look out of place, but if I feel her hip area gently it feels like there might be some creaking movement there.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Are you also giving her b complex for support? Hopefully, since your seeing a small bit of improvement, she'll show more this coming week.

Because ducks are prey animals they are very good at hiding pain. Is she eating like normal? When one of my runners broke her leg up at the hip joint there were 3 cracks ( we got it xrayed) I thought possible dislocation boy am I glad I did not try to force it back in because that was not the problem . But with the broken bones she refused to eat so I had to tube feed her. Vet gave pain meds also. Is your duck eating like normal??

I hope so! I think it will likely take a very long time for healing. I did put some B-complex over a treat but she's not very interested. All my ducks so far have hated it . She does eat regular food.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You could put it into her drinking water. Just don't give her a gallon of water maybe a med size bowl so she drinks most of the water. We usually tell people not to dilute it in water but sometimes you have to get it into them. Or you could try giving it to her with a syringe. We have the info on doing it right so they don't aspirate. Maybe check into Cosequin with MSM. My drake injured his leg fighting with my gander and a member here told me about this and I started him on it and after limping for quite a while he no longer limps.